Looking into the lectionary - Prep for Advent 4 and Christmas Eve 🎄

December 22, 2024 Fourth Sunday of Advent  Micah 5:2-5a; Psalm 80:1-7; Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-55 Václav Havel, a playwright turned Communist dissident in 1970s Czechoslovakia, refers to hope as an “orientation of the heart; it transcends the world as it is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons.” Havel’s hope sustained him, though he was imprisoned and his work banned, and eventually led him to become president of a more tolerant and open Czechoslovakia. We can learn from Havel’s example as we explore embodied Advent hope. The lectionary passages for this fourth Sunday of Advent turn us toward a narrative pattern of hope. Hope is essential to our humanity, a fundamental ingredient to surviving hardship. Each passage for this Sunday turns us beyond what is immediately experienced, anchoring Christians in the hope of our coming Christ. Micah, the eighth-century prophet, pens this messianic poem (Micah 5:2-5a) against a backdrop of Assyrian destruction of the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the deportation of God’s people from their homes. Their hope resides in a ruler, a savior, coming from Bethlehem, and from the Judean clan of Ephrathah, linking him to the ancestral line of King David. Like the pastoral prayer led in our worship services, Psalm 80:1-7 raises the concerns of God’s people. The people need restoration. The people need God’s promised salvation. The people need God’s presence. “Let your face shine” (Psalm 80:3,7). Presenting their needs to God in prayer reflects their hope that God hears and God acts. Preceding Hebrews 10:5-10 is a lengthy section citing Jeremiah’s prophecy that God will make a new covenant with Israel, a covenant of belonging and grace. “I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Hebrews 8:10). This new covenant, as we read in this Sunday’s passage from Hebrews, is realized in the life and death of Jesus Christ. Christ is the embodiment of our hope, the fulfillment of God’s promise. The scenes painted by Luke 1:39-55 reveal how hope is not only pondered in our minds but felt and experienced within our bodies. The baby in Elizabeth’s womb “leaped” when it heard Mary’s greeting. Elizabeth responds to her hope-filled baby with an embodied cry of joy. Mary’s body cannot contain her feelings — to speak is not enough, she must sing; her soul “magnifies” and celebrates the hope thrumming in her heart and from her throat. With only a few days left until Christmas, we might pause here to consider how Advent hope breaks into our present experience. How is your hope embodied? Read the rest of the commentary on the website. Order of worship — December 22, 2024, by Teri McDowell Ott This Beautiful Day: Daily Wisdom from Mister Rogers reviewed by Amy Pagliarella Roots, thorns and joy: Navigating complex family history during the holidays by Chris Burton Every Day for Everyone: 365 Devotions from Genesis to Revelation reviewed by Amy Pagliarella Order of worship — December 24, 2024, by Teri McDowell Ott Christmas Eve and beloved community by Teri McDowell Ott Want the worship resources for December 15, 2024? You can find them here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... While overall PC(USA) membership continues to decline, new worshiping communities maintain their growth Rates of decline in membership and congregations have remained steady in recent years. —  Layton Williams Berkes Addressing the hurt that also feels holy PC(USA) pastor and researcher Erin Raffety and neurodivergent director of ministry Ellen White discuss how neurodivergent youth are reshaping youth ministry in innovative, faithful ways. Watch a conversation between Erin, Ellen and Outlook Social Media Producer Jesy Littlejohn today at 4:10 pm! New Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA) takes next step in reimagining work going forward Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries will join with TFE. — Mike Ferguson At-home Christmas liturgy Here is a tool to invite the holy into the day. — Rose Schrott Taylor  2025 Grawemeyer Religion Award Goes to Rabbi and Disability Advocate Julia Watts Belse Georgetown professor’s book, "Loving Our Own Bones," inspires reappraisal of disability. Resources for grief and loss Amy Pagliarella suggests the resources for grief pastors, caregivers, and loved ones will want on hand, to reference or offer to others in need.  Outside Supreme Court, religious protesters mostly rally in favor of transgender rights‘ As a trans person myself, I know that I’m just as much an image of God as a cisgender, heterosexual person of whatever color, race and creed,’ said the Rev. M.E. Eccles, a trans Episcopal priest. — Jack Jenkins Tech Agnostic: How Technology Became the World’s Most Powerful Religion — And Why It Desperately Needs a Reformation  Technology's promises of human progress, potential and possibilities give it permission to exploit marginalized people, increase inequality and frequently adopt the worst of religion. — Mike Goodwin on "Tech Agnostic"