Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-10
“The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come . . . Life in a prison cell may well be compared to Advent; one waits, hopes, and does this, that, or the other – things that are really of no consequence – the door is shut, and can be opened only from the outside.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from Tegel Prison, 1943
“As a general rule, Americans are a people of action. We don’t take long lunches like the French. We don’t take siestas like the Spanish . . . we Americans think of ourselves as busy, busy, busy making things happen . . . and we are a bit impatient with those who aren’t as full of energy as we are. We don’t like passivity. We don’t like waiting around. So the theme of waiting and watching that permeates the Advent season strikes a false note with us. We give lip service to it, but we don’t take it very seriously. We don’t want to sit around watching and waiting. We want to speed things up. We want to move things along. If God isn’t going to bring the kingdom, we’ll bring it ourselves. That’s our American way.”
Fleming Rutledge, Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Matthew 5:9
Download audio file
Bulletin