From the Pastor’s Desk…
Faith Chat:
We are called to proclaim God’s grace by proclaiming the story of Jesus, to bring light, hope and healing to the world.
“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch
shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on
him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of
counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the
Lord.” Isaiah 11:2
What does Advent and these words from Isaiah that we pray
over each newly baptized person have in common? Advent is a
season of waiting, waiting for the coming of Jesus, yes in a
manger, and to us today, here and now. In Advent we are
preparing The Way, which is to say, preparing our hearts,
minds, souls, bodies to receive what God has so freely given,
Immanual, God With Us. Just as we prepare for baptism or
confirmation, Advent is more than just waiting for December
24th to arrive, opening a little door on our Advent calendar for
the piece of chocolate. It’s active waiting. It’s waiting with
purpose, direction and vision.
To engage more deeply into this active waiting, in worship we
will have a sermon series on Isaiah. The preaching team has
studied the Isaiah lectionary texts and the prophetic book to
prepare to share the good news that comes from our ancient
ancestors of faith.
Isaiah was a prophet in the 8th century BCE and did not write
the entirety of the book of Isaiah. It was likely written by several
different prophets or disciples of prophets over a 200-year
period. What this gives us is the witness to the people of God
who have waited. Waited to be rescued from exile. Waited for
healing, waited for wars to cease, waited for wholeness to
return.
Repeatedly, Isaiah offers words of judgment intermixed with
words of comfort, reassurance and hope. The passage above is
one such passage of hope, the return of a peaceful kingdom
for all nations. There will be a new day, new growth, a new
beginning. And the people of Israel did experience that for a
time after returning from Babylonian exile.
We too might feel exiled, whether in physical isolation, in
financial stress, health, vocation, or any daily struggle that
keeps us from flourishing fully. We long to have a new
beginning, to see that little shoot of growth poke up from the
dirt of our lives.
And the waiting seems interminable. But the spirit of the
Lord SHALL rest on you, be with you, and fill you with what
you need as you wait. The promise of God that Isaiah
proclaims to the people who feel simply empty is that God
will do a new thing, God has not forgotten us, and God will
be with us, Immanual. Thanks be to God!
Blessed Advent!
Pastor Brigette Weier
“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch
shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on
him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of
counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the
Lord.” Isaiah 11:2
What does Advent and these words from Isaiah that we pray
over each newly baptized person have in common? Advent is a
season of waiting, waiting for the coming of Jesus, yes in a
manger, and to us today, here and now. In Advent we are
preparing The Way, which is to say, preparing our hearts,
minds, souls, bodies to receive what God has so freely given,
Immanual, God With Us. Just as we prepare for baptism or
confirmation, Advent is more than just waiting for December
24th to arrive, opening a little door on our Advent calendar for
the piece of chocolate. It’s active waiting. It’s waiting with
purpose, direction and vision.
To engage more deeply into this active waiting, in worship we
will have a sermon series on Isaiah. The preaching team has
studied the Isaiah lectionary texts and the prophetic book to
prepare to share the good news that comes from our ancient
ancestors of faith.
Isaiah was a prophet in the 8th century BCE and did not write
the entirety of the book of Isaiah. It was likely written by several
different prophets or disciples of prophets over a 200-year
period. What this gives us is the witness to the people of God
who have waited. Waited to be rescued from exile. Waited for
healing, waited for wars to cease, waited for wholeness to
return.
Repeatedly, Isaiah offers words of judgment intermixed with
words of comfort, reassurance and hope. The passage above is
one such passage of hope, the return of a peaceful kingdom
for all nations. There will be a new day, new growth, a new
beginning. And the people of Israel did experience that for a
time after returning from Babylonian exile.
We too might feel exiled, whether in physical isolation, in
financial stress, health, vocation, or any daily struggle that
keeps us from flourishing fully. We long to have a new
beginning, to see that little shoot of growth poke up from the
dirt of our lives.
And the waiting seems interminable. But the spirit of the
Lord SHALL rest on you, be with you, and fill you with what
you need as you wait. The promise of God that Isaiah
proclaims to the people who feel simply empty is that God
will do a new thing, God has not forgotten us, and God will
be with us, Immanual. Thanks be to God!
Blessed Advent!
Pastor Brigette Weier
