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| Here We Go Again- with Gusto! Jesse Tree from York Minister https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:England_YorkMinster_JesseTree_c1170.JPG |
This is the title of last Sunday's sermon on the First Sunday of Advent. Guess what? As I was attempting to make some corrections to send to Leonard, I must have hit something that erased the whole document, I've done every thing I know to retrieve it, but it seems like it is gone for good. I have my written copy, but in lieu of re-typing the whole sermon, I hought I would share a few (what I think at least) of the most important points.
1)This Year C in our liturgical cycle will concentrate on the Gospel of Luke. We've got 26 weeks (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost) then we begin Ordinary time for 26 weeks.
2)Repeating these cycles year after year are tied closely to the notion of "Truth" made up of two Greek roots: lethe, forget; and a, a negative element. Truth means "don't forget." Don't forget what the living God want to accomplish in this world by Jesus' advent. (It's not about nit-picking doctrines, fighting over them, excluding from our midst those who "believe" differently than we do.) So we go through "cycles" of remembrance to not forget the loving intent of God and our invitation to live into that intent.
3)God has made humankind a Promise in Jesus Christ that has yet to be fulfilled, but it is God who made it, the most trustworthy one to keep the Promise. The Lord is our righteousness.
4)Jesus is a King, unlike all others, who doesn't require the sacrifice of others on his behalf to maintain his position and power. This is the "King" the world really needs and doesn't have.
5)When Jesus says all things things (destruction, disasters, etc. have human, not divine origin) will take place in "this generation," the NT scholar N.T. Wright, reasons that "earth-shattering" events happen in every generation. Jesus' was talking about the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, but every generation have their similar events. We must never "forget" that when these things take place, it only mean that the Kingdom we await is nearer than before.
6)Live in the Truth of Jesus' advent, but not forgetting that he came among us and sends his Spirit to help us change this world and allow his Kingdom to come.
I hope this is helpful.
John+
Saint Alban Episcopal Mission (English) meets for mass every Sunday at 10:00 A.M. (see welcome letter at sidebar) at Casa Convento Concepcion, 4a Calle Oriente No. 41, Antigua, Guatemala.
The Reverend John Smith, Vicar.
5235-6674 cell telephone (502 country code)
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