Collect

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your son Jesus Christ, at his coming , may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen

Isaiah 7:10-16 . . . the prophet Isaiah insists that King Ahaz of Judah will receive a sign from God, whether he wants it or not, the sign of a young women bearing a son to be called Emmanuel.

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 . . . A lament and a plea to the Lord, the shepherd of Israel, that God will turn away divine anger and restore the people

Romans 1:1-7 . . . Paul greets the new disciples in Rome and summarizes the gospel message

Matthew 1:18-25 . . . the story of the birth of Jesus

Sermon

“What are you dreaming about this Christmas?” asks Father Michael Renninger, pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Richmond, Virginia. In today’s passage, Gospel reading we find Mary and Joseph dreaming, perhaps dreaming about their future life together…until Mary tells Joseph that she is with child. Joseph’s dream has turned into a nightmare…until God gives him another dream. God’s dream for Joseph is larger than Joseph could ever imagine. Listen as Renninger explains how Joseph’s dream changed his life and how God’s dream can change our lives as well.

Collect

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever.  Amen

Isaiahh 35:1-10 . . . the prophet envisions a time of abundance and healing for Israel l

Psalm 14:5-10 . . . A hymn of praise to the Lord, who forms the world and rules in justice, who heals and cares for the needy

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Canticle (Magnificat) . , , Mary offers a song to praise God who has looked with favor upon her and who has lifted up the lowly and brought down the powerful

James 5:7-10  . . .  an exhortation to patient expectation in preparation for the coming of the Lord

Matthew 11:2-11. . . Jesus responds to a question from John the Baptist about his mission and then describes John’s ministry

Sermon

Ryan Ahlgrim is pastor of First Mennonite Church in Richmond, Virginia, and a remarkable preacher.  He doesn’t use notes; he just stands and delivers.  The sermon title is,  “You’ll Have to Ask My Neighbor.”

Collect: Second Sunday of Advent

Merciful God, who sent your messengers, the prophets, to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation:  Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Isaiah 11:1-10  . . . The prophet foresees a time when God will bring forth a righteous judge and a new spirit of peace in the world.

Psalm 72: 1-7, 18-19 . . . The psalm ask that God endow the king with compassionate justice and righteousness, and that his reign may extend over all nations and throughout all generations.

Romans 15:4-13 . . .  Paul points  to several passages from Hebrew scripture to show how God’s promise that Gentile people should come to praise God was being fulfilled 

Matthew 3:1-12 . . . the ministry of John the Baptist, his message of repentance and his prophecy of the mighty one to come.

Sermon

“But still, he is a really nice guy…the tell-tale words we use too often to soften the unkind things we say about others.” David Lose, Senior Pastor of Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, says that today’s passage, Matthew 3:1-12, is a biblical version of this phrase. Lose says that the gospel writers don’t quite know what to make of John the Baptist. Listen as Lose explores how the author of Matthew uses the person of John the Baptist in a unique way to point to Jesus

Collect: The First Sunday of Advent

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility;  that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Isaiah 2: 1-5 . . . the prophet sets forth a majestic vision of a time when people throughout the world will worship the Lord and live in peace with one another

Psalm 122

Roman 13: 11-14 . . . Paul urges a way of life in full awareness of the nearness of salvation.

Matthew 24: 36-44 . . . Jesus tells his disciples of the need for readiness because the Son of Man will come at a day and hour which no one knows.

Sermon By Jim Somerville

“Imagine a world where Christmas doesn’t come on December 25, but with the first snowfall of the year,” begins Jim Somerville, Pastor of Richmond’s First Baptist Church and co-founder of A Sermon for Every Sunday. In this sermon from Matthew 24:36-44 he says: “It would be strange, wouldn’t it, living in a world like that? It would be so different from the scheduled way we celebrate Christmas now. But it would be much more like that unscheduled first Christmas, and almost exactly like the unscheduled second coming of Christ. ‘But about that day and hour no one knows,’ Jesus says, ‘neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’”