ADVENT PREPARATIONS
There are certain times of the year such as Christmas and Easter when the stories are so familiar that, as a preacher who values the opportunity to share new light on our Biblical traditions, preaching can be a challenge. Luckily, the Biblical readings that are often utilized during the season of Advent include more than the familiar Christmas story that has become almost a Hallmark Christmas Card story.
Last year, the focus was on the readings from the book of Psalms that accompany the Christmas story. This year, our focus is on the prophetic readings, particularly the book of Isaiah, that accompany the Christmas story. Written centuries before Jesus, they were never intended to predict the future, but to speak good news into the life and realities of the people of Israel as they suffered through conquest, exile, return from exile, and the very real struggle of living together. The hopes that these scriptures embodied continued through the centuries until they gathered together again around Jesus, this simple carpenter from Nazareth that changed the world.
I hope your Sundays will give you time to join us in worship on the four Sundays of Advent (Dec. 3, Dec. 10, Dec. 17 & Dec. 24) and that you can join us on Christmas Eve at 7pm for a very special sharing of a Hawaiian Christmas story written by local author, Marion Lyman-Mersereau. More to come on this in the coming weeks.
May these days ahead, so full of activities, festivities and celebrations, also be days in which you can find some quiet time for reflection and contemplation on the good news of the presence of the Christ Child in our lives. May we be a people that reflects that very spirit of love in all that we do.
Aloha,
Kahu David
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