Uphill idealist

The gospel of John is, in my opinion, the most poetic of the gospels. From the opening line, John canvases all of time and space to make the important point that God is always coming to us - and in the case of John the Baptist, is doing all he can to plow the way clear. While it might not be poetic to say that John purpose was to plow the way clear for Jesus, I do like the drama of this statement. The hope of the Advent season wasn't something that John was meek in sharing. John, even in the midst of giving testimony and being questioned for his actions, continues to speak boldly - to clear the path and make the way strait for the Lord. Hope does not have to be quiet. Hope can be BOLD!  Thank you John the "Baptist-Plow" - sometimes boldness needs encouraged! The Testimony of John the Baptist JOHN 1:19-28 19  And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”  20  He confessed, he did not ...

# avantageousadvent  Day #6... Some reflection from Marie on a few texts from this week's lectionary readings. Psalms 72 v.1-7 Faithful prayer that the powerful will be just and good to ALL people to flourish and prosper and enjoy the fruits of all the earth we have been given. V.18-19 We are to praise and give God glory to God who does all good for us always. Isaiah 30 19-26 If you have faith even in times of adversity and strife and if you persist in your faith and not be enticed by superficial things God will see to it that you have all that is necessary and more. When you read these texts, what do you discover?

About a week ago, I dug out my watercolors to help me to actively  ponder the season of Advent to come. The blue image below is what resulted in my doodling and searching for hope.    So. Much. Blue.  The liturgical color for this Church  season used to be purple, but now is blue. In many ways this seems fitting to this time of waiting, this time of longing for and anticipating hope, joy, love and peace of this season. But this focus on the color blue also allows me to wrestle with the difficult things of life: injustice, violence, poverty and the like.  When you think of feeling blue this time of year, the popular song by Elvis, (one of my personal favorites) "Blue Christmas"  speaks to the need and hope to be with the ones we love in this holiday season. It seems every way I look today, there is lots and lots of blue. What are the blue things of life that you notice today?  Psalm 72 is a prayer for guidance and support for the...

Submitted by Cindy Swan Peace in time of monsters by: Delawer-Omar Advent Day 4: Thursday, November 30, 2016 We are in a time when there is daily exposure to wars, floods, fires and other discouraging news. It is difficult not to become overwhelmed by the problems and have concerns and a desire to change it. The good news is that we are now in the season of Advent. It is a time to focus on Hope. I am thankful for this message and the encouragement it offers as it also brings with it feelings of peace and comfort.  The theme of Psalm 124 is we are delivered from those who seek to destroy us. Our faith teaches us we can turn to God in our time of need as He is on the side of those who seek Him. With God there is always a way out as He is the creator of heaven and earth. Another important message to reflect on is from Isaiah 54:vs10. It states, “though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant...

Submitted by Linda Johnson... Advent day #4 by Linda Johnson… Genesis 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. God gives you all, but you must be mindful of his wonderful gifts. 😊 Just like God's love, he shares everything with everyone.  Wow! What a wonder it will be when we meet one another. I am certain my heart will burst. Image found at; clarityfitnessny.com

From guest writer Ian Eastman ...  “It isn’t even officially winter yet and I’m already counting down the days until Spring. The most appealing alternative to winter I’ve ever heard comes from the bears, who just sleep the whole thing off. Truth is I can’t put life on hold until I get to do all the things I like to do again in the Spring. There are a lot of productive and enjoyable things to do this time of year, too. In his letter to the Romans, Saint Paul tells of the eternal hope we have in Christ: “We have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5).  Yet he also tells us that we don’t have to spend our days hibernating for the future: “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”  Image found at "Teachhub"

Advent 1 Sunday, 2016 November 27 th In a time that we are very aware of time: with cell phones, planners and apps; the idea of missing something seems impossible. But even with all these tools to help us not “miss” out on what we plan for our day; we sometimes do miss a prompt or call to something good. As the season of Advent begins, this week we are called to focus on “Hope” for the good things of God. Perhaps like my cell phone that often is turned to mute to save me from being distracted – I might miss out on a call that is good. The gospel of Matthew chapter 24:36-44 is a wake-up call to see life through the lens of hope and the goodness of God. In the midst of the business of life, we need a reminder – an alarm – a hope prompt to help us live into these days of Advent that help us see where God is active in the world and our lives. This Advent, God help us to set an alarm – to look with and to live into days where God’s goodness light the path ahead. May hope be the...