December 3rd Virtual Worship
Music Ministry Team: Kristin Petty, Dwight Huntley, Matthew Leone, Rene Vazquez
Worship Team: Sarah Haas, Marc Hayden
Technology Team: Michael Kendall, Mark Raker, Jerry Weissinger
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Key Notes from the reading & sermon:
Tear Open the Heavens and Come Down?
O that you would tear open the heavens and _______ _______, so that the mountains would quake at your presence— as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make ________ ________ known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who _______ ______ _____. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is _________, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the _______, and you are our __________; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.
[Reading Above - Isaiah 64:1-9]
Hope is a gift of Christ’s advent. Hope that endures finds it source in a God who throughout our long history of faith is characterized by grace, mercy, compassion, and saving action.
Questions for Reflection:
Today’s passage may have originated during a time of uncertainty and disarray a few centuries before Jesus. Recently returned to Jerusalem following exile to Babylon, God’s people are vulnerable to aggressive foreign rulers on the horizon. Worry has undermined faith in God and the practices of fidelity, spirituality, and compassion to others. Can you relate to these ancestors in faith? What are you worried about? How is worry undermining your hope and faith? What action will you take this week to renew your hope and trust in Christ?
A Spiritual Practice to Try:
A theme that runs through the ancient prophets is the way faith in God is expressed in care for the poor and oppressed. See Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:16-21. As a household choose a compassionate action to take during Advent that will bless others
A Practice to Focus on Discipleship:
Incorporate a faith journal in your spiritual practice. Use the journal as a way to:
jot down needs and blessings with words or drawings or pictures, respond to the questions for reflection in the sermon notes, make notes about the weekly scripture lessons and sermons, create a to-do list of discipleship actions, list questions you want to explore, write prayers, stories, poems, or letters, be creative!
If you need some guidance or support, you may reach me at pastormarc.friedensucc@outlook.com.