This Sunday.

A voice cries out:
     “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
     make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
          Isaiah 40:3

It seems like we have been waiting in the wilderness since March. Then we were in the wilderness of Lent and now, in Advent, we find are still in the wilderness on the banks of the Jordan River with John the Baptist. Mark’s gospel has no nativity story. Instead we are introduced to a grown Jesus through John the Baptist. For Mark, the first coming of Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophets, and we are to understand Jesus through the lens of the Prophet Isaiah and through John’s prophetic ministry. 

Isaiah and John both expected immediate fulfillment. That God would come and that God would act. But what about us? We have been waiting 2,000 years for Christ’s second coming. We have been waiting months for God to offer relief in this pandemic. 

What can we learn from prophets, wilderness, and waiting in this time of pandemic and isolation?

I will be at Camp McDowell tomorrow to livestream the virtual celebration of Bishop Sloan. So our worship tomorrow will be a recorded service available on YouTube and Facebook.

If you are eager to jump to Advent 2, you can watch the service now on our YouTube Channel here. If you prefer to wait and say your prayers at our usual time, you can watch the premiere at 6 p.m. on Sunday on our Facebook page here. The bulletin is available here. 

For the rest of December, our worship will be online only via Zoom. So please enjoy the recorded service for tomorrow, and then join us next week on Zoom. 

– Kelley