Mindful Leader

A little riff here on the idea of "New Year's Resolutions" and play with that.  This is Luke 2: 21-36 (or so).  Simeon and Anna -- their resolve.  

 

Luke 1: 25-46 or so.  This is Mary meeting first the Angel Gabriel, and then her cousin. I think it is interesting that she is perplexed before Gabriel offers the potentially scandalous portion of her task.  Aren't we often perplexed when we are told we have found favor in God's eyes.   

 

Advent 3 -- and we start to bend the arc of the biblical narrative towards Jesus through the eyes of Luke.  This is Jesus first sermon and it will get him in trouble.  He looks to Isaiah 61 (and 59) to find his voice.  

 

"Lost in the Night" -- Finnish Folk Song arranged by Kyle S. Haugen.  Translation by Olav Lee.  Soprano Soloist is Roseanna Clark.

 

Joel 2 with two separate passages.  This was keyed quite a bit from the anthem Lost in the Night.  The hymn is a plaintive call to Jesus to hurry and come again, soon.  

 

Pastor Emily continues our "romp" through the Hebrew Bible with an Advent look at Daniel.  She reads from Daniel 6 but the reflection is more than Daniel 6 ... 

The podcast starts with the statement of the theme which draws from Elijah and 1 Kings where Yahweh does not speak in the earthquake or the wind or ... but rather ... in a small, still voice.  

This is actually NOT a Narrative Lectionary text.  But it worked as if it were one.  

Jeremiah 30: 18-22 meets Christ the King Sunday but before Thanksgiving.    

I got the translation of potential from this site.  I know beans if he is exactly right, but it sure worked.  

Objective:  Try and bring hope to those who feel hopeless, and do it in the context of Thanksgiving.  

The 1943 example of Roosevelt and Congress was actually more of an economics argument than a theological one, but ... it worked.  It is true that they had a conversation about Thanksgiving Day in 1943.  I may have stretched it a little on the rest of it.  Sue me.  

 

I am not sure what exactly to call this sermon -- is it Listen to the Pain?  This may be as political as I ever get on any one sermon.  

We are introduced this week to Elijah.  We see here Elijah in his apprenticeship as a prophet.  But it is an important time, an important moment.  This is from 1 Kings 17 with a touch of the end of 1 Kings 16 thrown in to help us get the idea of what is going on.  Two big ideas:  (1) Yahweh is a God of Life and (2) Yahweh's words matter. 

This particular sermon is from the 9:00 Service.   

David is going to build a house and Nathan says sure.  Then God shows up.