It is week 2 of Advent and I would once again like to light a virtual calendar and use the script for it from the book we are using for our Advent Season at Boone First United Methodist Church this year.
The book is “The Redemption of Scrooge by Matt Rawle:
The week of Advent we light the candle of Hope. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see.” Hope is the destination of our faith. It is not enough to be faithful, trusting in what your eyes do not see. I might believe I can fly, but leaping from a tall building without a parachute is still a bad idea. I might believe that my candidate will win the election, but if my candidate’s faithful voters do not turn up at the polls, a victory will not be possible. A hopeless faith is like getting in the car for a weekend trip, not knowing where you are going. You trust that the trip will go well and that you will return safely, but without a destination, you will wander aimlessly. Hope is what keeps up from following a blind faith. Hope is the destination.
Before lighting the candles of Love and Joy, we must begin with Hope. The Old Testament offers prophetic words of a time when God will rescue God’s people. In Isaiah we find, “The people who walked in darkness/ have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of darkness– / on them light has shined… / For a child has been born for us, / a song given to us; / authority rests upon his shoulders” (Isaiah 9:2, 6 NRSV). These and many other Old Testament teachings guide our faith during Advent season for a time in which God will reconcile all things (Colossians 1:20). Our hope is reconciliation, forgiveness, grace, and salvation, and that hope grounds our faith.
Gracious God, ground our faith in the hope of salvation. Let us not walk aimlessly in darkness, but let us see the light that Christ will bring into the world. In the name of the Father and Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Redemption of Scrooge by Matt Rawle – Page 51
We light the Hope Candle:
Happy Advent Season!
Last Sunday we covered Jesse and I’s trip to Decorah pizza farm. But on the way out of Decorah we stopped for ice cream.
Here are the pictures:
What it any good? You should know by now I have the Ted Lasso philosophy on ice cream:
“Ice cream is the best. It’s kina like seeing Billy Joel perform live. Never disappoints.”
If you are in Decorah and it is ice cream season, you owe it to yourself to hit The Whippy Dip!
Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve South East Asian cuisine in Minneapolis.