Scripture
– NKJV
Malachi 3:1-4 –
“Behold,
I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me.
And
the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger
of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of
hosts.
“But
who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He
is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap.
He
will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of
Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An
offering in righteousness.
“Then
the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the LORD, As in the
days of old, As in former years.
Luke
3:1-6 –
Now
in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being
governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch
of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the
son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the
Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is
written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“The
voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His
paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill
brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways
smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
Bob’s
thoughts:
I
drive past this church when I go to the VA and have wanted to show Jan the area
and get lunch at a favored nearby restaurant. Seemed like a win-win to find a
church that celebrates Advent.
It is
a pleasant sanctuary with a modern low arch ceiling and light blue pews and
carpet.
I
checked and there is a large wooden cross behind the projection screen; I
thought the screen might be up for part of the service.
They
are planning for members to bring in favorite nativity sets for display for a
Sunday. I thought of one of mine that includes some plastic zoo animals and
Santa, that means a lot to us.
There
were some square foil pieces on the wall like a crossword layout and today they
turned over the first word: Prepare. Cute idea.
During
the Passing of Christ’s Peace, a young boy came across the sanctuary to greet
us with a smile and hand outstretched. There were a few adults who said hello,
but his genuine welcome was special. When there are two service times, people
frequently don’t greet people they don’t recognize.
We
were blessed to be here not only for the start of Advent, but Communion and a
baptism.
I believe
the pastor was accurate in his reference to Advent as the “lost season” and
many view it simply as a time to light candles. He had some quotes from a
former pastor’s book and I think this line I liked came from there: “Do the
good things and challenge yourself to do the hard things.”
Maybe
God will direct us back for the traditional worship service sometime.
Jan’s
thoughts:
Outdoor
signage is a treat, as it allows visitors to determine the doors most likely to
be unlocked. We entered near the Fellowship Hall to allow for something of a
tour as we wandered to the sanctuary.
The
worship area was appropriately decorated, of course, and looked lovely. I was especially
fond of the shiny Advent banners decorating the walls. The super-sized
projection screen allowed the display of words that were easy to read even from
the very back.
When
we entered the sanctuary, we noticed squares of shiny wrapping paper hung on
the far wall. We were curious but there was not time to ask anyone about them. Toward
the beginning of the service, a youth went to the front and recited a reading
while the first Advent candle was lit. While this occurred, two others turned
over some of the wrapped squares on the wall to reveal the word of the day: prepare.
During
one of the announcements, members were invited to bring their own nativity sets
to help decorate the church on one particular Sunday this month. I thought this
was an imaginative way to involve everyone in the decorating.
We
were privileged to witness a baptism following the Kids’ Time. After that,
everyone was instructed to greet each other. Several folks nearby greeted us,
and a few did so as they made rounds, but it was special when one youngster, perhaps
6 or 7, made his way over to shake our hands and welcome us.
The
message, entitled Prepare, focused on
preparing ourselves to experience Jesus’ Presence during this Advent season.
It
was a joy to participate in Communion, offered silently by intinction.
Our
prayer for this church:
Lord,
we pray Your church is ready to follow You into the future, that preparation is
complete and the time has come to act. Amen.
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