There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
He
was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not
recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive
him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave
the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor
of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John
testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He
who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”
From
the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For
the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No
one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side
has made him known.
Now
this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites
to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am
not the Christ.”
They
asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He
said, “I am not.”
“Are
you the Prophet?”
He
answered, “No.”
Finally
they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us.
What do you say about yourself?”
John
replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in
the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
Now
some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if
you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
“I
baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know.
He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy
to untie.”
This
all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was
baptizing.
The
last time we were at Hot Metal they had just bought a bar, and it has been an
oft-used and favorite witness of mine. They were losing their worship space…enough
to destroy a budding congregation…and their answer was to pursue the purchase
of a building that would accommodate their outreach and mission efforts even
though they would not have space to meet in worship. God has blessed their leap
of faith and the tithing of the church. They now have grown beyond two worship
services.
We
found a few padded chairs in the rear, which I really appreciated since I’m
still sore from my fall. I don’t recall musical accompaniment of guitar and accordion
anywhere, but it worked well, and I enjoyed the accordion player’s voice.
The
worship space is an uneven V-shape with a stair in the middle. The remodeling
is ongoing, but the love shows in what is done. Two walls of the sanctuary
space are commercial windows. I think the world’s wisdom would suggest heavy
drapes to block out the distractions, but it is a way for this church to shine
out into the community. The view shows the access ramp, inviting others to come
on in.
We
were warmly welcomed, and feel sure that extends to all.
Many
churches have an Advent wreath and candles, but here there are also anti-Advent
candles to extinguish as the others are lit, a good sermon in itself.
From
the message, John the Baptist coming to clean the people up in baptism in water
for the coming baptism in Christ.
Also
were drawn to think of the prophets like Zechariah foretelling the coming Christ,
only to have 500 years go by before the prophecy is fulfilled. I am sure Zechariah
questioned his faith like we do when we have to wait.
Jan’s
thoughts:
As
best we can guess, we last visited this church 6-8 years ago. They were in
their previous location, and strangely enough we happened to be there for the
announcement that they planned to buy the building in which they currently meet.
We
arrived early and so had time to look around at the incredible decorating job
in the nursery as well as the unconventional enhancements in the worship area.
It seems almost everything about this church is original. Even the music
leadership is unique: drums, an acoustic guitar, and an accordion, and the
sound was novel and perfect.
More
than a few people spoke to us, just saying hello, and one gentleman sat and
talked with us at length, apparently just greeting visitors before sitting
elsewhere for worship.
Many
churches utilize Advent wreaths this time of year, but today we encountered something
innovative…an anti-Advent wreath. The Advent wreath was traditional, created
from evergreen sprigs and pine cones and containing the usual candles of hope,
peace, joy, love, and the Christ candle.
The
anti-Advent wreath was created from a fake wreath, lots of artificial glittery
stuff, and candles called dread, anxiety, guilt, negativity, and anti-Christ. Last
Sunday, for the first Sunday of Advent, the candle of dread was extinguished
and the candle of hope was lit, and today the candle of anxiety was smothered
and the candle of peace was lit.
The
speaker pointed out that we feed our anxiety when we ignore God, causing us to
fail to notice Christ at work in the world.
The
untitled message was presented by Mike Holohan, Director of Ministries. He
began by quoting Henri Nouwen: “Waiting is an awful desert between where you
are and where you want to go.” He observed that waiting is hard because we are
fearful.
However,
Zechariah’s prophecy about Christ took 500 years to reach fulfillment, and John
the Baptist was arrested for speaking the truth to power. Prophets don’t
predict the future, they read the present, and they need the skill of waiting while
resisting fear.
We
can choose to wait with anxiety and dread or with anticipation. To do the
latter, we must be aware, looking and listening and being in the moment.
Blessedly, as we wait during this Advent, we can wait together in community.
This
message is a timely reminder for me of the destructive power of fear. It paralyzes
the mind and heart and often the voice as well. I pray that we all will
extinguish the candles of whatever tries to make us forget that the victory we
await is already true.
Our
prayer for this church:
Awesome
Lord, we are excited to see how You will bless Your church here next. We pray
You continue to bless and strengthen them in the trials they face. In Jesus’
Name. Amen.
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