{"id":1000,"date":"2020-11-28T21:49:18","date_gmt":"2020-11-28T21:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/?p=1000"},"modified":"2020-11-28T21:49:18","modified_gmt":"2020-11-28T21:49:18","slug":"advent-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/28\/advent-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Advent I"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/image-11-1024x819.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1001\"\/><figcaption>Photo by Kara Monroe, Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA 2.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>Gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God\u2019s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Jenny, Cor, and Heather!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>PRELUDE: \u201c<em>Lo, How a Rose e&#8217;er Blooming<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/lohowarose.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>LIGHTING THE FIRST ADVENT CANDLE<\/p>\n\n\n<p>The light shines in the darkness, <br \/> and the darkness shall never overcome it.<br \/>     <strong>The darkness of doubt and fear has entered our lives <br \/>     and we turn to God. <\/strong><br \/> Send us HOPE, and light our way, <br \/> that we may bring hope to others.<br \/>     <strong>Amen.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ocomeocome1verse.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>O come, O come, Emmanuel, <br \/> and ransom captive Israel <br \/> that mourns in lowly exile here <br \/> until the Son of God appear. <br \/>     Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel <br \/>     shall come to thee, O Israel.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>OPENING PRAYER<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Gracious God, <br \/>\nyour vision of peace and wholeness <br \/>\ncomes to us in sweeping revelations <br \/>\nand in tiny signs of hope.  <br \/>\nKindle our hearts that we might be a hopeful people.  <br \/>\nKeep us from growing weary of waiting, <br \/>\nlest we miss the glory of your appearing.  <br \/>\nEven so, come quickly, O God.  Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN OF PRAISE: \u201cCome, thou long-expected Jesus\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/comethoulong.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>Come, thou long-expected Jesus, <br \/> born to set thy people free: <br \/> from our fears and sins release us, <br \/> let us find our rest in thee.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Israel&#8217;s strength and consolation, <br \/> hope of all the earth thou art, <br \/> dear desire of every nation, <br \/> joy of every longing heart.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Born thy people to deliver; <br \/> born a child and yet a king; <br \/> born to reign in us for ever; <br \/> now thy gracious kingdom bring.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>By thine own eternal Spirit <br \/> rule in all our hearts alone; <br \/> by thine all-sufficient merit <br \/> raise us to thy glorious throne.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>PRAYER OF CONFESSION<\/p>\n\n\n<p>God of unending mercy, <br \/>\nwe are a people of abundance.<br \/>\nYour never-ceasing love surrounds us;<br \/>\nyour great compassion embraces us;<br \/>\nbut we take these gifts for granted.<br \/>\nOpen our eyes to the wonders of creation.<br \/>\nTune our ears to the cries for love in a lonely world.<br \/>\nFill our hearts with a faith that is revealed in action.<br \/>\nThis we pray in the name of the One<br \/>\nwho never ceases to come.  Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>ASSURANCE OF PARDON<\/p>\n\n\n<p>The Good News of this Advent season <br \/> is forgiveness of sin and new life.<br \/> Let us commit our lives<br \/> to Christ\u2019s way of hope and peace.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/image-14.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1021\"\/><figcaption>Mattia Preti, An Angel Blowing a Trumpet, c. 1652, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>SPECIAL MUSIC: \u201cO Come, O Come, Emmanuel\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/O-Come-O-Come-Emmanuel.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>FIRST READING: Psalm 80<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Shepherd of Israel, hear us,<br \/>     <strong>you who lead Joseph like a flock,<br \/>     you who are enthroned amidst the cherubim.<\/strong><br \/> Shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh;<br \/>     <strong>stir up your might, come and save us.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<p>God of hosts,<br \/> how long will you be angry with your people&#8217;s prayer?<br \/>     <strong>You have fed us with the bread of weeping,<br \/>     and given us tears in plenty to drink.<\/strong><br \/> You have made a mockery of us to our neighbours,<br \/>     <strong>and our enemies laugh us to scorn.<\/strong><br \/> Let your hand rest on the one at your right hand,<br \/> on the one you have made strong for yourself.<br \/>     <strong>Then we will never forsake you;<br \/>     give us life, and we will call on your name.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<p>SECOND READING: Mark 13.24-37<\/p>\n\n\n<p>24 \u201cBut in those days, following that distress,<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201c\u2018the sun will be darkened,<br \/>\n    and the moon will not give its light;<br \/>\n25 the stars will fall from the sky,<br \/>\n    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.\u2019[a]<\/p>\n\n\n<p>26 \u201cAt that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>28 \u201cNow learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it[b] is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>32 \u201cBut about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[c]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It\u2019s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>35 \u201cTherefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back\u2014whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: \u2018Watch!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/image-13.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1019\"\/><figcaption>Archangel Michael with his trumpet, ready to announce the return of Christ, originally located in the cathedral church in Faras, Sudan.  Painted in 923 of the Common Era, now in the National Museum in Warsaw<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>HYMN: \u201cAll earth is waiting\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/alltheearth.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>All earth is waiting to see the Promised One,<br \/> and open furrows await the seed of God. <br \/> All the world, bound and struggling, seeks true liberty; <br \/> it cries out for justice and searches for the truth.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Thus says the prophet to those of Israel, <br \/> &#8216;A virgin mother will bear Emmanuel.&#8217; <br \/> One whose name is &#8216;God with us&#8217;, our Saviour shall be, <br \/> through whom hope will blossom once more within our hearts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Mountains and valleys will have to be made plain, <br \/> open new highways, new highways for our God, <br \/> who is now coming closer, so come all and see, <br \/> and open the doorways as wide as wide can be.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>In lowly stable the Promised One appeared.<br \/> Yet, feel that presence throughout the earth today, <br \/> for Christ lives in all Christians and is with us now; <br \/> again, on arriving, Christ brings us liberty.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>REFLECTION<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/nov29sermon.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n<p>2020 has been remarkable for a number of reasons, with one of the primary reasons filed under \u201ca change of plans.\u201d  If we start with churchworld, you need look no further than the service we\u2019re sharing at this moment.  Moving online for much of the year has forced us to find creative ways to celebrate God\u2019s presence without the direct presence of one another.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Likewise, the rhythm of regular plans, from travel to time spent with others was disrupted.  The people and places we planned to see, around the corner or around the world, were set aside in the hope that next year will be better.  And there were larger life changes, retirements delayed or moves postponed, projects shelved or plans curtained.  COVID-19 left few stones unturned, and the turning continues.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Having reminded you of all this dislocation and loss, I should point to a couple of positives.  People have been more intentional about making the most of the times they did see others.  We learned to treasure what we may have formerly taken for granted.  Also, there was a lot of reassessing going on, people asking \u201cwhy did we always do it that way?\u201d  The pandemic gave us the opportunity to step away from old habits and patterns.  And then there is the need to be creative.  Finding new ways to meet, create, and manage\u2014in all sorts of situations\u2014has forced us to be creative.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>For the grammatically inclined, you will see that much of what I have said so far lives between past and present tense.  Changes have happened and changes continue, and we think we see the shape of the future\u2014even as it remains uncertain.  This past and present tension is not new, and it finds an important parallel to today\u2019s lesson.  The season of Advent, more than the others, lives in the past and in the not yet.  We are looking backward and forward all at once.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>And our reading, the \u201clittle apocalypse\u201d from Mark 13, illustrates this point.  Christ has come, and Christ will come again.  Advent looks forward to the birth of our Saviour, but Advent also reminds us that Christ will return in glory.  The form of this return is the subject of our reading, but the details are less important than the lesson to prepare.  More on that in a moment.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>If we had to create a summary, we might say that we are somewhere between First Advent and Second Advent.*  We know that Christ was born in Bethlehem, but we\u2019re not planning a birthday party.  Advent rules are that we play it straight, preparing for the birth of Jesus like it has yet to happen.  We are called to prepare in our hearts some room for the incarnation of God.  First Advent is angels choirs, shepherd voices, and a poor couple looking for room at the inn.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Second Advent takes the real-time preparation we are engaged in and says \u201cnow plan for him to come again.\u201d  Take everything you know about his life, his message, his decision to reunite us with the Most High, and apply that to your season of preparation.  Take everything you know about love and mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation, and make that part of your Advent plan.  He will come again, either all at once or in eternity, so prepare.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>There are a lot of things going on in our passage: quotes and references, predictions, and a sense of urgency.  One thing that is missing is certainty, the day and the hour unknown\u2014even the angels don\u2019t know!   Spare a thought for the angels, always visually appealing, always heralding something important, but on the matter of the Second Advent, completely in the dark.  So if the son doesn\u2019t know, and the angels don\u2019t know, who can fault us for making plans yet never knowing the hour or the day.  Hence the need to keep watch.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m going to take a big step back for a moment and talk about crisis and opportunity.  It is one of the primary tensions in this and every time.  Calamity comes, and some cannot see beyond the events themselves.  For them, a crisis is a crisis.  For others, every crisis is some sort of opportunity, if you can only see it.  Some are adept at making the most of a situation, and others see real opportunity.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Having said all that, consider the reverse as well.  In every opportunity lies a potential crisis, things we may not see until we\u2019re in the thick of it.  For Advent, consider that the birth of Jesus was always going to be a crisis for someone.  The man in Rome who enjoyed the title \u201cSon of God\u201d is one example.  Anyone who enjoyed the status quo is another example, anyone who wanted God to remain distant from us, or unattainable.  Anyone who seeks to control others by making God vengeful or unyielding will find a crisis in the incarnation, God\u2019s desire to be with us in a new way.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s an old Yiddish adage that says, \u201cMan plans, and God laughs\u201d (Mann tracht, un Gott lacht).  It\u2019s a wonderful expression that we take to mean that God is busy undoing our plans, or making other plans for us.  Instead, I think it fits in the existential file, meaning God finding humour in our earnest desire to control outcomes, organize everything, and set the plan we want.  But life doesn\u2019t work that way, doesn\u2019t conform to our agenda, as well-meaning as it may be.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Rather, God is busy creating opportunities for some and crises for others.  God gives us ample opportunities to love and serve others, as an example.  Meanwhile, God finds humour in those who seek to control the world around them, or those who imagine they are completely self-made.  The future God is designing for us, in whatever form it comes, will be a future based on new beginnings, and a new way of being.  It will take all that we know and join it to all that we long for, the Advent of hope, peace, joy and love.  Amen.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">*Beverly Gaventa<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/image-15.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1022\"\/><figcaption>The Sixth Trumpet: The Angel at the Euphrates, c. 1255, England, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE<\/p>\n\n\n<p>You keep us waiting. <br \/> You, the God of all time,<br \/> want us to wait<br \/> for the right time in which to discover<br \/> who we are, where we must go,<br \/> who will be with us, and what we must do.<br \/> Thank you&#8230;for the waiting time.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\fYou keep us looking.<br \/> You, the God of all space,<br \/> want us to look in all the right and wrong places<br \/> for signs of hope,<br \/> for people who are hopeless,<br \/> for visions of a better world which will appear<br \/> among the disappointments of the world we know.<br \/> Thank you&#8230;for the looking time.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>You keep us loving.<br \/> You, the God whose name is love,<br \/> want us to be like you\u2014<br \/> to love the loveless and the unlovely and the unloveable;<br \/> to love without jealousy or design or threat;<br \/> and, most difficult of all,<br \/> to love ourselves.<br \/> Thank you&#8230;for the loving time.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>And in all this, you keep us.<br \/> Through hard questions with no easy answers;<br \/> through failing where we hoped to succeed<br \/> and making an impact when we felt we were useless;<br \/> through the patience and the dreams and the love of others;<br \/> and through Jesus Christ and his spirit,<br \/> you keep us.<br \/> Thank you&#8230;for the keeping time,<br \/> and for now, and for ever.<br \/> Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>THE LORD\u2019S PRAYER<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Our Father who art in heaven,<br \/>\nhallowed be thy name.<br \/>\nThy kingdom come,<br \/>\nThy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.<br \/>\nGive us this day our daily bread;<br \/>\nand forgive us our trespasses<br \/>\nas we forgive those who trespass against us;<br \/>\nand lead us not into temptation<br \/>\nbut deliver us from evil.<br \/>\nFor thine is the kingdom,<br \/>\nand the power, and the glory,<br \/>\nfor ever and ever. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN: \u201cLo, he comes with clouds descending\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/lohecomes.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>Lo, he comes with clouds descending,<br \/>     see the Lamb for sinners slain!<br \/> Thousand, thousand saints attending<br \/>     join to sing the glad refrain:<br \/> hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!<br \/>     God appears on earth to reign.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Every eye shall then behold you,<br \/>     robed in awesome majesty;<br \/> all who jeered, and mocked, and sold you,<br \/>     pierced, and nailed you to the tree,<br \/> deeply grieving, deeply grieving, deeply grieving,<br \/>     shall the true Messiah see.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Now redemption, long expected<br \/>     see in solemn pomp appear;<br \/> all the saints, by us rejected,<br \/>     thrill the trumpet sound to hear:<br \/> hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!<br \/>     See the day of God appear!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Yea! Amen! Let all adore you,<br \/>     high on your eternal throne;<br \/> crowns and empires fall before you,<br \/>     claim the kingdom for your own:<br \/> O come quickly! O come quickly! O come quickly!<br \/>     Everlasting Christ, come down.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>BLESSING<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,<br \/>\nand may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless<br \/>\nuntil our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.<br \/>\n\u20141 Thessalonians 5:23<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/meetagainredux.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>God be with you till we meet again;<br \/> loving counsels guide, uphold you,<br \/> with a shepherd\u2019s care enfold you;<br \/> God be with you till we meet again.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/image-16.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1023\"\/><figcaption>Rosso Fiorentino, Musical Angel, c. 1522, Medici family collections in Florence<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God\u2019s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Jenny, Cor, and Heather! PRELUDE: \u201cLo, How a Rose e&#8217;er &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/28\/advent-i\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advent I<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}