Contributions from Members and Friends of Summerville Presbyterian Church
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Contributions from Members and Friends of Summerville Presbyterian Church 2020 Sunday, November 29, 2020 CAMEL HAIR AND LEATHER The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” 4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:1-8 John the baptizer was certainly an unusual advance man. He dressed funny—camel hair and leather— and was out in a barren, deserted place. He wasn’t in the royal courts, ivory towers, or halls of power. Did they understand the allusions to the prophet Isaiah, invoked by his clothing and his location? And his message—repent? Turn away from immoral and unrighteous activity—who wants to have one’s faults, one’s failings pointed out to them? And yet, and yet—something resonated. Something about his message touched them in the deepest need at the core of their being. Forgiveness. A clean slate. The opportunity to leave it all behind, to make a different choice, to take a different path. Does the call of the Baptist resonate with you this Advent season? The promise of one who is more powerful, one who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit, who will give you the power to live a new life? Then let us begin. Rev. Dr. Anita K. Herbert Monday, November 30, 2020 8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” 14 The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:8-15 ‘Tis the season! Advent! Preparation for the Christmas holy days and for the introduction of Christ into the world! We observe Advent remembering Mary and Joseph, a birth foretold, messages of promise from angels . or maybe we reflect on Zechariah and Elizabeth, who also found themselves anticipating a wondrous birth. To be accurate, preparation for Advent began with Adam and Eve - in other words, from the very beginning of time as recorded in our Bible. When Adam and his wife abandoned their perfect fellowship with their Creator by following their own reasoning instead of His guidance, what a rocky pathway was laid out for mankind! That’s where all of our troubles began . Throughout the history of God’s people, humankind has struggled to go its own disastrous way. We have pulled away from our conception as God’s beloved children, many of us neither repenting nor seeking forgiveness, redemption, and salvation from the separation from our Father. God, loving Adam and Eve beyond all measure, was unwilling to allow the schism to separate Himself from His precious children. God’s plan of redemption was set in motion. Advent had begun! This holy season of Advent is a gift for all of us, God’s cherished children. It is the time to look inward at our souls and decide: Will I continue down the dark pathway that began in the Garden of Eden? Will I see Christmas as “a merry holiday”, filled with silver bells and glitter? Or will I claim that most Perfect Gift of all, the One that came to us swaddled in grace and redemption, with no bow or ribbon – salvation in Jesus Christ? Frances Via Tuesday, December 1, 2020 3 A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 40:3-5 “Listen!” Someone is calling out! It’s a voice that beckons us to travel to new destinations. When we build a new road, obstacles must be cleared to arrive at places perhaps we have never been before! The Lord is preparing the way for his people. He will remove the barriers that prevent us from receiving his Word. John the Baptist has emphatically proclaimed the road to glory, Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. Hear the Word of the Lord! Rev. Dr. Ralph R. Herbert Wednesday, December 2, 2020 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.3 His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear;4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. Isaiah 11:1-10 When I read these words, I thought of JEEP. JEEP means Just Enough Essential Parts. What parts are we missing? The Holy Spirit is enough to provide the peace we are looking for. We are told that to have a foundation in the Spirit is to have peace. The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ, our Lord. Once we submit to the Spirit’s guidance, we can rejoice as the wolf, lamb, leopard, goat, calf, lion and child do. In unity, we find peace. To find the common denominator, we search for what will bring us together. Ultimately that is our faith. Reread the words to the hymn ‘The Church’s One Foundation’ and feel led to a peaceful existence in these turbulent times. The church's one foundation Mid toil and tribulation, Is Jesus Christ her Lord; And tumult of her war, She is his new creation She waits the consummation By water and the Word. Of peace forevermore; From heaven he came and sought her Till, with the vision glorious, To be his holy bride; Her longing eyes are blest, With his own blood he bought her, And the great church victorious And for her life he died. Shall be the church at rest. Elect from every nation, Yet she on earth hath union Yet one o'er all the earth; With God the Three in One, Her charter of salvation, And mystic sweet communion One Lord, one faith, one birth; With those whose rest is won. One holy name she blesses, O happy ones and holy! Partakes one holy food, Lord, give us grace that we And to one hope she presses, Like them, the meek and lowly, With every grace endued.