Some cheery Christmas thoughts from my favorite Advent writer, Fleming Rutledge:
Continue reading “Oh… hell”Tag: Advent
God is not silent
“The Christian faith has not been invented in order for us to claim for ourselves a powerful God who will push the delete button on all our enemies. The Christian faith is, rather, grounded in the story of that One who, against all human reason, emptied himself of his glory and came into our desert places, midnight to the north of him, midnight to the south of him, to stand under the wrath of God in place of the murderers of Rwanda and us sinners inside these four walls today.” — Fleming Rutledge, Advent
To you all hearts are open…
There is a collect for purity where we pray, in part, “O Lord, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid…”
This is Advent.
Continue reading “To you all hearts are open…”The focus of worship
After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. (Rev. 4:1-6)
Continue reading “The focus of worship”Advent — the now and the not yet
“In this season, the church celebrates two things: God has already acted definitively on our behalf, and God will act definitively in the future to bring his purposes once and for all. That is what it means to watch and wait for the second advent of Christ, not matter how long it takes.” — Fleming Rutledge, Advent
Continue reading “Advent — the now and the not yet”Preparing the way of the Lord
“Preparing the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is not going to be easy for you and me. It means laying ourselves open to God’s great leveling operation. It means relinquishing our most cherished strategies and defenses. It means living every day in anticipation of God’s work of cutting and filling. It means being ready at all times to relinquish one’s own special privileges in this world on behalf of those who might be very different from oneself.” — Fleming Rutledge, Advent
O Day of Peace that Dimly Shines
Our church (Church of the Apostles in Montrose, Alabama) had a night of word and worship taking us on a journey from creation to the birth of Christ. It was a night of beautiful, heartfelt worship.
Continue reading “O Day of Peace that Dimly Shines”