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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…
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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.
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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…
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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
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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…
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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.
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Second Sunday in Advent
Blessed Lord, who has caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior…
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Advent for the nonheroic
If there is a way for you to obtain Fleming Rutledge’s book, Advent, I would highly recommend it. Her compilation of sermons and articles through her years of ministry are so rich. She pulls no punches on the power of Advent and the glory of the once and future coming of Jesus Christ.
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The church has its own calendar
“There is no way for the church to adjust its calendar to the world’s calendar. The church is not part of the American culture, (Read that sentence ten times!) and never should should have been. The church keeps her own deep inner rhythms.” — Advent, Fleming Rutledge Advent is a time of darkness, waiting, and anticipation. It is something I…
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Advent, darkness, and bearing each other’s burdens
“… those who are better off stand shoulder to shoulder with those who suffer. No one is fee until all are free. No one is safe until all are safe. No matter how ‘up’ I may feel personally, my place as a Christian in the larger scheme of things is not to bask in the continual sunshine of God’s presence,…
Tag: Advent
