November 27, 2022

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This Week’s Sermon

Art in the Christian Tradition

Spears Are Beaten into Pruning Hooks

Swords into Ploughshares .
Koenig, Peter

Christ our Light

Interior of the Church of the Light. Andō, Tadao, 1941-

Interior of the Church of the Light
Andō, Tadao, 1941-

Two Woman at the Mill
Tissot, James, 1836-1902

SERMON WRITER

courtesy of NIELL DONOVAN

(Is 2:4a). When the nations stream to the Lord’s house for instruction (Is 2:2-3), Yahweh will serve as judge and arbiter to resolve their disputes. This is not something that Yahweh will impose on them, because they will have come willingly, even gladly, to learn Yahweh’s ways and to walk in Yahweh’s paths. While tensions will continue to exist among nations and peoples, they will look to Yahweh for guidance in resolving those tensions, knowing that Yahweh will resolve them fairly and gracefully.

“and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.” (Is 2:4b). The people who look to Yahweh to resolve their conflicts will enjoy a peace dividend. They will have no further need of swords and spears, so they will be able to transform instruments of death (swords and spears) into instruments of life (plowshares and knives used for pruning vines).

Just stop and take a moment to imagine all the things that will no longer be necessary when the nations come to the mountain of the Lord to learn his ways and to walk in his paths. We will no longer need armies, because we will no longer need to wage war. We will no longer need machine guns, tanks, aircraft carriers, and warplanes. We will no longer need jails or prisons. We will no longer need locks or keys or burglar alarm systems. We will no longer need to worry about a nuclear holocaust or suicide bombers. We will be able to allow our children to walk dark streets without having to worry about muggers or molesters. We will not need protection against computer viruses or spam. Cyber-crime will be a thing of the past. Most services now rendered by lawyers will be obsolete. Managers and employees will work in harmony. Unions will be obsolete. The list goes on and on. What can you add?

A SERMON FOR EVERY SUNDAY

First Sunday of Advent (A)

PASTOR JIM SOMERVILLE, BAPTIST

The Haphazard Coming of Christmas

“Imagine a world where Christmas doesn’t come on December 25, but with the first snowfall of the year,” begins Jim Somerville, Pastor of Richmond’s First Baptist Church and Co-Founder of A Sermon for Every Sunday. In this sermon from Matthew 24:36-44 he says: “It would be strange, wouldn’t it, living in a world like that? It would be so different from the scheduled way we celebrate Christmas now. But it would be much more like that unscheduled first Christmas, and almost exactly like the unscheduled second coming of Christ. ‘But about that day and hour no one knows,’ Jesus says, ‘neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’”

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SOURCE: A Sermon for Every Sunday

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JOURNEY WITH JESUS

First Sunday of Advent (A)

Like a Thief

By Debie Thomas. — 2019

What images or symbols do you associate with Advent? Pink and purple candles? Cozy Nativity scenes on soft-hued Hallmark cards? Pull tab calendars with chocolates tucked inside?

What about a thief prowling outside your house, stealthy and silent? Your front door torn off its hinges, shattered glass in your foyer, and a stranger’s footsteps on your stairs? What about your most prized possessions disappearing while you sleep? Do these images seem “Advent-ish” to you?

They don’t to me. And yet these are the images our Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Advent gives us. A homeowner caught off-guard. A house that’s been broken into. The Son of Man coming at an unexpected hour, like a thief in the night.

LECTIONARY ESSAY INDEX

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PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN

First Sunday of Advent (A)

Stay Awake

By Bruce Epperly — 2019

The passage from Romans continues the theme of God’s creative transformation of our world. All time is sacred time, and God’s vision is on the horizon calling us forward. Salvation is nearer than we thought. God’s wholeness is just around the corner – or could it already be here- and we need to be prepared. We need to be mindful of the moment by moment revealing of God’s providence in our lives. Divine omnipresence means that in ways large and small, dramatic and domestic, God is with us in saving ways. The apostle Paul counsels: Don’t miss out on God’s vision embodied in our lives! Act as if God’s realm is here right now, become a citizen of heaven in your everyday life by your commitments, values, and actions.

PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN FEEDS

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CONTEMPORARY APPLICATION

First Sunday of Advent (A)

SERMON WRITER

First Sunday of Advent (A)

Isaiah 2:1-5 Making a Better World (Miller)

Children's Sermon Isaiah 2:1-5 Making a Better World Check out these helpful resources Biblical Commentary Sermons Children's Sermons Hymn Lists Isaiah 2:1-5 Making a Better World By Dr. Carol J Miller Did you ever wonder what the

Sermon Writer