Isaiah 11:1-10,\u00a0 Matthew 3:1-12<\/p>\n
John the Baptist is a fascinating character. He dressed in strange clothing of camel hair, and ate locusts and honey. What a strange person to have been sent to prepare the way for Jesus and his teaching.<\/p>\n
Jesus came to invite us to prepare the way for God\u2019s dream, a way that ultimately must begin within our own selves, our hearts and minds, our practices and ways of being in the world, our impulses, inclinations, and intuitions.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s part of why we observe this season of preparation, through confession and receiving\u00a0 ol\u2019 John the Baptist\u2019s call to repent, to change our hearts and lives. After all, most of us are really good at confessing the sins of others. \u201cThey,\u201d \u201cThose people\u201d. But if there\u2019s anything that modern psychology and family systems therapy can teach us, it\u2019s that we don\u2019t have any control over what \u201cthey\u201d think or do. The place we begin preparing the way is within ourselves. In our own internal monologues, and by practising generosity in our assumptions about others and cultivating peace in our own impulses.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t do this on our own, of course \u2013 God\u2019s spirit works within us always. When we take on this work of joining with the Spirit as it seeks to prepare with us the way within, we will find that we are being blessed in order to be a blessing, saved not from others but for others.<\/p>\n
Creation Connection:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cA shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse.\u201d the prophet proclaims. Pay attention to what is around you in creations, and whenever you notice a sprig of life emerging, in any season, from what seems dead, remember the gospel news: Christ is coming!\u00a0\u00a0 (The Gathering A\/C\/E 2025\/26 used with permission.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Advent Candle 3:<\/strong> The third candle distinctively rose-coloured, is known as the Candle of Joy or the Shepherd\u2019s Candle. It is lit on the third Sunday of Advent, which is often referred to as Gaudet Sunday, derived from the Latin word \u201c gaudete,\u201d meaning \u201crejoice.\u201d This candle is a joyful celebration of the nearing arrival of Jesus, emphasizing the joy that His coming brings into our lives. The lighting of this candle signifies a shift in the Advent season, where the focus is on the joy and anticipation of Christ\u2019s birth. The angelic announcement to the shepherds in Luke 2:10, proclaiming good news of great joy for all people, encapsulates the essence of this candle. It encourages believers to express their joy and share it with others, fostering a sense of community and celebration during this sacred time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A Christmas Prayer\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>by Robert Louis Stevenson<\/em><\/p>\n Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men.<\/p>\n Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.<\/p>\n May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus\u2019 sake Amen<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sunday\u00a0 Dec. 14\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Advent 4\u00a0\u00a0 Joy<\/strong><\/p>\n Isaiah 35:1-10\u00a0 The desert blooms and rejoioces Lay Leader:\u00a0\u00a0 Lorna\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lay Reader:\u00a0 Diane<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Announcements:<\/strong><\/p>\n We invite all who are on a faith journey to join us in ours. Service is at 11 am. All are welcome.<\/p>\n It is not too late if you still wish to sponsor a bulb on the star of lights. Just $5 a bulb, contact Maria Reid with names or leave an envelope in the collection plate.<\/p>\n Christmas Eve Service at First United will Dec. 24 at 7. pm. It is a great time to meet friends and celebrate the birth of Jesus, and welcome him into our hearts.<\/p>\n Christmas Movie Night:\u00a0\u00a0 Thur. Dec 11 at 7. pm. At Calvary Pentecostal Church\u00a0 \u201c The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.\u00a0 <\/strong>(pg) Get ready for some Christmas laughs, a heartwarming story.<\/p>\n New Year\u2019s Eve Celebration:\u00a0 \u00a0Wed. Dec. 31 at 6:00 pm.\u00a0 Starting with a\u00a0 potluck appetizer fellowship, A short reflection by Pastor Luke, and a movie Soul on Fire.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dec.10 –\u00a0 Human Rights Day <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Isaiah 11:1-10,\u00a0 Matthew 3:1-12 John the Baptist is a fascinating character. He dressed in strange clothing of camel hair, and ate locusts and honey. What a strange person to have been sent to prepare the way for Jesus and his teaching. Jesus came to invite us to prepare the way for God\u2019s dream, a way …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":79054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-24 07:44:50","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79052"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79055,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79052\/revisions\/79055"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nLuke 1: 46b-55\u00a0 Mary\u2019s song of justice
\nMatthew 11:2-11 John\u2019s disciples visit Jesus<\/p>\n
\nDec.14-22 \u2013 Hanukkah
\nDec. 18 \u2013 International Migrants Day<\/p>\n