Second Sunday of Advent
In the second Sunday of Advent, we hear from the Prophet John, the Baptizer. He sweeps into the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance to prepare for a baptism of fire. Wow! I couldn’t find any decorations in the Home Depot holiday section for this, not even a winnowing fork. And yet people came from all over to hear John preach and be baptized by him. Including Jesus. Something attracted them to his message.
Repentance is a word we use a lot. In our Sunday liturgy, we “humbly repent” of the sins we confess. What are we doing when we repent? What could possibly be attractive about repentance?
On Sunday, we’ll look at how Luke shapes the narrative of John’s ministry to enrich our understanding of repentance and, with God’s help, enliven and encourage it.
In Messiah,
Steve E
Redeemer Annual Meeting
Please plan to attend our Annual Meeting this Sunday following worship. It’s a very important yearly event in the life of our church.
After worship and some refreshment we’ll reconvene in the Sanctuary for an hour to review 2024 (a year for which we have much to be thankful!), introduce our Vestry and its new members, and look forward to 2025. We’ll talk about our ministry priorities and introduce our proposed Operating Budget for the next year.
There are some exciting opportunities ahead of us.
It happens just once a year, so I hope you’ll make it a priority.
Childcare will be provided.
Christ is All,
Steve+
Advent Devotional Resources:
While our culture fires up the Christmas Machine, the Church has a countercultural offer: slow down and anticipate Christmas with hope, not dread. Against the whirl of consumerism, adopt the steady rhythm of Advent. Enjoy the waiting game. Watch. Study. Listen. The following resources are designed to help in these very things:
Encountering Jesus in John: An Advent Study by (“our”) Chrystie Cole. Encountering Jesus in John is a 4-week, self-paced, video-based study with 12 teaching videos and a downloadable 60-page workbook. This resource is designed to help you engage with the Scriptures and lead you to encounter Jesus as the Lamb of God, the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, and our Great High Priest. Encountering Jesus In John will help you rediscover the beauty, power, and provision of the gospel! Check it out here. Use promo code REDEEMER for a discount on the printable pdf version of this study with full access to the video teachings.
Christ Prepares His People: Four lessons from Luke 12 taught by our Bishop, Julian Dobbs. Christ Prepares His People is a four-part online video series. Access all four teachings here.
Daily Morning Prayer Live on Zoom—we pray together Tuesday-Friday mornings for a half hour beginning at 8:00AM. Join us here.
Pray the 2019 Book of Common Prayer Daily Offices—find them here.
Men’s Bible Study—Though not specifically an Advent study, weekly Bible study with Christian brothers is an excellent habit to begin and build during this season. Starting Thursday, December 5 we will study the book of Romans together in a 20-part series by John Stott in our Parish Hall, 7-8AM. Coffee provided. If you’d like to join us, email Steve Wishart here.
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Christmas Giving Opportunities—Redeemer is partnering with our neighbors at The Salvation Army Annapolis Corps (church) for two of their annual initiatives:
Unwrapped Angel Tree gifts are due this Sunday! Be sure to attach the tag.
It’s not too late to ring. The whole year of services that The Salvation Army provides to our community is funded by their Red Kettle Campaign. The funds raised locally stay here. You can help by giving a little time—and having a lot of fun—as a volunteer bell ringer. Sign up at registertoring.com with your family or friends. It’s a great way to spread some Christmas cheer and fund services that are provided in Jesus’ name to our neighbors in need.
Lessons and Carols—Tuesday, December 24, 5PM followed by a “favorite hors d’oeuvre” and wine reception.
Holy Communion—Christmas morning, 11:00AM.
Evening Prayer—beginning Wednesday, January 8 and continuing weekly, we will gather in our Sanctuary for Evening Prayer, 7-8PM.
Image Credit: Sincerely Media/Unsplash
