In the Christian year, we're about to enter the season of Advent - and be reminded that we are still waiting for God to fulfill the all that has been promised in Jesus for us and for the world. That space of waiting reminds us that our posture should be aligned with that of Mary when she received the annunciation from the angel Gabriel: "may it be in me according to your will" (Luke 1:38)
My Advent prayer for myself, for The Initiative, and for each of you who reads these updates is that we will continue to yield ourselves and our structure to be formed and shaped according to God's good purpose and loving design.
Yours in Christ's Love,
Scott Brill
Executive Director
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Advent Candle 1
Week One: Hope
Reader One: When I look around, I see shadows of hunger. So many neighbors, nearby and around the world, will go to bed hungry tonight…
Reader Two: When I look around, I see shadows of injustice, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer — and someone somewhere will fall asleep under a bridge tonight…
Reader One: In the face of hunger, we light a candle of hope…
Reader Two: In the face of injustice, in the face of despair, we light a candle of hope… (Light the first candle in your Advent wreath.)
Reader One: May the light from this candle overwhelm the world.
Reader Two: May the light from this candle say to all that God’s hope is coming, on earth as it already is in heaven.
Reader One: Friends, be not afraid, God’s hope is at hand!
From Salt
© 2024 Scot McKnight
548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104
From Mike Higgs -
Each Advent season, Terri and I become increasingly aware that the coming of the Christ child is not as much about “getting” salvation or blessings or life direction or other answered prayer, as important as those are. Advent – which is derived from the Latin words adventus (arrival) and advenire (to come) – is the arrival or coming of Immanuel, which as your Bible will tell you (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23), means “God with us.”
https://www.sunvalleyinstitute.org/board/mike-higgs