The Good News: End of the World as We Know It
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For November 28, 2021:
The Good News: End of the World as We Know
by Katy Stenta
Luke 21:25-36
The good news is the fullness of time is coming, the time is ripe, things will change. The good news is that this too will cease. Sometimes the good news does not come as joyful noise but as the promise of the new world about to rise. After all, we are a resurrection people, but the apocalyptic nature of good news, the fact that it puts a period to so many eras, often takes us by surprise.
In the News
We are all waiting for good news. At this time, good news is not going to look like a Hollywood ending. It will not look like everyone smiling and partnering up or arriving safely at home. For many of us, good news will look like closure. It looks like finding a vaccine that works, and then getting it, and then getting it approved for 5-11 year olds, and then finally those under 5, as well as giving boosters to everyone.
For some the good news will be the way that the legislation for hard infrastructure will help local economies and towns to maintain their basic amenities ending the struggle against crumbling bridges and roads. If the Build Back Better soft infrastructure bill passes, it will end poverty for many.
Good news sometimes means stopping the things that are reigning terror in our lives. How many trials are about the end of abuse? Gerrymandering is present with every election cycle as a way to manipulate elections without the support of the electorate. A woman’s right to end her pregnancy is being banned at the state level by Mississippi, raising the case to Supreme Court and calling into question Roe v. Wade.
Finally, there is the question of what rights black men have to exist vs. white men and their rights to bear arms. We see the side-by-side trials of Kyle Rittenhouse, who was found innocent on all counts of murder after killing two other white men during a Black Lives Matter March, and Gregory McMicael, his son Travis McMichel, and neighbor William Bryan, three white men, on trial for chasing down and killing Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who went for a run through a white development.
If your soul is screaming that you just want all of this to stop, you are not alone.
In the Scriptures
Jesus is promising that the good news will come. The promise of Advent is that Christmas will come, no matter what. No matter what we say, no matter what we do, the season of waiting will come to an end. Heaven and earth might pass away, but Jesus’ words, the good news will not.
I keep thinking about what Jesus says at the end of his life. He says “it is finished.” John 19:30. I wonder, right now, if those words are more hopeful than how I’ve heard them before. There is something hopeful about the end. After all, Jesus says that he is the alpha and the omega (Revelation 22:13).
We humans tend to think of endings as sad, or bad, or otherwise not good. But the word euangelion that is used for good news in the Bible was originally meant in the context of battle. It was used to mean “good news of the end of the battle.” It was used to mean that things had drawn to a close. It was an announcement of the conclusion. Good news thus carries within it a definite ending. So here, in this text, when Jesus is promising the ending of era, he is again bringing the good news. The exact kind of good news we are longing to hear right here and now in the midst of this pandemic-racial-discord-grappling-with-poverty-and-climate-change times. Jesus is promising that this, too, will end.
Because, after all, we know that resurrection will follow. And there cannot be resurrection without death. Can there be good news without closure? How can we begin again without letting some things end? Jesus instructs us to try not to be weighed down with the worries of life, and live for the day of resurrection, for all these things will come to an end. He promises. And today, that promise is a beautiful thing.
SECOND THOUGHTS
What’s That You Say?
by Mary Austin
Jeremiah 33:14-16
After the Covid-enforced separation of families during last year’s holiday season, this year people are making enthusiastic plans to get together. As we anticipate family feasts, there will also be familiar family fights. The crazy uncles will say what they always say, people will bring their signature dishes and our parents will ask the same questions. “What is it that you do for work, exactly?” Jumping back into routines both delightful and aggravating, we know what to expect.
We know what to expect from Jeremiah, too. The “weeping prophet” will announce more gloom, in vivid imagery.
Our verses from Jeremiah come as he’s in prison. The setting is a terrible promise from God. “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard: Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it — the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known… I have hidden my face from this city because of all their wickedness.” The enemy is outside the gates, and the soldiers are about to enter the city. Jeremiah is in the king’s prison. We would expect only gloom from the prophet at this point.
But Jeremiah has a surprise.
Through him, God promises that the coming devastation is not the last word for the people. “I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.”
After our word of promise (v.14-16) God adds that the divine covenant with Israel may be broken by the people, and yet is never broken by God. “Thus says the Lord: If any of you could break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night would not come at their appointed time, only then could my covenant with my servant David be broken…”
No one is ever entirely predictable. Jeremiah points us to other places of unexpected good news this Advent.
An unassuming looking dad from the Bronx has been serving free Thanksgiving dinners for 44 years. Marty Rogers “operates an annual Thanksgiving dinner at a local church, the Immaculate Conception Church. The dinner has been a yearly event for more than four decades.” Rogers recalls that it started when he asked a simple question. “In 1977, there was a senior center in the church hall, and so a crew of us who were involved in the church said why don't we try to talk to the center and say, ‘Could we ever open it up on Thanksgiving Day?’ ” They started serving older neighbors and expanded to people experiencing homelessness.
And everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving story continues for a sixth year. The woman who texted a random teenager, thinking it was her grandson, and invited him to Thanksgiving will gather with her young friend for their sixth Thanksgiving together. The first year, her grandson had changed his phone number and the two quickly realized they weren’t related — but still got together for Thanksgiving. “Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench will once again get together for the holiday, six years after she accidentally sent him a text inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner… “We are all set for year 6!” Hinton posted Sunday on Twitter, acknowledging that it will be the sixth straight year they have spent Thanksgiving together.” This year, Dench is grieving the loss of her husband to Covid in 2020.
A boy battling a rare blood disease discovered that he was the recipient of a Make-A-Wish Foundation grant — and did a surprising thing with his wish. “Abraham Olagbegi was 12 years old when he and his family learned that without a bone marrow transplant, the rare blood disease he’d been born with might prove fatal. Fast forward one year, one successful transplant, and an intense schedule of chemotherapy later, and Abraham is out of the hospital and his prognosis is promising — but that’s not the only good news. Over the course of his illness, Abraham learned he’d qualified as a recipient for Make-A-Wish, a charitable organization whose purpose is to make the dreams of seriously ill children come true one wish at a time. Rather than something for himself, Abraham chose to show thanks for his good fortune by passing it along to others. On their way home from one of his many doctor’s appointments, the Mississippi teen shared his decision with his mom, Miriam. The wish Abraham asked for was to feed the homeless in his area one day a month for an entire year.” Now, once a month, Abraham and his local Make-A-Wish chapter meet up in a local park to feed people. Abraham says, “My parents always taught us that it’s a blessing to be a blessing.”
On a larger scale, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has developed “giving machines,” patterned after vending machines. The machines allow holiday shoppers to make quick donations. “Catering to impulsive givers to indulge their altruistic impulses, they can use the vending machine to purchase anything from a single goat or two chickens to providing a household cleaning kit, polio vaccines, or even a day at Yankee Stadium for an orphaned teen. When donors make their purchase via credit card, the Giving Machine dispenses a postcard featuring an image and description of their donation.” The church covers all the administrative costs for the gifts.
This Advent, Jeremiah leads us to look for God’s good news where we wouldn’t usually expect it. If Jeremiah can muster up a positive word, we can be messengers of good news as well. Covid, mental health struggles, inflation, government squabbling and supply chain issues are all around us, and yet Advent begins with good news that cannot be squashed down. Jeremiah invites us to become messengers, too, and to pass on the news of God’s abundant care.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36
Good News…Bad News
A farmer showed up at his bank one morning and asked to talk to the manager. When the two sat down together he announced that he had bad news and good news.
“Well, I guess we better get to the bad news first,” said the banker.
“Okay,” replied the farmer. “I can't make my mortgage payments any more. And that crop loan I've taken out for the past 10 years — I can't pay that off, either. Oh, and I won't be able to pay you the couple of hundred thousand I still have outstanding on my tractors and other equipment. So, I’ve decided to give up the farm and turn it all over to you for whatever you can salvage out of it.”
The banker blinked, swallowed, and then asked, “What's the good news?”
“The good news,” said the farmer, smiling broadly, “is that I'm going to keep on banking with you.”
* * *
Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36
A Long, Long Time
An adult Sunday school class was discussing the inevitability of death when the pastor asked them, “What would you do if you knew you had only 4 weeks left to live before Judgment Day?”
One man said, “I would go out into my community and preach the Gospel to those that have not yet accepted the Lord into their lives.” All agreed that this would be a worthwhile way to spend one’s final days.
One lady said, “I would dedicate all of my remaining time to serving the human race.” All agreed that this was a fine idea.
Finally, the class curmudgeon spoke from the back of the room: “I would take my wife to visit her family,” he said.
Everyone was a little puzzled, so the pastor asked, “Why your wife’s family and not yours?”
“Because that would make it the longest four weeks of my life!”
* * *
Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36
Second Time’s The Charm
One Sunday a very wealthy man gave his testimony in church: “I'm a millionaire,” he said, “and I owe it all to God. I wasn’t always rich. At one point in my early years, I was poor. The first job I had was for a dollar a day. On the first day of that job, I was walking home and I started to go past a church where a missionary was speaking, telling about his work. I was so moved by his story that when it came time to receive the offering for the missionary I decided to give that dollar, everything I had in the world, to God and his work. I truly believe that because of that one act of generosity, giving everything I had, God blessed me and that is why I am a rich man today.”
He finished and the congregation was silent as he returned to his seat. As he sat down a little old lady sitting in the same pew leaned over and said to him: “I dare you to do it again.”
* * *
Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36
Kind And Generous Customers
The Good News doesn’t always appear at the cosmic, macro level. Sometimes it happens in small ways.
As we’ve all experienced, the pandemic, combined with the “great resignation” has left many businesses, especially those in the hospitality industry (hotels, restaurants, etc.) short of help.
Recently, we went, with some friends (three couples) to a restaurant that was at capacity and trying to keep up with the customers’ demands. The wait staff was hustling and still falling behind and our harried, college student waitress forgot several things for our table, including silverware, plates, napkins, and half of our beverages.
When we pointed out the shortages, she hung her head and, overwhelmed with frustration, looked as though she was going to cry.
One of the men in our party stood and walked over to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and said, “Hey, we get it. You’re overworked and frustrated. Don’t worry. We’re not going to be angry or withhold your tip. We are patient, kind, and generous people. Just do the best you can and we’ll help you out and everything will be fine.”
She dabbed a tear from the corner of her eye and said, “Thank you.”
By that act of grace, as Paul Tillich once said, “nothing was changed but everything was transformed.” The restaurant was still crowded and noisy, the waitress was still harried and overworked, but she started smiling and her step was a little lighter, all for those few words of reassurance and encouragement.
* * *
All I Want For Christmas
The Good News is still good news no matter how you deliver it.
The couple in this video has published several videos and they’re all pretty much the same. They’re sitting in traffic, he’s obviously frustrated and disgusted with the delay. She, on the other hand, sings along in an over-dramatic way to a song on the radio, usually something romantic, which she sings to him. Meanwhile, he stares straight ahead with no expression whatsoever. This one is my favorite and perfect for Christmas.
The song is Mariah Carey, singing, “All I Want for Christmas is You.” (Of course.) The girl in the video sings along, complete with overly demonstrative emotional emphases, to her boyfriend/husband. He reacts, not at all…until the very end.
* * * * * *
From team member Chris Keating:
The days are surely coming
Perhaps more than any other time of the year, Christmas is a season characterized by urgency. There are presents to be purchased, gifts to be shipped, cards to be mailed, parties planned, and a myriad of other expectations crammed into the next four weeks. After two years of holidays disrupted by Covid, this year could be especially frantic.
British social observer Hannah Betts captures this sense of urgency as she writes, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas — and not just any Christmas. The multi-denominational event that I like to refer to as Christmukkahkwanzaa 2021 is The Big One, the festive season to end all festive seasons, post-pandemic Yule.”
After detailing a few impending holiday extravaganzas, Betts adds: “Obviously, all this is brilliant, bonzer, top; about bloody time and just what the doctor ordered. We’ve longed for this, we’ve needed it, and, damn it, we’re going to enjoy it. Only is anyone else feeling a little terrified?”
Indeed, as clinical psychologist Emily Esfahani Smith notes in the New York Times, this year’s holiday celebrations could easily become “an emotional minefield for many families.” She details how the holidays accentuate our belonging and attachment needs, and how easily these yearnings can explode into craters of rejection. Her advice — which might sound familiar to Jeremiah — is “extending grace to one another.” Practicing compassion can go a long way.
“Our loved ones are imperfect; so are we,” Smith writes. “That means that feelings are going to be hurt this year and that efforts to express love are going to be clumsy, awkward or marred by pride and stubbornness. Though the pandemic has increased tensions within families, it has also created an opening. Now more than ever, people are recognizing the importance of being together — and how precious and fleeting life can be. Keeping these blessings in mind might inspire us to lead with love this holiday season.”
* * *
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Reversal of devastation
Jeremiah’s vision of God’s work of restoration includes concerns for both people and the land where they dwell (cf. Jeremiah 33:10-11). Jeremiah sees the land as the extension of God’s promise. It’s current state of devastation is a particular concern for God — and a reminder for us this Advent that God is concerned not only with our well-being, but for also for the wellness of the planet.
The effects of global climate change are no longer debatable, according to NASA. But changes can still be made to change course. The prophetic words of scientists warn of changes that need to be made, including limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as outlined by the United Nations.
* * *
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Seeing family face-to-face
“This holiday season,” says Deloitte Vice President Mike Daher, “sweaters are nice but what people really want is a warm embrace from family or loved ones.”
Daher, who specializes in the hospitality and travel industry for Deloitte, noted that a November survey has revealed that 4 in 10 respondents will travel for the holidays, and that 1 in 3 will fly or stay at a hotel.
Travel writer Kenneth Kiesnoski notes that being able to travel when and where we like is a “hallmark normalcy,” a reminder of pre-pandemic times. It could also be the backstory of any popular Hallmark channel Christmas movie.
International travel websites have seen an uptick in activity since the Biden administration announced the United States would be loosening international travel restrictions. Skyscanner, for example, saw an 800 percent increase in searches for airfares a day after the government’s announcement. We’ll be singing “I’ll be home for Christmas soon,” though experts advise making plans quickly. Airfares are expected to rise as demand increases.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Advent Wreath Lighting
(This uses the psalm/canticle for the day and incorporates the collect for the day. The divisions make it easy to use multiple readers.)
Psalm 25
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
Congregation:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel v. 4
Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
One: Let us pray:
All: O God who is just and righteous:
Grant us the faith to trust that your reign is near
so that we may seek justice and righteousness always. Amen.
Call to Worship
One: To God let us lift up our souls.
All: In you, O God, do we trust.
One: God comes to show us the way of justice and righteousness.
All: Lead us in your truth and teach us, O God.
One: Good and upright is our God; instructing us in the way.
All: All God’s path are steadfast love and faithfulness.
OR
One: The God of all eternity has come into our midst.
All: Praise be to you, O God, who comes among mortals.
One: God comes to bring newness and new life to all creation.
All: Help us to see new beginnings where we see only endings.
One: The Spirit of God comes to renew us for our ministry.
All: With God’s help we will be faithful doers of God’s word.
Hymns and Songs
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
UMH: 196
H82: 66
PH: 1/2
NCH: 122
LBW: 30
ELW: 254
W&P: 153
AMEC: 103
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed
UMH: 203
H82: 616
AAHH: 187
NCH: 104
CH: 140
LBW: 87
ELW: 311
AMEC: 107
Renew: 101
Seek Ye First
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
CH: 354
W&P: 349
CCB: 76
Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life
UMH: 427
H82: 609
PH: 408
NCH: 543
CH: 665
LBW: 429
ELW: 719
W&P: 591
AMEC: 561
O God of Every Nation
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELW: 713
W&P: 626
What Does the Lord Require
UMH: 441
H82: 605
PH: 405
CH: 659
W&P: 686
Open My Eyes, That I May See
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
Come Down, O Love Divine
UMH: 475
H82: 516
PH: 313
NCH: 289
CH: 582
LBW: 508
ELW: 804
W&P: 330
Sent Forth by God’s Blessing
UMH: 664
NCH: 76
LBW: 221
ELW: 547
W&P: 712
Renew: 307
Go Forth For God
UMH: 670
H82: 347
W&P: 708
Renew: 291
Arise, Shine
CCB: 2
Renew: 123
Change My Heart, O God
CCB: 56
Renew: 143
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who O God who is just and righteous:
Grant us the faith to trust that your reign is near
so that we may seek justice and righteousness always:
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God of justice and righteousness. You are the one who is never ending and brings newness to all creation. Help us to see you moving in new ways in the midst of our old lives so that we may participate in the new life you are bringing. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our apathy to the injustice around us.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You who are the God of justice and righteousness have created us in your own image and yet we tolerate injustice around us. We see people denied the dignity they deserve as your children and we turn away. We are more concerned about our own status and standing than in seeking justice for others. We have failed to reflect your loving compassion in our lives. Forgive us and renew us that we might take our rightful places as your children. Amen.
One: God is just and God is merciful. Receive God’s forgiveness and take your place as God’s presence in the midst of injustice.
Prayers of the People
We praise your name and adore you, O God, because you have created this world to reflect your righteousness. You have filled us with your very own Spirit and life.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You who are the God of justice and righteousness have created us in your own image and yet we tolerate injustice around us. We see people denied the dignity they deserve as your children and we turn away. We are more concerned about our own status and standing than in seeking justice for others. We have failed to reflect your loving compassion in our lives. Forgive us and renew us that we might take our rightful places as your children.
We give you thanks for those who have been faithful in seeking justice for all your children. We thank you for those who have ensured that we have the freedoms and security that we have. We thank you for the opportunities to participate in your work of bringing wholeness to your creation.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all who are in need this day. We pray for those who have been denied justice and who have suffered from the unrighteous words and deeds of others. We pray that we and your whole church may be so filled with your Spirit that we shine as a beacon of hope to those seeking justice in this world.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Happy New Year?
by Tom Willadsen
Have a large piece of newsprint where the kids and congregation can see. You’ll want a marker so you can add some things during the children’s time.
Write these dates on the newsprint:
• March 31, 2022
• September 7, 2021
• October 1, 2021
• March 1, 2022*
• November 28, 2021
• June 5, 2022
• January 1, 2022
Ask one of the little ones what her birthday is. Write it on the newsprint after the other dates. Ask the little ones what these dates have in common.
They are all New Year’s Days!
Explain that Advent is the first season in the church year. The word Advent means “coming.”
Ask the little ones if they can think of anything that’s coming up that the Church should start getting ready for. (You’re hoping they’ll say “Christmas;” be ready with some prompts.) The thing that’s coming is Christmas, the day we celebrate Jesus’ birthday — you can write December 25, 2021 on the newsprint at this point.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you could point out that we’re not just getting ready for Christmas, the party when we celebrate that Jesus was born, Godwithus, Emmanuel, also mention that the Church is waiting for Christ to come again. So Advent helps us get ready for two “comings.” We’ve got one already written on the calendar, December 25, but there’s another thing coming that Christians have waiting a long, long time for. Maybe soon. Maybe this year, Christ is coming back.
Closing prayer
Dear God, we thank you for new beginnings and we remember that in Jesus, You make all things new. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, November 28, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
- The Good News: End of the World as We Know It by Katy Stenta — Can there be good news without closure? How can we begin again without letting some things end?
- Second Thoughts: What’s That You Say? by Mary Austin — Covid, mental health struggles, inflation, government squabbling and supply chain issues are all around us, and yet Advent begins with good news that cannot be squashed down.
- Sermon illustrations by Dean Feldmeyer, Chris Keating.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: Happy New Year? by Tom Willadsen.
The Good News: End of the World as We Know
by Katy Stenta
Luke 21:25-36
The good news is the fullness of time is coming, the time is ripe, things will change. The good news is that this too will cease. Sometimes the good news does not come as joyful noise but as the promise of the new world about to rise. After all, we are a resurrection people, but the apocalyptic nature of good news, the fact that it puts a period to so many eras, often takes us by surprise.
In the News
We are all waiting for good news. At this time, good news is not going to look like a Hollywood ending. It will not look like everyone smiling and partnering up or arriving safely at home. For many of us, good news will look like closure. It looks like finding a vaccine that works, and then getting it, and then getting it approved for 5-11 year olds, and then finally those under 5, as well as giving boosters to everyone.
For some the good news will be the way that the legislation for hard infrastructure will help local economies and towns to maintain their basic amenities ending the struggle against crumbling bridges and roads. If the Build Back Better soft infrastructure bill passes, it will end poverty for many.
Good news sometimes means stopping the things that are reigning terror in our lives. How many trials are about the end of abuse? Gerrymandering is present with every election cycle as a way to manipulate elections without the support of the electorate. A woman’s right to end her pregnancy is being banned at the state level by Mississippi, raising the case to Supreme Court and calling into question Roe v. Wade.
Finally, there is the question of what rights black men have to exist vs. white men and their rights to bear arms. We see the side-by-side trials of Kyle Rittenhouse, who was found innocent on all counts of murder after killing two other white men during a Black Lives Matter March, and Gregory McMicael, his son Travis McMichel, and neighbor William Bryan, three white men, on trial for chasing down and killing Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who went for a run through a white development.
If your soul is screaming that you just want all of this to stop, you are not alone.
In the Scriptures
Jesus is promising that the good news will come. The promise of Advent is that Christmas will come, no matter what. No matter what we say, no matter what we do, the season of waiting will come to an end. Heaven and earth might pass away, but Jesus’ words, the good news will not.
I keep thinking about what Jesus says at the end of his life. He says “it is finished.” John 19:30. I wonder, right now, if those words are more hopeful than how I’ve heard them before. There is something hopeful about the end. After all, Jesus says that he is the alpha and the omega (Revelation 22:13).
We humans tend to think of endings as sad, or bad, or otherwise not good. But the word euangelion that is used for good news in the Bible was originally meant in the context of battle. It was used to mean “good news of the end of the battle.” It was used to mean that things had drawn to a close. It was an announcement of the conclusion. Good news thus carries within it a definite ending. So here, in this text, when Jesus is promising the ending of era, he is again bringing the good news. The exact kind of good news we are longing to hear right here and now in the midst of this pandemic-racial-discord-grappling-with-poverty-and-climate-change times. Jesus is promising that this, too, will end.
Because, after all, we know that resurrection will follow. And there cannot be resurrection without death. Can there be good news without closure? How can we begin again without letting some things end? Jesus instructs us to try not to be weighed down with the worries of life, and live for the day of resurrection, for all these things will come to an end. He promises. And today, that promise is a beautiful thing.
SECOND THOUGHTSWhat’s That You Say?
by Mary Austin
Jeremiah 33:14-16
After the Covid-enforced separation of families during last year’s holiday season, this year people are making enthusiastic plans to get together. As we anticipate family feasts, there will also be familiar family fights. The crazy uncles will say what they always say, people will bring their signature dishes and our parents will ask the same questions. “What is it that you do for work, exactly?” Jumping back into routines both delightful and aggravating, we know what to expect.
We know what to expect from Jeremiah, too. The “weeping prophet” will announce more gloom, in vivid imagery.
Our verses from Jeremiah come as he’s in prison. The setting is a terrible promise from God. “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard: Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it — the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known… I have hidden my face from this city because of all their wickedness.” The enemy is outside the gates, and the soldiers are about to enter the city. Jeremiah is in the king’s prison. We would expect only gloom from the prophet at this point.
But Jeremiah has a surprise.
Through him, God promises that the coming devastation is not the last word for the people. “I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.”
After our word of promise (v.14-16) God adds that the divine covenant with Israel may be broken by the people, and yet is never broken by God. “Thus says the Lord: If any of you could break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night would not come at their appointed time, only then could my covenant with my servant David be broken…”
No one is ever entirely predictable. Jeremiah points us to other places of unexpected good news this Advent.
An unassuming looking dad from the Bronx has been serving free Thanksgiving dinners for 44 years. Marty Rogers “operates an annual Thanksgiving dinner at a local church, the Immaculate Conception Church. The dinner has been a yearly event for more than four decades.” Rogers recalls that it started when he asked a simple question. “In 1977, there was a senior center in the church hall, and so a crew of us who were involved in the church said why don't we try to talk to the center and say, ‘Could we ever open it up on Thanksgiving Day?’ ” They started serving older neighbors and expanded to people experiencing homelessness.
And everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving story continues for a sixth year. The woman who texted a random teenager, thinking it was her grandson, and invited him to Thanksgiving will gather with her young friend for their sixth Thanksgiving together. The first year, her grandson had changed his phone number and the two quickly realized they weren’t related — but still got together for Thanksgiving. “Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench will once again get together for the holiday, six years after she accidentally sent him a text inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner… “We are all set for year 6!” Hinton posted Sunday on Twitter, acknowledging that it will be the sixth straight year they have spent Thanksgiving together.” This year, Dench is grieving the loss of her husband to Covid in 2020.
A boy battling a rare blood disease discovered that he was the recipient of a Make-A-Wish Foundation grant — and did a surprising thing with his wish. “Abraham Olagbegi was 12 years old when he and his family learned that without a bone marrow transplant, the rare blood disease he’d been born with might prove fatal. Fast forward one year, one successful transplant, and an intense schedule of chemotherapy later, and Abraham is out of the hospital and his prognosis is promising — but that’s not the only good news. Over the course of his illness, Abraham learned he’d qualified as a recipient for Make-A-Wish, a charitable organization whose purpose is to make the dreams of seriously ill children come true one wish at a time. Rather than something for himself, Abraham chose to show thanks for his good fortune by passing it along to others. On their way home from one of his many doctor’s appointments, the Mississippi teen shared his decision with his mom, Miriam. The wish Abraham asked for was to feed the homeless in his area one day a month for an entire year.” Now, once a month, Abraham and his local Make-A-Wish chapter meet up in a local park to feed people. Abraham says, “My parents always taught us that it’s a blessing to be a blessing.”
On a larger scale, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has developed “giving machines,” patterned after vending machines. The machines allow holiday shoppers to make quick donations. “Catering to impulsive givers to indulge their altruistic impulses, they can use the vending machine to purchase anything from a single goat or two chickens to providing a household cleaning kit, polio vaccines, or even a day at Yankee Stadium for an orphaned teen. When donors make their purchase via credit card, the Giving Machine dispenses a postcard featuring an image and description of their donation.” The church covers all the administrative costs for the gifts.
This Advent, Jeremiah leads us to look for God’s good news where we wouldn’t usually expect it. If Jeremiah can muster up a positive word, we can be messengers of good news as well. Covid, mental health struggles, inflation, government squabbling and supply chain issues are all around us, and yet Advent begins with good news that cannot be squashed down. Jeremiah invites us to become messengers, too, and to pass on the news of God’s abundant care.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36
Good News…Bad News
A farmer showed up at his bank one morning and asked to talk to the manager. When the two sat down together he announced that he had bad news and good news.
“Well, I guess we better get to the bad news first,” said the banker.
“Okay,” replied the farmer. “I can't make my mortgage payments any more. And that crop loan I've taken out for the past 10 years — I can't pay that off, either. Oh, and I won't be able to pay you the couple of hundred thousand I still have outstanding on my tractors and other equipment. So, I’ve decided to give up the farm and turn it all over to you for whatever you can salvage out of it.”
The banker blinked, swallowed, and then asked, “What's the good news?”
“The good news,” said the farmer, smiling broadly, “is that I'm going to keep on banking with you.”
* * *
Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36
A Long, Long Time
An adult Sunday school class was discussing the inevitability of death when the pastor asked them, “What would you do if you knew you had only 4 weeks left to live before Judgment Day?”
One man said, “I would go out into my community and preach the Gospel to those that have not yet accepted the Lord into their lives.” All agreed that this would be a worthwhile way to spend one’s final days.
One lady said, “I would dedicate all of my remaining time to serving the human race.” All agreed that this was a fine idea.
Finally, the class curmudgeon spoke from the back of the room: “I would take my wife to visit her family,” he said.
Everyone was a little puzzled, so the pastor asked, “Why your wife’s family and not yours?”
“Because that would make it the longest four weeks of my life!”
* * *
Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36
Second Time’s The Charm
One Sunday a very wealthy man gave his testimony in church: “I'm a millionaire,” he said, “and I owe it all to God. I wasn’t always rich. At one point in my early years, I was poor. The first job I had was for a dollar a day. On the first day of that job, I was walking home and I started to go past a church where a missionary was speaking, telling about his work. I was so moved by his story that when it came time to receive the offering for the missionary I decided to give that dollar, everything I had in the world, to God and his work. I truly believe that because of that one act of generosity, giving everything I had, God blessed me and that is why I am a rich man today.”
He finished and the congregation was silent as he returned to his seat. As he sat down a little old lady sitting in the same pew leaned over and said to him: “I dare you to do it again.”
* * *
Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36
Kind And Generous Customers
The Good News doesn’t always appear at the cosmic, macro level. Sometimes it happens in small ways.
As we’ve all experienced, the pandemic, combined with the “great resignation” has left many businesses, especially those in the hospitality industry (hotels, restaurants, etc.) short of help.
Recently, we went, with some friends (three couples) to a restaurant that was at capacity and trying to keep up with the customers’ demands. The wait staff was hustling and still falling behind and our harried, college student waitress forgot several things for our table, including silverware, plates, napkins, and half of our beverages.
When we pointed out the shortages, she hung her head and, overwhelmed with frustration, looked as though she was going to cry.
One of the men in our party stood and walked over to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and said, “Hey, we get it. You’re overworked and frustrated. Don’t worry. We’re not going to be angry or withhold your tip. We are patient, kind, and generous people. Just do the best you can and we’ll help you out and everything will be fine.”
She dabbed a tear from the corner of her eye and said, “Thank you.”
By that act of grace, as Paul Tillich once said, “nothing was changed but everything was transformed.” The restaurant was still crowded and noisy, the waitress was still harried and overworked, but she started smiling and her step was a little lighter, all for those few words of reassurance and encouragement.
* * *
All I Want For Christmas
The Good News is still good news no matter how you deliver it.
The couple in this video has published several videos and they’re all pretty much the same. They’re sitting in traffic, he’s obviously frustrated and disgusted with the delay. She, on the other hand, sings along in an over-dramatic way to a song on the radio, usually something romantic, which she sings to him. Meanwhile, he stares straight ahead with no expression whatsoever. This one is my favorite and perfect for Christmas.
The song is Mariah Carey, singing, “All I Want for Christmas is You.” (Of course.) The girl in the video sings along, complete with overly demonstrative emotional emphases, to her boyfriend/husband. He reacts, not at all…until the very end.
* * * * * *
From team member Chris Keating:The days are surely coming
Perhaps more than any other time of the year, Christmas is a season characterized by urgency. There are presents to be purchased, gifts to be shipped, cards to be mailed, parties planned, and a myriad of other expectations crammed into the next four weeks. After two years of holidays disrupted by Covid, this year could be especially frantic.
British social observer Hannah Betts captures this sense of urgency as she writes, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas — and not just any Christmas. The multi-denominational event that I like to refer to as Christmukkahkwanzaa 2021 is The Big One, the festive season to end all festive seasons, post-pandemic Yule.”
After detailing a few impending holiday extravaganzas, Betts adds: “Obviously, all this is brilliant, bonzer, top; about bloody time and just what the doctor ordered. We’ve longed for this, we’ve needed it, and, damn it, we’re going to enjoy it. Only is anyone else feeling a little terrified?”
Indeed, as clinical psychologist Emily Esfahani Smith notes in the New York Times, this year’s holiday celebrations could easily become “an emotional minefield for many families.” She details how the holidays accentuate our belonging and attachment needs, and how easily these yearnings can explode into craters of rejection. Her advice — which might sound familiar to Jeremiah — is “extending grace to one another.” Practicing compassion can go a long way.
“Our loved ones are imperfect; so are we,” Smith writes. “That means that feelings are going to be hurt this year and that efforts to express love are going to be clumsy, awkward or marred by pride and stubbornness. Though the pandemic has increased tensions within families, it has also created an opening. Now more than ever, people are recognizing the importance of being together — and how precious and fleeting life can be. Keeping these blessings in mind might inspire us to lead with love this holiday season.”
* * *
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Reversal of devastation
Jeremiah’s vision of God’s work of restoration includes concerns for both people and the land where they dwell (cf. Jeremiah 33:10-11). Jeremiah sees the land as the extension of God’s promise. It’s current state of devastation is a particular concern for God — and a reminder for us this Advent that God is concerned not only with our well-being, but for also for the wellness of the planet.
The effects of global climate change are no longer debatable, according to NASA. But changes can still be made to change course. The prophetic words of scientists warn of changes that need to be made, including limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as outlined by the United Nations.
* * *
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Seeing family face-to-face
“This holiday season,” says Deloitte Vice President Mike Daher, “sweaters are nice but what people really want is a warm embrace from family or loved ones.”
Daher, who specializes in the hospitality and travel industry for Deloitte, noted that a November survey has revealed that 4 in 10 respondents will travel for the holidays, and that 1 in 3 will fly or stay at a hotel.
Travel writer Kenneth Kiesnoski notes that being able to travel when and where we like is a “hallmark normalcy,” a reminder of pre-pandemic times. It could also be the backstory of any popular Hallmark channel Christmas movie.
International travel websites have seen an uptick in activity since the Biden administration announced the United States would be loosening international travel restrictions. Skyscanner, for example, saw an 800 percent increase in searches for airfares a day after the government’s announcement. We’ll be singing “I’ll be home for Christmas soon,” though experts advise making plans quickly. Airfares are expected to rise as demand increases.
* * * * * *
WORSHIPby George Reed
Advent Wreath Lighting
(This uses the psalm/canticle for the day and incorporates the collect for the day. The divisions make it easy to use multiple readers.)
Psalm 25
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
Congregation:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel v. 4
Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
One: Let us pray:
All: O God who is just and righteous:
Grant us the faith to trust that your reign is near
so that we may seek justice and righteousness always. Amen.
Call to Worship
One: To God let us lift up our souls.
All: In you, O God, do we trust.
One: God comes to show us the way of justice and righteousness.
All: Lead us in your truth and teach us, O God.
One: Good and upright is our God; instructing us in the way.
All: All God’s path are steadfast love and faithfulness.
OR
One: The God of all eternity has come into our midst.
All: Praise be to you, O God, who comes among mortals.
One: God comes to bring newness and new life to all creation.
All: Help us to see new beginnings where we see only endings.
One: The Spirit of God comes to renew us for our ministry.
All: With God’s help we will be faithful doers of God’s word.
Hymns and Songs
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
UMH: 196
H82: 66
PH: 1/2
NCH: 122
LBW: 30
ELW: 254
W&P: 153
AMEC: 103
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed
UMH: 203
H82: 616
AAHH: 187
NCH: 104
CH: 140
LBW: 87
ELW: 311
AMEC: 107
Renew: 101
Seek Ye First
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
CH: 354
W&P: 349
CCB: 76
Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life
UMH: 427
H82: 609
PH: 408
NCH: 543
CH: 665
LBW: 429
ELW: 719
W&P: 591
AMEC: 561
O God of Every Nation
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELW: 713
W&P: 626
What Does the Lord Require
UMH: 441
H82: 605
PH: 405
CH: 659
W&P: 686
Open My Eyes, That I May See
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
Come Down, O Love Divine
UMH: 475
H82: 516
PH: 313
NCH: 289
CH: 582
LBW: 508
ELW: 804
W&P: 330
Sent Forth by God’s Blessing
UMH: 664
NCH: 76
LBW: 221
ELW: 547
W&P: 712
Renew: 307
Go Forth For God
UMH: 670
H82: 347
W&P: 708
Renew: 291
Arise, Shine
CCB: 2
Renew: 123
Change My Heart, O God
CCB: 56
Renew: 143
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who O God who is just and righteous:
Grant us the faith to trust that your reign is near
so that we may seek justice and righteousness always:
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God of justice and righteousness. You are the one who is never ending and brings newness to all creation. Help us to see you moving in new ways in the midst of our old lives so that we may participate in the new life you are bringing. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our apathy to the injustice around us.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You who are the God of justice and righteousness have created us in your own image and yet we tolerate injustice around us. We see people denied the dignity they deserve as your children and we turn away. We are more concerned about our own status and standing than in seeking justice for others. We have failed to reflect your loving compassion in our lives. Forgive us and renew us that we might take our rightful places as your children. Amen.
One: God is just and God is merciful. Receive God’s forgiveness and take your place as God’s presence in the midst of injustice.
Prayers of the People
We praise your name and adore you, O God, because you have created this world to reflect your righteousness. You have filled us with your very own Spirit and life.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You who are the God of justice and righteousness have created us in your own image and yet we tolerate injustice around us. We see people denied the dignity they deserve as your children and we turn away. We are more concerned about our own status and standing than in seeking justice for others. We have failed to reflect your loving compassion in our lives. Forgive us and renew us that we might take our rightful places as your children.
We give you thanks for those who have been faithful in seeking justice for all your children. We thank you for those who have ensured that we have the freedoms and security that we have. We thank you for the opportunities to participate in your work of bringing wholeness to your creation.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all who are in need this day. We pray for those who have been denied justice and who have suffered from the unrighteous words and deeds of others. We pray that we and your whole church may be so filled with your Spirit that we shine as a beacon of hope to those seeking justice in this world.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMONHappy New Year?
by Tom Willadsen
Have a large piece of newsprint where the kids and congregation can see. You’ll want a marker so you can add some things during the children’s time.
Write these dates on the newsprint:
• March 31, 2022
• September 7, 2021
• October 1, 2021
• March 1, 2022*
• November 28, 2021
• June 5, 2022
• January 1, 2022
Ask one of the little ones what her birthday is. Write it on the newsprint after the other dates. Ask the little ones what these dates have in common.
They are all New Year’s Days!
- March 31, 2022 is the first day of the Major League Baseball season.
- September 7, 2021 was the first day of school—check your local calendar.
- October 1, 2021 is the first day of the federal government’s fiscal year.
- *March 1 is my birthday. (Substitute your own or perhaps the organist’s.)
- November 28 is today—the first day of Advent.
- June 5, 2022, Pentecost—lots of people call that “the Church’s birthday.”
- January 1, 2022 is New Year’s Day.
Explain that Advent is the first season in the church year. The word Advent means “coming.”
Ask the little ones if they can think of anything that’s coming up that the Church should start getting ready for. (You’re hoping they’ll say “Christmas;” be ready with some prompts.) The thing that’s coming is Christmas, the day we celebrate Jesus’ birthday — you can write December 25, 2021 on the newsprint at this point.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you could point out that we’re not just getting ready for Christmas, the party when we celebrate that Jesus was born, Godwithus, Emmanuel, also mention that the Church is waiting for Christ to come again. So Advent helps us get ready for two “comings.” We’ve got one already written on the calendar, December 25, but there’s another thing coming that Christians have waiting a long, long time for. Maybe soon. Maybe this year, Christ is coming back.
Closing prayer
Dear God, we thank you for new beginnings and we remember that in Jesus, You make all things new. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, November 28, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
