Advent: The First Season of the Church Year

“Advent begins in the dark” - Fleming Rutledge

Advent means arrival. This is the time of the church year where we prepare for the arrival of Jesus. Our colors are purple for the dawn of the early morning—when it’s dark and you’re waiting for the sun to rise, for God’s new day to come.

‌Thursday was Thanksgiving, so if you watched It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown that’s a beautiful illustration of Advent. Linus is out in the field waiting for the Great Pumpkin. For Advent, it’s like we, as Christians, are out in the field—and everyone else thinks we’re crazy—but we’ve been given the faith to believe and know that because our Lord came once, he will come again. So, like Linus, we wait and we watch. And, surprisingly, Jesus continues to meet us until he comes in final glory.

Here is the prayer for the first Sunday of Advent from The Book of Common Prayer:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Take 2: Abraham and Sarah

Do you ever have a conversation then immediately think, "I wish I would've said that?" I feel that way almost every Sunday. So this blog will be a place where I share things that I wish I would have said or things that were cut from the sermon because of timing or flow or word count. In Genesis 12, the focus moves from God and the world to God and the family of Abraham. The promise God makes to Abraham--to give him a family and land--is foundational to the story of Israel. God is going to bless Abraham and his future family so that they will be a blessing to the world. But Sarah is barren. And that's the tension. How are they going to have a baby? They're old. It seems impossible. God likes to confront the impossible. Genesis 15:1-6 is a story with a sense of non-fulfillment. Abraham has been given a promise, but that promise has not happened yet. God goes to Abraham and says, "Don't be afraid. I'm your shield." Rather than praise, Abraham respo

Take 1: Genesis 2 and 3

Do you ever have a conversation then immediately think, "I wish I would've said that?" I feel that way almost every Sunday. So this blog will be a place where I share things that I wish I would have said or things that were cut from the sermon because of timing or flow. *Note: I type out a sermon manuscript and I keep my word count to 1500 words. We call Genesis 3:1-8 the fall, but the word "sin" is not in the biblical text. Certainly this story influences what theologians call "original sin," but we cannot base that concept on this story alone. When I was a kid, I used to think Eden was a paradise and Adam and Eve were lounging about in hammocks and eating grapes. Eden is more like a farm. Adam's role is a servant, to serve and keep the garden. In Genesis 2, we see there's a community of people, animals, and the earth. That sounds like a farm to me. As God comes near to create Adam, this feels like foreshadowing of the Incarnation--when God

Meet Your Guide on this Theological Adventure

Greetings, my dear reader friends! My name is Aaron, and I’m the pastor at First Church of Clyattville—that means I have the great privilege of serving alongside a wonderful community of believers, sharing in the joys and struggles of this journey we call faith. When I’m not preaching, or teaching high school English, you can find me at home with my lovely wife Rachel, our two daughters, Ella and Lydia, and our beloved rescue dog, Peaches (not pictured above). They are the lights of my life, and I am grateful for their love and support each and every day. As for my background, I come to this blog series with a deep passion for theology and a desire to explore the riches of our Christian faith. I believe that theology is not just an intellectual exercise, but a vital part of our relationship with God and with one another. Through this blog series, I hope to share my love of theology with you and to learn from your insights and perspectives as well. So, whether you are a fellow pastor, a

Thursday Theological Threads

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