Advent 3- Sacred Space (Joy)

Advent Three – Sacred Space (Joy)

“…the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come
to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon

their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and
sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” – Isaiah 35: 1-10

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in
God my Savior, for the Holy One has looked with favor
on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on
all generations will call me blessed…” – Luke 1: 46b-55

The pregnancy of Mary is connected to the promise
of justice and joy in the readings this week. Mary’s
womb becomes a sacred space for the gestation of grace that moves into, and is transforming, the world. We will ponder the spaces we inhabit at home, work, and community, asking whether they are feeding, nurturing, and reflecting the freedom and joy that is so desperately needed.

Advent 3: Sunday, December 10 ~ “Sacred Space” @ 10am
Advent 4: Sunday, December 17 ~ “Sacred Knowing” @ 10am

Christmas Eve, Sunday, December 24 ~ “Sacred Being” @ 5pm & 8pm

Advent Theme:  Reflecting the Sacred by Marcia McFee

As religious folk, it is imperative that we grapple with our incarnational faith and what it calls us to be and do. Advent and Christmas is as good a time as any to talk about incarnation. Our wrestling with theology matters because religion has, and does, move us to create a particular
kind of world. And the world we live in at the moment has its problems (did I hear an “amen?”).
The way we see the world, relate to the world, live in the world and with each other has theological roots. In other words, what we believe
about the holy, what we think is “sacred” or not, determines how we treat each other and creation.

The worship series logo features a “bokeh” light effect–a term that graphic designers use to describe “the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in out-of-focus parts of an image.” We’ve chosen this look to highlight the idea that we can look through a “lens” of the sacred to see the
beauty of the Christ reflecting in all things. When we have a “hard-focus,” things appear two-dimensional. With this kind of lens, we tend to criticize, we nit-pick, we judge, we even fret about perfection. But when we add a “soft-focus” like the “portrait” setting on our phone cameras, that which we are looking at becomes more three-dimensional, more stunning against
the blurred backdrop. We see it in a different way. More fully. Perhaps even more beautifully reflecting the sacred.

Can we use a lens this season that highlights the holy all around us? Can we see life as pregnant with Christ… not just Mary in a story from long ago, but everyone and everything capable of bursting forth with goodness and grace?

Come see the sacred in everything with First Church during Advent Worship on Sunday
mornings at 10am.