First Sunday of Advent - A

Dominic Owl lived in a big, old oak tree, right in the middle of the wood. He hadn't lived there very long, because he was only a baby owl. He loved that big old oak tree, and best all he loved to perch on its broadest branch and watch his mother as she skimmed silently over the tree tops searching the ground for Dominic's next meal.

Contents
"Loving Neighbors, Killing Neighbors" by John Sumwalt
"Coatracks" by C. David McKirachan


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Loving Neighbors, Killing Neighbors
by John Sumwalt
Matthew 22:34-46

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
-- Matthew 22:39b

Contents
"Within Sight of the Promised Land" by Frank Ramirez
"The Nature of Love" by Peter Andrew Smith


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Within Sight of the Promised Land
by Frank Ramirez
Deuteronomy 34:1-12

The LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there."
-- Deuteronomy 34:4

Psalm 90 is a prayer, expressing gratitude for God's abiding presence in the face of the transient and frail nature of human life. Any human life, no matter how noble or helpful or wise, is terminal. Time marches on, and generations come and go. Some people have more years than others but none have life unending -- not in this existence, anyway. The psalmist does not bemoan that fact. Instead, he prays that in this lifetime, we will gain the wisdom to value the days we have and the fact that God is with us in them.

BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS

Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 34:1--12 (C)
Moses goes to the top of Mount Nebo in the land of Moab, where God shows him the promised land. Then he dies and God himself buries him. Joshua inherits the spirit of Moses and the mantel of leadership. He will bring the people into the fulfillment of God's promise. The Deuteronomist summarizes the life of Moses by commenting that there has never since been such a prophet who knew God face to face.

Lesson 1: Exodus 22:20--26 (RC); Exodus 22:21--27 (E)

In the scriptures, the first five books of the Old Testament, or the Pentateuch, are sometimes called "The Law of Moses" (e.g. Luke 2:22; 24:44), and the book of Deuteronomy has the traditional title of "The Fifth Book of Moses." Fundamentalists therefore often hold that Moses is the author of Deuteronomy. But as has often been pointed out, if that were so, Moses would be said to have written the account of his own death. We know, further, that the list of the tribal boundaries in this text are later than the time of Moses.

"Repent! Be saved! The end is at hand!" These are familiar words hailing from the "Brickyard" preachers at North Carolina State University. The university plaza, affectionately known as the Brickyard, is a centrally located gathering place for campus and community activities.

Freedom of speech is exercised frequently in the Brickyard as wandering street preachers avail themselves of an opportunity to announce the end of the world with their Chicken Little "the sky is falling" flair. The message is always the same: "Get right with God, or you're gonna get left!"

What can we believe about the church? That is an important question for us to ask and to answer. An awful lot of people today have a very low opinion of the church. Many people think that it is, at best, unimportant and unnecessary, and at worst, something that is a real hindrance to everything good. You have heard them.

In my divinity school days, I took a course on Søren Kierkegaard, the nineteenth century Danish theologian who wrote thirty-some books to deepen people's capacity to understand, appreciate, and appropriate the Christian faith. I remember Professor Paul Holmer sharing that Kierkegaard attributed humankind's greatest illness not to ignorance, but to a lack of peace of mind. Much of Western thinking still seems to cast a heavy vote for the former and not for the latter. If one believes one's greatest illness is ignorance, one will spend lots of time discovering and gathering facts.

To hang a cabinet door, you need two hinges. Like a door, our faith hangs from two hinges: love of God and love of humanity. Jesus said:

" 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:37--40).

Confession And Forgiveness
P: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.

P: You shall not hate in your heart. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
C: We are guilty, O God, of creating burdens for others to bear. We are guilty, O God, of expecting others to do what we are unwilling to do. We do not practice what we preach. We set ourselves up as little gods. We have turned from you time and again. Humble our hearts, that we might be cleansed.

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Theme: Growing Up

Call To Worship
Leader: Like Joshua of old, we are full of the spirit of wisdom because of those who have gone before us.
People: We enter the millennium with delicately patterned heirlooms of attitude.
Leader: We come with a heritage of experience.
People: We bring the collected learning of science and medicine, of experiment and proof.
Leader: We come with the certainty of being the people of God.
All: We approach the future as the people of God.

Collect

In Susan Howatch's novel, Absolute Truths, the main character is a rather perfect man. Oh, to be sure, Charles Ashworth had his little peculiarities in his younger years and he needed the guidance of Jon Darrow to help him understand himself. But all in all he is a portrait of humanity at its best -- sound and sleek in body, steady in temperament, keen in intellect, faithful in relationships, and unwavering in morality. He is the consummate churchman. It is no accident of fate that has placed him in the high post of Bishop of Starbridge.

Good morning, boys and girls. This morning I brought with me a scary Halloween mask. I brought it because it reminds me of this morning's Bible story. The story is about being brave. This mask may or may not frighten some people. I'd like to ask you what things you are afraid of.

Teachers or Parents: Love is the fulfilling of the law says the Lord Jesus Christ. Keeping the commandments means nothing apart from the love of God. Some of the most hateful people can do an excellent job of keeping the Ten Commandments. Does that rule out the usefulness of the Commandments? Of course not!

Good morning! How many of you know some of the Ten Commandments? (Let them answer.) Let's see what the Ten Commandments are. (Read from the Ten Commandment list you have.)

One day a man tried to trick Jesus by asking him which commandment was the most important commandment. I'm curious -- which one of the commandments do you think is most important? (Let them answer.)