Third Sunday in Advent, Year A

​“I believe complete joy is a deep groundedness, a solid sense of being upheld and supported, and a profound peace that encourages you to feel the pure, unhindered heights of life’s beauty. I think it looks like forgiveness and trust. I think it looks like ease and authenticity. I think it looks like relief. I realized that in the interest of protecting myself from my own pain, anger, and grief, that I’d actually stifled my ability to truly feel joy. I started painting this the day I decided to begin the journey to complete joy. I know it will be a long and difficult process, but I think it’s worth it.”
~ Lauren Wright Pittman, Artist
 
There are prophets amongst us. Speaking to us in darkness. Pointing to the light. There is a prophetic voice in you. It’s the anger we feel when we see suffereing. It’s the pain we feel when we, or someone else, is wronged. It’s the grief we feel when life is cut short. We know what full-life should look and feel like, and we want it for ourselves and others. This is a holy gift. God has also gifted us community and beauty and love. Responses to the darkness. Ways to overcome the darkness and bring us to life that is joyful and full for all.
 
Come worship God who bears us through the darkness and gifts us the way of love.[i]

Readings for Sunday: Isaiah 35:1-10 † Luke 1:39-56 † James 5:7-10 † Matthew 11:2-11

Enter into worship. Click on the video link below.​

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[i] Image by Pittman, Lauren Wright. Complete Joy, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57075 [retrieved December 8, 2022]. Original source: Lauren Wright Pittman, http://www.lewpstudio.com/. Used with permission.

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