As many of you all probably know about me, I see Christian faith as something that people are actively called to. What I mean by that is to say we have work to do if we want to see the love of God in our lives.
During Advent we wait for the coming of Christ and give thanks for the gift of love he gave to us, but we should not look at this gift as a one-time-fits-all deal. The gift Jesus gave us was not a fish, rather he showed us how to fish, and that skill is something we need to perfect and master.
As a minister, one of the things I feel I need to remind people of again and again is that Jesus gifted us love so that we can be a gift of love for others.
This is the joy that we celebrate on the third Sunday of advent, the knowledge that if we keep passing this gift along there will be peace on earth.
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 is all about this type of blessing. God does not just make things work for us but calls us to follow the light of God, the light of Christ. The first chapter of Luke also talks about the power of this blessing, casting aside the corrupt and powerful and lifting up those who suffer. This Sunday we will be talking about how seeing the light of God in the world is a blessing, because seeing that light makes us better people.
Join us for worship live on Facebook Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on the United Church of Bakersfield and Fairfield Facebook page. The recorded version and past services are also available.
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