In My Lifetime

"The Work of Christmas" Sunday, December 26, 2021, Christmas I, Sunshine Cathedral of Second Life

Please join us in the virtual world of Second Life each Sunday at 2pm Pacific/ 5pm Eastern time. Download the interface at Secondlife.com, create your avatar, and join us at Sunshine Cathedral.

Call to Worship

Sunshine Cathedral is a different kind of church where the past is past and the future has infinite possibilities!

This is the day our God has made.

            Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Opening Prayer

Eternal Spirit, we give you thanks for the birth of peace in the world again this Christmas. The joy we feel as we kneel at the manger is overwhelming. The love that blooms in our hearts flows out into the whole world. May we never let go of the hope this day brings to the world and may our lives unleash your goodness. Amen

CLICK HERE for Audio of Opening Prayer Christmas I 2021   

The Lessons

CLICK HERE for Audio of the Reading from Isaiah   

A Reading from Isaiah (9.2-7a)

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as [people] rejoice when dividing… plunder…
[Y]ou have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.
For all the boots of tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,  to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting [Parent], [Sovereign] of Peace.
[The people’s understanding of God’s] greatness will grow continually  and there will be endless peace… justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.

CLICK HERE for Audio of the Gospel According to John    

A Reading from the Gospel According to John (1:1-18)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a parent's only child, full of grace and truth. (John testified to this and cried out, "This was the one of whom I said, 'This one who comes after me ranks ahead of me because this one was before me.'") From this one’s fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through the Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Child, who is close to the Parent's heart, who has made God known.

Reflection by Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher

CLICK HERE for Audio of "The Work of Christmas"    

Merry Christmas! In the world, today is the day AFTER Christmas. But in the church today is the 2^nd day of the 12 days of Christmas and the first Sunday in Christmastide. So here we are, decked out, “Christmasing” our way through these last days of the year. When the world stops celebrating we are just beginning!

Each year at this time I renew my quest to really understand the true meaning of Christmas. In the Advent season we get the clues each week, hope, peace, joy, and love. But these are abstract concepts. I want to know how to make them real in my life. I want to know the true meaning of Christmas.

The easy way out is to look to the manger, to the child newborn, wrapped in strips of cloth and laying there in the hay for warmth. When we imagine this scene  our hearts fill with love, we see the adoring parents, the animals drawing near to the smell of something new that has come into their midst. It would be easy to Vew this scene, just as you see in the creche and say this is Christmas. Yet I want to know the true meaning of Christmas.

We can imagine ourselves as shepherds in the fields, watching our flocks, looking out on the beauty of the landscape in the night as the sky covers us with the blanket of stars spectacular in their light show against the night sky and then a cloud moves and we see for the first time the star of Bethlehem burning in the night sky. As shepherds we know the sky as we know each  of our sheep and when we see the magnificence of the star the excitement we feel runs through our body like electricity! Wonder fills our minds and joy fills our hearts. But I want to know the true meaning of Christmas.

In our reading from the Isaiah chapter 9 we read about the prophecy of a light coming into the darkness of the world, giving us hope. We read of boundless joy, of burdens lifted. We read of an end to war and a leader rising to teach us how to live in endless peace, how to live with justice and with righteousness… forever.

There are those in the Christian community who use this scripture to support their supersessionist belief that their faith supersedes all other faith traditions, making them irrelevant and in error. For my money this does NOT seem like a good start on bringing peace to the world, disrespecting all other faith traditions. Clearly this idea that the birth of Jesus renders all other faith traditions unworthy of respect cannot be the true meaning of Christmas.

What then? Is there nothing in the Christmas story that is relevant to our lives, in this pandemic weary world, in these last days of the year? What can we learn from these ancient tales that can give us hope, that can let us rest in peace, that will fill our hearts with joy, and make us overflow with love? You see, this year I want to know the true meaning of Christmas.

Maybe it’s all here and still coming into being. Maybe it’s like the ingredients of a recipe laying on the kitchen counter ready to make the meal. Yes that’s it! The ingredients are here for us but where is the recipe? How do we put it all together? Ah THIS is the true meaning of Christmas. It is left to us to make the meal to feed the hungry, up to us to make peace with ourselves and our neighbors, up to us to spread God’s love in the world. Warriors boots and blood soaked garments will not burn unless we throw them into the fire.

Christmasing is not just one day a year, one season a year. Christmasing is a way of life, one day at a time, every day of every year for all our lives. That is the magic of Christmas… not that everything is made right on one day but that we work every day to bring hope, peace, joy and love into being for ourselves, our family, our clan, and the whole world. We must combine the ingredients, we must do the work to make the meal that feeds the hungry.

Let us leave each other today with the words of the great Howard Thurman who said, “When the song of the angel is still, when the star in the sky is gone, when kings and princes are home, when the when the shepherds are back with their sheep, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among people, to make music in the heart.”   Amen.

For a list of music suggested to meditate on for this service click the link below:

Download SL20211226

Call to Worship

Sunshine Cathedral is a different kind of church where the past is past and the future has infinite possibilities!

This is the day our God has made.

            Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Opening Prayer

Eternal Spirit, we give you thanks for the birth of peace in the world again this Christmas. The joy we feel as we kneel at the manger is overwhelming. The love that blooms in our hearts flows out into the whole world. May we never let go of the hope this day brings to the world and may our lives unleash your goodness. Amen

CLICK HERE for Audio of Opening Prayer Christmas I 2021   

The Lessons

CLICK HERE for Audio of the Reading from Isaiah   

A Reading from Isaiah (9.2-7a)

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as [people] rejoice when dividing… plunder…
[Y]ou have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.
For all the boots of tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,  to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting [Parent], [Sovereign] of Peace.
[The people’s understanding of God’s] greatness will grow continually  and there will be endless peace… justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.

CLICK HERE for Audio of the Gospel According to John    

A Reading from the Gospel According to John (1:1-18)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a parent's only child, full of grace and truth. (John testified to this and cried out, "This was the one of whom I said, 'This one who comes after me ranks ahead of me because this one was before me.'") From this one’s fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through the Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Child, who is close to the Parent's heart, who has made God known.

Reflection by Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher

CLICK HERE for Audio of "The Work of Christmas"    

Merry Christmas! In the world, today is the day AFTER Christmas. But in the church today is the 2^nd day of the 12 days of Christmas and the first Sunday in Christmastide. So here we are, decked out, “Christmasing” our way through these last days of the year. When the world stops celebrating we are just beginning!

Each year at this time I renew my quest to really understand the true meaning of Christmas. In the Advent season we get the clues each week, hope, peace, joy, and love. But these are abstract concepts. I want to know how to make them real in my life. I want to know the true meaning of Christmas.

The easy way out is to look to the manger, to the child newborn, wrapped in strips of cloth and laying there in the hay for warmth. When we imagine this scene  our hearts fill with love, we see the adoring parents, the animals drawing near to the smell of something new that has come into their midst. It would be easy to Vew this scene, just as you see in the creche and say this is Christmas. Yet I want to know the true meaning of Christmas.

We can imagine ourselves as shepherds in the fields, watching our flocks, looking out on the beauty of the landscape in the night as the sky covers us with the blanket of stars spectacular in their light show against the night sky and then a cloud moves and we see for the first time the star of Bethlehem burning in the night sky. As shepherds we know the sky as we know each  of our sheep and when we see the magnificence of the star the excitement we feel runs through our body like electricity! Wonder fills our minds and joy fills our hearts. But I want to know the true meaning of Christmas.

In our reading from the Isaiah chapter 9 we read about the prophecy of a light coming into the darkness of the world, giving us hope. We read of boundless joy, of burdens lifted. We read of an end to war and a leader rising to teach us how to live in endless peace, how to live with justice and with righteousness… forever.

There are those in the Christian community who use this scripture to support their supersessionist belief that their faith supersedes all other faith traditions, making them irrelevant and in error. For my money this does NOT seem like a good start on bringing peace to the world, disrespecting all other faith traditions. Clearly this idea that the birth of Jesus renders all other faith traditions unworthy of respect cannot be the true meaning of Christmas.

What then? Is there nothing in the Christmas story that is relevant to our lives, in this pandemic weary world, in these last days of the year? What can we learn from these ancient tales that can give us hope, that can let us rest in peace, that will fill our hearts with joy, and make us overflow with love? You see, this year I want to know the true meaning of Christmas.

Maybe it’s all here and still coming into being. Maybe it’s like the ingredients of a recipe laying on the kitchen counter ready to make the meal. Yes that’s it! The ingredients are here for us but where is the recipe? How do we put it all together? Ah THIS is the true meaning of Christmas. It is left to us to make the meal to feed the hungry, up to us to make peace with ourselves and our neighbors, up to us to spread God’s love in the world. Warriors boots and blood soaked garments will not burn unless we throw them into the fire.

Christmasing is not just one day a year, one season a year. Christmasing is a way of life, one day at a time, every day of every year for all our lives. That is the magic of Christmas… not that everything is made right on one day but that we work every day to bring hope, peace, joy and love into being for ourselves, our family, our clan, and the whole world. We must combine the ingredients, we must do the work to make the meal that feeds the hungry.

Let us leave each other today with the words of the great Howard Thurman who said, “When the song of the angel is still, when the star in the sky is gone, when kings and princes are home, when the when the shepherds are back with their sheep, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among people, to make music in the heart.”   Amen.

For a list of music suggested to meditate on for this service click the link below:

Download SL20211226

"Season of Love" Sunday, December 19, 2021, Advent 4, Sunshine Cathedral of Second Life

Please join us in the virtual world of Second Life each Sunday at 2pm Pacific/ 5pm Eastern time. Download the interface at Secondlife.com, create your avatar, and join us at Sunshine Cathedral.

Call to Worship

CLICK HERE for Audio

Because too many people are wandering in the wilderness, because too many people are sitting in the valley of the shadow of death, because too many of our conversations are laced with conflict and rancor, we light candles…

Because people all over the world are suffering, and we’re too often distracted to notice, we light candles… 

Today we stop everything and light these candles: one for hope, one for peace, one for joy, and one for love… (Light the fourth candle in your Advent wreath.)

May the light from these candles overwhelm the world.

May the light from these candles illuminate the valley of the shadow of death.

May the light and fire from these candles burn away everything that is preventing God’s love from being born among us.

Friends, be not afraid, even now — even now — God’s love is overwhelming the world, on earth as it is in heaven!

https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2020/11/17/advent-candle-lighting-litanies

Opening Prayer

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy names. Amen.

The Lessons

CLICK HERE for Audio of the Readings    

The Wisdom of Blessed Oscar Wilde

Who, being loved, is poor?

The Wisdom of St. Mother Teresa

Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service. The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved. If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

CLICK HERE for Audio of the Gospel     

A Reading from Luke’s Gospel (1.39-46)

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country,where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord…”

Reflection by Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher

CLICK HERE for Audio of the Reflection "Season of Love" Advent 4 2021     

Today we arrive at the beginning of the final week in our journey to the manger. We have looked at the value of hope, the necessity of peace, the function of joy and logically we arrive at the reality of love in this final week of Advent. Today we’re going to look at what the word love means.

Love as a noun includes these meanings:

• strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties. (e.g. maternal love for a child)

• affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests. (e.g. love for his old schoolmates)

• unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: such as

o the parental concern of God for humankind

o familial concern for humankind

• a person's adoration of God

• capitalized,  GOD

So without even considering the word love as a verb we have a LOT to think about when we consider the question, “What is love?” I think it’s important to look at this question in the context of the entire Advent season. There’s a reason why the Sundays in the Advent season have specific themes attached to them, specific themes in a specific order.

The theme for Advent 1 is Hope. I think we can all agree that if we are living in despair we have triggered our evolutionary survival behaviors. We are hard wired to do anything and everything we can do to survive. That means our concern for others becomes secondary to our own survival. And in extreme cases of despair we can even become convinced that living is not worthwhile. Hope is absolutely essential to our ability to be empathetic to others. So hope and our ability to feel empathy for others is really a necessary component of our ability to feel and express love for others, for ourselves, for the planet, and for God.

Even if we have hope for the future we also need peace of mind and the theme of peace for Advent 2 builds on the presence of hope. Even if we have hope for the future we also need peace of mind so that we can let go and let God work in our lives. This requires us to quiet our minds, quiet our spirits, and make space to listen for the still small voice of God speaking to us through other people and in the Holy Spirit’s voice within. It is very difficult to hear the still small voice when the noise that results from a deficit of peace in our hearts prevails. So achieving the will to welcome and work for peace of mind is such an important part of our journey.

Last week we had the theme of joy for Advent 3. At first look it may seem like joy is the result of hope, peace and love. But in fact, joy is a contingent element in love. Have you ever been really angry with your partner and tried to get in touch with the love you know you have for them? I contend that unless we can find some measure of joy we are incapable of truly experiencing love for humanity. Anger blocks love, lethargy makes us indifferent to taking action that mobilizes love in the world.

Love is not a passive emotion that comes and overwhelms us from a source outside ourselves. Love can be experienced as a feeling or emotion that is the result of hope, peace, and joy. But at the end of the day, love is not just a feeling. Love is evidenced by the action we take in relation to our fellow humans, creatures, the earth… all of creation.

In our reading from Mother Teresa we heard, “Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service. The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved. If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

Let’s just be really clear and honest with ourselves.

We don’t need to judge people when we live in hope.

We don’t need to judge people when we have peace of mind and spirit.

We don’t need to judge people when we are capable of really experiencing joy.

So let’s add one more reading to our service today, what I believe is a definitive reading on the topic of love, found in 1 Corinthians 13, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Perhaps the best definition of love as an emotion is what we feel when we look into the face of a newborn baby. That is what Christmas reminds us of… the love that wells up inside us when we encounter the vulnerability, the hope, the peace, the joy of a newborn baby. As we enter this last week of Advent let us cultivate the ingredients that motivate us to take the action of love that makes a difference in the lives of people in the world. Let this be our meditation as we spend these last days leading to Christmas Eve.

May we all welcome the birth of love in the form of a tiny human newborn baby. My prayer and gift offered for each and every one of you this week is that you experience these things.

• “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” – Emily Dickinson

• “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” - Saint Francis de Sales

• “Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow.” —Helen Keller

These are my gifts to you in this season. May the blessing of God rest upon you and upon all those whom you love. Amen.

For a list of music suggested to meditate on for this service click the link below:

Download SL20211219

Call to Worship

CLICK HERE for Audio

Because too many people are wandering in the wilderness, because too many people are sitting in the valley of the shadow of death, because too many of our conversations are laced with conflict and rancor, we light candles…

Because people all over the world are suffering, and we’re too often distracted to notice, we light candles… 

Today we stop everything and light these candles: one for hope, one for peace, one for joy, and one for love… (Light the fourth candle in your Advent wreath.)

May the light from these candles overwhelm the world.

May the light from these candles illuminate the valley of the shadow of death.

May the light and fire from these candles burn away everything that is preventing God’s love from being born among us.

Friends, be not afraid, even now — even now — God’s love is overwhelming the world, on earth as it is in heaven!

https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2020/11/17/advent-candle-lighting-litanies

Opening Prayer

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy names. Amen.

The Lessons

CLICK HERE for Audio of the Readings    

The Wisdom of Blessed Oscar Wilde

Who, being loved, is poor?

The Wisdom of St. Mother Teresa

Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service. The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved. If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

CLICK HERE for Audio of the Gospel     

A Reading from Luke’s Gospel (1.39-46)

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country,where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord…”

Reflection by Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher

CLICK HERE for Audio of the Reflection "Season of Love" Advent 4 2021     

Today we arrive at the beginning of the final week in our journey to the manger. We have looked at the value of hope, the necessity of peace, the function of joy and logically we arrive at the reality of love in this final week of Advent. Today we’re going to look at what the word love means.

Love as a noun includes these meanings:

• strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties. (e.g. maternal love for a child)

• affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests. (e.g. love for his old schoolmates)

• unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: such as

o the parental concern of God for humankind

o familial concern for humankind

• a person's adoration of God

• capitalized,  GOD

So without even considering the word love as a verb we have a LOT to think about when we consider the question, “What is love?” I think it’s important to look at this question in the context of the entire Advent season. There’s a reason why the Sundays in the Advent season have specific themes attached to them, specific themes in a specific order.

The theme for Advent 1 is Hope. I think we can all agree that if we are living in despair we have triggered our evolutionary survival behaviors. We are hard wired to do anything and everything we can do to survive. That means our concern for others becomes secondary to our own survival. And in extreme cases of despair we can even become convinced that living is not worthwhile. Hope is absolutely essential to our ability to be empathetic to others. So hope and our ability to feel empathy for others is really a necessary component of our ability to feel and express love for others, for ourselves, for the planet, and for God.

Even if we have hope for the future we also need peace of mind and the theme of peace for Advent 2 builds on the presence of hope. Even if we have hope for the future we also need peace of mind so that we can let go and let God work in our lives. This requires us to quiet our minds, quiet our spirits, and make space to listen for the still small voice of God speaking to us through other people and in the Holy Spirit’s voice within. It is very difficult to hear the still small voice when the noise that results from a deficit of peace in our hearts prevails. So achieving the will to welcome and work for peace of mind is such an important part of our journey.

Last week we had the theme of joy for Advent 3. At first look it may seem like joy is the result of hope, peace and love. But in fact, joy is a contingent element in love. Have you ever been really angry with your partner and tried to get in touch with the love you know you have for them? I contend that unless we can find some measure of joy we are incapable of truly experiencing love for humanity. Anger blocks love, lethargy makes us indifferent to taking action that mobilizes love in the world.

Love is not a passive emotion that comes and overwhelms us from a source outside ourselves. Love can be experienced as a feeling or emotion that is the result of hope, peace, and joy. But at the end of the day, love is not just a feeling. Love is evidenced by the action we take in relation to our fellow humans, creatures, the earth… all of creation.

In our reading from Mother Teresa we heard, “Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service. The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved. If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

Let’s just be really clear and honest with ourselves.

We don’t need to judge people when we live in hope.

We don’t need to judge people when we have peace of mind and spirit.

We don’t need to judge people when we are capable of really experiencing joy.

So let’s add one more reading to our service today, what I believe is a definitive reading on the topic of love, found in 1 Corinthians 13, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Perhaps the best definition of love as an emotion is what we feel when we look into the face of a newborn baby. That is what Christmas reminds us of… the love that wells up inside us when we encounter the vulnerability, the hope, the peace, the joy of a newborn baby. As we enter this last week of Advent let us cultivate the ingredients that motivate us to take the action of love that makes a difference in the lives of people in the world. Let this be our meditation as we spend these last days leading to Christmas Eve.

May we all welcome the birth of love in the form of a tiny human newborn baby. My prayer and gift offered for each and every one of you this week is that you experience these things.

• “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” – Emily Dickinson

• “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” - Saint Francis de Sales

• “Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow.” —Helen Keller

These are my gifts to you in this season. May the blessing of God rest upon you and upon all those whom you love. Amen.

For a list of music suggested to meditate on for this service click the link below:

Download SL20211219

"Joy is on the Way" Sunday, December 12, 2021, Advent 3, Sunshine Cathedral of Second Life

Please join us in the virtual world of Second Life each Sunday at 2pm Pacific/ 5pm Eastern time. Download the interface at Secondlife.com, create your avatar, and join us at Sunshine Cathedral.

Call to Worship

Click Here for Audio Advent 3 - Joy 2021

When I look around, I see shadows of sadness, families who have lost loved ones [in the tornados this weekend], people in prison, people who are isolated and feel on their own…

When I look around, I see shadows of grief, people dreading the holidays because of painful memories, because they're recently divorced, [because they have lost loved ones,] because they don't want to spend another Christmas alone… 

In the face of sadness, we light a candle of joy...

In the face of grief, in the face of loss, we light a candle of joy... (Light the third candle in your Advent wreath.)

May the light from this candle overwhelm the world.

May the light from this candle say to all that God’s joy is coming, on earth as it already is in heaven.

Friends, be not afraid, God’s joy is at hand!

https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2020/11/17/advent-candle-lighting-litanies

Opening Prayer

Click Here for Audio of  Opening Prayer  

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy names. Amen.

The Lessons

Click Here for Audio Readings

From the Prophet Isaiah (12.3)

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

The Wisdom of the Psalter (30.5)

Misfortune lasts for only a moment,
    while divine goodwill endures for a lifetime.
Weeping may last throughout the night, 
    but at daybreak there is rejoicing.

Words of the Apostle Paul (Philippians 4.4)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

CLICK Here for Audio Gospel 

A Reading from Luke’s Gospel (3.10-16)

The crowds asked John the baptizer, "What should we do?"
In reply John said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"
He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."

Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming…He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.

Reflection by Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher

CLICK HERE for Audio of "Joy Is On The Way"    

Joy is on the Way

It’s hard to believe we’ve arrived at the third Sunday of Advent. We’re now past the halfway point in our journey to Christmas. Just two weeks from today we will gather for our Christmas I Sunday service. All the hustle and bustle will be subsiding, all of the presents will be opened and most of the family visits and meals done. But today we feel the the mounting excitement of all that is to come in the next two weeks.

Advent 3 is the Sunday we celebrate joy. This is a hard thing as we review the past week, the rising numbers of CoVid… again, the news of devastating tornados in the US over this weekend, troop build ups on the border of Russia and Ukraine, and refugees on the border of Poland, the US, and other countries around the world. And yet here we are, on the edge of Christmas when we sing Joy to the World.

In Advent we live in a liminal space between the now and what will be. We wait and we look forward to the happy day when hope, peace, joy, and love are born anew in the world, for that day when the world pauses in its violence and anxiety to sing Silent Night together. Christmas is a time to spiritually rest, to renew our spirits, and to consider what a world that truly celebrates Christmas all year round could be like.

And when we get just a glimpse of what the world could be – unified, aware that we are all one family – the joy that fills our hearts is overwhelming. That is what Advent 3 is all about, contemplating the feeling of joy that we all can have when we awaken to the reality that we are all one human family, one beloved tribe.

What would it take to bring this concept, this idea to reality? Imagination. That is it. No complicated psychology, no international political science. Just the human imagination focused on the fact that we are all children of the One Parent who created us in her image, created us to love all of his creation.

It is no coincidence that hope, peace, and joy are the first three candles on our Advent wreath. These are the building blocks of love. Hope wipes away despair, peace conquers anxiety, and joy fills our hearts with laughter and forgiveness. This is the road to love, the love of Christ that fills us with compassion and calls us to be what we were made to be – kind, caring, empathetic, people who understand that hate is always overcome by love just as light obliterates the darkness.

In these last two weeks of our Advent journey let us open our hearts to the joy that is around us even as we pray for those who are grieving and experiencing pain. Let us remember that joy comes to us in supporting those who have a particularly difficult time at the holidays. Our joy need not trample on the emotions of another because we can channel our joy into being present to those who need us, lending a hand, offering to listen, sometimes just sitting quietly together.

Let us open our hearts to one another. Let hope and peace and joy overflow within us as our hearts fill with compassion for the world. When we embrace the joy of the season we, too can sing out the words of Mary the mother of Jesus, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior …” Amen

For a list of music suggested to meditate on for this service click the link below:

Download SL20211212

Call to Worship

Click Here for Audio Advent 3 - Joy 2021

When I look around, I see shadows of sadness, families who have lost loved ones [in the tornados this weekend], people in prison, people who are isolated and feel on their own…

When I look around, I see shadows of grief, people dreading the holidays because of painful memories, because they're recently divorced, [because they have lost loved ones,] because they don't want to spend another Christmas alone… 

In the face of sadness, we light a candle of joy...

In the face of grief, in the face of loss, we light a candle of joy... (Light the third candle in your Advent wreath.)

May the light from this candle overwhelm the world.

May the light from this candle say to all that God’s joy is coming, on earth as it already is in heaven.

Friends, be not afraid, God’s joy is at hand!

https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2020/11/17/advent-candle-lighting-litanies

Opening Prayer

Click Here for Audio of  Opening Prayer  

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy names. Amen.

The Lessons

Click Here for Audio Readings

From the Prophet Isaiah (12.3)

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

The Wisdom of the Psalter (30.5)

Misfortune lasts for only a moment,
    while divine goodwill endures for a lifetime.
Weeping may last throughout the night, 
    but at daybreak there is rejoicing.

Words of the Apostle Paul (Philippians 4.4)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

CLICK Here for Audio Gospel 

A Reading from Luke’s Gospel (3.10-16)

The crowds asked John the baptizer, "What should we do?"
In reply John said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"
He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."

Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming…He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.

Reflection by Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher

CLICK HERE for Audio of "Joy Is On The Way"    

Joy is on the Way

It’s hard to believe we’ve arrived at the third Sunday of Advent. We’re now past the halfway point in our journey to Christmas. Just two weeks from today we will gather for our Christmas I Sunday service. All the hustle and bustle will be subsiding, all of the presents will be opened and most of the family visits and meals done. But today we feel the the mounting excitement of all that is to come in the next two weeks.

Advent 3 is the Sunday we celebrate joy. This is a hard thing as we review the past week, the rising numbers of CoVid… again, the news of devastating tornados in the US over this weekend, troop build ups on the border of Russia and Ukraine, and refugees on the border of Poland, the US, and other countries around the world. And yet here we are, on the edge of Christmas when we sing Joy to the World.

In Advent we live in a liminal space between the now and what will be. We wait and we look forward to the happy day when hope, peace, joy, and love are born anew in the world, for that day when the world pauses in its violence and anxiety to sing Silent Night together. Christmas is a time to spiritually rest, to renew our spirits, and to consider what a world that truly celebrates Christmas all year round could be like.

And when we get just a glimpse of what the world could be – unified, aware that we are all one family – the joy that fills our hearts is overwhelming. That is what Advent 3 is all about, contemplating the feeling of joy that we all can have when we awaken to the reality that we are all one human family, one beloved tribe.

What would it take to bring this concept, this idea to reality? Imagination. That is it. No complicated psychology, no international political science. Just the human imagination focused on the fact that we are all children of the One Parent who created us in her image, created us to love all of his creation.

It is no coincidence that hope, peace, and joy are the first three candles on our Advent wreath. These are the building blocks of love. Hope wipes away despair, peace conquers anxiety, and joy fills our hearts with laughter and forgiveness. This is the road to love, the love of Christ that fills us with compassion and calls us to be what we were made to be – kind, caring, empathetic, people who understand that hate is always overcome by love just as light obliterates the darkness.

In these last two weeks of our Advent journey let us open our hearts to the joy that is around us even as we pray for those who are grieving and experiencing pain. Let us remember that joy comes to us in supporting those who have a particularly difficult time at the holidays. Our joy need not trample on the emotions of another because we can channel our joy into being present to those who need us, lending a hand, offering to listen, sometimes just sitting quietly together.

Let us open our hearts to one another. Let hope and peace and joy overflow within us as our hearts fill with compassion for the world. When we embrace the joy of the season we, too can sing out the words of Mary the mother of Jesus, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior …” Amen

For a list of music suggested to meditate on for this service click the link below:

Download SL20211212

"Righteous Peace" Sunday, December 5, 2021, Advent 2, Sunshine Cathedral of Second Life

Please join us in the virtual world of Second Life each Sunday at 2pm Pacific/ 5pm Eastern time. Download the interface at Secondlife.com, create your avatar, and join us at Sunshine Cathedral.

Call to Worship

Click Here for Audio Advent 2 Peace

Advent 2 Candle Lighting

The first Sunday of the month is our regular Sunday for Communion. But during Lent and Advent we forego Communion Sunday until the anticipated festival, which is Christmas I on December 26. As we move into the new year 2022 we will have our communion services on the last Sunday in each month.

Today is the second Sunday in Advent, the candle of Peace…

Because of war, because of violence in our communities, because there is still so much unrest in our hearts, we light a candle of peace...

Because hatred is still so strong, because so many swords have not yet been beaten into ploughshares, we light a candle of peace…  

May the light from this candle overwhelm the world.

May the light from this candle say to all that God’s peace is coming, on earth as it already is in heaven.

Friends, be not afraid, God’s peace is at hand!

https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2020/11/17/advent-candle-lighting-litanies

Opening Prayer

Click Here for Audio of  Opening Prayer  

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy names. Amen.

The Lessons

Click Here for Audio of First Reading    

From the Writings of Baruch (5.1-4)

Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem, 

and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God.
Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God; 

put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting;
for God will show your splendor everywhere under heaven.
For God will give you evermore the name, "Righteous Peace, Godly Glory."

Click Here for Audio of  Gospel   

A Reading from Luke’s Gospel (3.1-6)

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

John went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance…,
as it is written in the book of Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths clear. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Reflection by Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher

Click Here for Audio of Advent 2 Reflection "Righteous Peace"

This is the second Sunday in Advent, the Sunday with the theme – Peace. When we lit our Advent candle today our reading for that candle mirrored our gospel reading. So often when the think of peace we first focus on that which hinders peace.

In our candle lighting we called to mind violence, war, and hatred. In our gospel reading we find a quote from Isaiah the prophet that described peace as filling every valley and smoothing out the mountains so that the way is smooth. In both of these readings we might get the impression that whatever is outside us must be calmed and smoothed and soothed before we can experience peace.

We must remember that much of how the world works and many of the passages in our sacred texts are rooted in dualism. For instance, in Romans 8:6 we read, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Here at Sunshine Cathedral we do not believe that we must set aside our humanness, our bodies, our sexuality in order to be righteous. We believe that human beings are made in the image of God and that our bodies are not in constant conflict with our spirits.

So our reading from Baruch reflects this wholistic view of what it means to be human but gives us some valuable guidance on what we can do to realize peace.

First we are instructed to, “Take off the garment of [our] sorrow and affliction…” We are not required to prove that we are compassionate and concerned about those who are oppressed and in need in this world by wallowing in despair. We can let go of sorrow when we grieve and we can embrace healing as it seeps into our lives. So our first act in achieving peace is to “Let Go, and Let God” when it comes to things that are out of our control. We are not required to perseverate on sadness, sorrow and pain to prove we are good people, to prove that we love God and the family of humanity.

Secondly we are instructed to take positive action, “… put on forever the beauty of the glory from God. Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God…” This image of taking off one garment and putting on another garment is a beautiful way of describing how our internal spirit is completely integrated and connected to our human body. So what does it mean to put on a robe of righteousness. Well I think it means that we are to focus our minds on what it means to be righteous.

When we look up the word righteous in the dictionary we see synonyms like ethical, decent, just, and honorable. These words describe how we treat ourselves and how we treat others. And most of you know from doing your own therapy and self-reflection that how we treat ourselves is ultimately how we treat others.

• When we judge ourselves harshly we will inevitably judge others harshly.
• When we expect perfection of ourselves, we will expect perfection from others and we will be disappointed.
• When we disrespect our own bodies we will disrespect the humanity of another.
• When we act justly toward ourselves, we are likely to act justly toward others.

One of the most flawed people I ever knew in my life taught me one of the most important lessons of life, “Treat yourself as you would treat your very best friend.” You would forgive your best friend for falling short, for losing her temper, for being stressed out to the point of despair. And if we say to ourselves the same thing we might say to our very best friend we begin to live into what it means to be righteous.

Finally, we take the actions of removing the robe of affliction and putting on the robe of righteousness, our scripture says that God will put upon our heads (into our minds) “… the diadem of glory of the Everlasting.” We will no longer be known as someone who makes themselves a martyr to our own shortcomings and to the evils of the world. Instead we will be known by the name, “Righteous Peace, Godly Glory." People with whom we interact will know that we are centered in God’s peace not in the anxiety and stress of the evil in the world.

Now none of this means that we should segregate ourselves from reality. Perhaps we ought to limit how much news and bad news media we consume. But we still need to know what is going on the world. Keeping our mind on God does not mean that we ignore science and injustice. In fact, keeping our minds on God and living in peace means that we do everything we can to work for justice and to keep ourselves safe from CoVid and from other kinds of illness.

Our peace of mind is not divorced from our health or our mental attitudes. We are not at the mercy of circumstances. There are actions we can take to help us attain peace. On this Sunday of Peace in our Advent season let me leave you with this from Romans 14:19, “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” When we become more peaceful that “rubs off” on those we meet. Peace spreads from one person to another even more easily than hatred and fear.

Let us focus on what we can do by treating others with respect even when they may not be acting in a respectful way, let us open our hearts to hope, let us allow ourselves to love unconditionally. This is the path to peace.

Let us pray,

God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,

Courage to change the things we can,

And the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.

For a list of music suggested to meditate on for this service click the link below:

Download SL20211205

Call to Worship

"Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled" Sunday, November 28 , 2021,Advent 1, Sunshine Cathedral of Second Life

Please join us in the virtual world of Second Life each Sunday at 2pm Pacific/ 5pm Eastern time. Download the interface at Secondlife.com, create your avatar, and join us at Sunshine Cathedral.

Call to Worship

Click here for Audio of Advent 1 Candle Lighting

Advent 1 Candle Lighting

Today begins our journey through Advent to Christmas morning when we see the face of God in the baby Jesus lying in a manger. Our journey is one that restores our faith in humanity and sets aside the anxiety of the year past as we turn to face the future in expectant hope of peace, love and the return on joy to our lives. And yet we must confront the realities of this world.

When [we] look around, [we]  see shadows of hunger. Particularly in this time of pandemic, so many neighbors, nearby and around the world, will go to bed hungry tonight…

When[we] look around, [we]  see shadows of injustice, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer — and someone somewhere will fall asleep under a bridge tonight…

In the face of hunger, we light a candle of hope…

In the face of injustice, in the face of despair, we light a candle of hope… (Light the first candle in the Advent wreath.)

Let the light from this candle say to all that God’s hope is coming, on earth as it already is in heaven.

Friends, be not afraid, God’s hope is at hand!

https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2020/11/17/advent-candle-lighting-litanies

Opening Prayer

Click Here for Audio of  Opening Prayer   

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy names. Amen.

The Lessons

Click Here for Audio of First Reading    

The Prophet Jerimiah (29.11-14a)

I (your God) know full well the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not for your misfortune, plans that will offer you a future filled with hope.

When you call out to me and come forth and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you search for me, you will find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will allow you to discover me, says the sovereign God. 

Click Here for Audio of Gospel Reading     

A Reading from the Fourth Gospel (14.1-6, 11-12, 27)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You place your trust in God. 
Trust also in me.

In my Family home there are many rooms.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself,
so that where I am, you may also be.
You know the way to the place I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

Jesus replied, “I am the way…”

Believe me when I say
that I am in God
and God is in me.
But if you do not,
then believe
because of the works themselves.

“Amen, amen, I say to you,
the one who believes in me
will also do the works that I do,
and indeed will do even greater ones than these…

“Peace I leave with you,
my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives
do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled;
be not afraid.

Reflection by Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher

Click Here for Audio of Reflection for Advent 1 "Let Not Your Hearts Be Trouble"    

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled: A Message of Hope 

“Lord, we do not know where we are going. How can we know the way?” On this first Sunday of Advent this statement has never been more true. As we come to the second year of the beginning of Advent with the world still in the throes of a global pandemic all any of us want to know is where we are going. We have lived in anxiety now for nearly 2 years.

The words of the prophet Jeremiah are a healing balm for our soul. The words sound like they were sent to us on this day thousands of years later… “I (your God) know full well the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not for your misfortune, plans that will offer you a future filled with hope.”

Hope is what we want. Hope is what we need. Hope is what we seek. We need to hope that one day CoVid will not dominate our lives. We need to hang on to hope that democracies will survive and thrive. We hope and work for a day when  the basic human needs of all God’s children are met… clean water, food, clothing, shelter, and work that gives our lives meaning and provides for the needs of our family.

Jesus reminds us to trust in a power greater than ourselves. His words assure us that he and others have traveled roads filled with dread, regret, and fear and that he knows our anxiety. We are assured that God is ever preparing for goodness for us. But even for me these ancient words cannot sooth my dread or assuage my fear. There are days when I think, “How much more can we take before we break. There are days when I do not have the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual strength to go looking for God.

And it is invariably on those days that I am reminded that God is always looking for me, always reaching out to me. God is not waiting for me to come and pay homage as if God had the petty mind of a human king. Instead God is actively seeking us, always looking for us and always looking out for our well-being.

Does that mean that when something bad happenes in our lives that we’ve done something wrong or that God has deserted us? No! Life happens. There is randomness in the chaos of life. But when there are disappointments, or pain, or fear, or even death God is there with us. God is ever near to us. And God seeks us out when we do not have the strength to raise our hands to ask for help.

All we have to do is be open to God’s presence, be open to God’s grace. It often comes to us through the kindness of other people. Sometimes through the love of animals. And always in the sacred assurance that we are never left to face any difficulty alone because God is our comforter, our ever present need in times of trial.

As we move into this Advent season once again, traveling the road toa Christmas morning, actively waiting for the miracle of love to once again descend on the earth I say to you the words of Jesus, “Let not your hearts be troubled” Believe that your Eternal Parent is always near and ready to support us even in times of trial. None of us knows what the New Year will bring. But one thing we do know, that we will be here for each other. This community of faith provides hope to those who come here and that hope extends to the whole world.

Because as the psalmist says (Psalm 139),

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

Let us pray,

We thank you for the gift of hope this Advent season. Fill us with the confidence that comes with a deep faith in your love. Help us trust your unwavering presence. Bless our waiting. Make it Holy. Bless our anticipation of Christmas in this holy season. Amen.

For a list of music suggested to meditate on for this service click the link below:

Download SL20211128

Call to Worship

Click here for Audio of Advent 1 Candle Lighting

Advent 1 Candle Lighting

Today begins our journey through Advent to Christmas morning when we see the face of God in the baby Jesus lying in a manger. Our journey is one that restores our faith in humanity and sets aside the anxiety of the year past as we turn to face the future in expectant hope of peace, love and the return on joy to our lives. And yet we must confront the realities of this world.

When [we] look around, [we]  see shadows of hunger. Particularly in this time of pandemic, so many neighbors, nearby and around the world, will go to bed hungry tonight…

When[we] look around, [we]  see shadows of injustice, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer — and someone somewhere will fall asleep under a bridge tonight…

In the face of hunger, we light a candle of hope…

In the face of injustice, in the face of despair, we light a candle of hope… (Light the first candle in the Advent wreath.)

Let the light from this candle say to all that God’s hope is coming, on earth as it already is in heaven.

Friends, be not afraid, God’s hope is at hand!

https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2020/11/17/advent-candle-lighting-litanies

Opening Prayer

Click Here for Audio of  Opening Prayer   

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy names. Amen.

The Lessons

Click Here for Audio of First Reading    

The Prophet Jerimiah (29.11-14a)

I (your God) know full well the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not for your misfortune, plans that will offer you a future filled with hope.

When you call out to me and come forth and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you search for me, you will find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will allow you to discover me, says the sovereign God. 

Click Here for Audio of Gospel Reading     

A Reading from the Fourth Gospel (14.1-6, 11-12, 27)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You place your trust in God. 
Trust also in me.

In my Family home there are many rooms.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself,
so that where I am, you may also be.
You know the way to the place I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

Jesus replied, “I am the way…”

Believe me when I say
that I am in God
and God is in me.
But if you do not,
then believe
because of the works themselves.

“Amen, amen, I say to you,
the one who believes in me
will also do the works that I do,
and indeed will do even greater ones than these…

“Peace I leave with you,
my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives
do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled;
be not afraid.

Reflection by Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher

Click Here for Audio of Reflection for Advent 1 "Let Not Your Hearts Be Trouble"    

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled: A Message of Hope 

“Lord, we do not know where we are going. How can we know the way?” On this first Sunday of Advent this statement has never been more true. As we come to the second year of the beginning of Advent with the world still in the throes of a global pandemic all any of us want to know is where we are going. We have lived in anxiety now for nearly 2 years.

The words of the prophet Jeremiah are a healing balm for our soul. The words sound like they were sent to us on this day thousands of years later… “I (your God) know full well the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not for your misfortune, plans that will offer you a future filled with hope.”

Hope is what we want. Hope is what we need. Hope is what we seek. We need to hope that one day CoVid will not dominate our lives. We need to hang on to hope that democracies will survive and thrive. We hope and work for a day when  the basic human needs of all God’s children are met… clean water, food, clothing, shelter, and work that gives our lives meaning and provides for the needs of our family.

Jesus reminds us to trust in a power greater than ourselves. His words assure us that he and others have traveled roads filled with dread, regret, and fear and that he knows our anxiety. We are assured that God is ever preparing for goodness for us. But even for me these ancient words cannot sooth my dread or assuage my fear. There are days when I think, “How much more can we take before we break. There are days when I do not have the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual strength to go looking for God.

And it is invariably on those days that I am reminded that God is always looking for me, always reaching out to me. God is not waiting for me to come and pay homage as if God had the petty mind of a human king. Instead God is actively seeking us, always looking for us and always looking out for our well-being.

Does that mean that when something bad happenes in our lives that we’ve done something wrong or that God has deserted us? No! Life happens. There is randomness in the chaos of life. But when there are disappointments, or pain, or fear, or even death God is there with us. God is ever near to us. And God seeks us out when we do not have the strength to raise our hands to ask for help.

All we have to do is be open to God’s presence, be open to God’s grace. It often comes to us through the kindness of other people. Sometimes through the love of animals. And always in the sacred assurance that we are never left to face any difficulty alone because God is our comforter, our ever present need in times of trial.

As we move into this Advent season once again, traveling the road toa Christmas morning, actively waiting for the miracle of love to once again descend on the earth I say to you the words of Jesus, “Let not your hearts be troubled” Believe that your Eternal Parent is always near and ready to support us even in times of trial. None of us knows what the New Year will bring. But one thing we do know, that we will be here for each other. This community of faith provides hope to those who come here and that hope extends to the whole world.

Because as the psalmist says (Psalm 139),

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

Let us pray,

We thank you for the gift of hope this Advent season. Fill us with the confidence that comes with a deep faith in your love. Help us trust your unwavering presence. Bless our waiting. Make it Holy. Bless our anticipation of Christmas in this holy season. Amen.

For a list of music suggested to meditate on for this service click the link below:

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