One of my professors in graduate school, at an institution whose name does not begin with DUKE, grew up in Holland during World War II. When he came to American, he was amazed at the way Christians seemed to smile all the time. At first, he found it encouraging, a sign of encouragement offered to one another. In time, however, he began to wonder at all this smiling and the depth of its joy. He said, it was like a coat of fresh new paint on a cracked wall. Eventually the cracks come through again. This week, as we come to this third Sunday of Advent, we celebrate what our French brothers and sisters called Gaudete Sunday. The Sunday of Joy. We invite you to join us as we consider what joy means during difficult times and we remind ourselves of the words of John Wesley: “Best of all. God is with us.” We have 3 worship times: 8:30, 9:30, and 11:00. You can join us here, on Facebook, or at 11:00 on 97.9 FM, the Bear.
Pastor Tom Greener
Sunday Scripture
Isaiah 61:8-11
Psalm 126
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 19-28