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New Testament Lesson—Luke 1: 39-55
The Harvard preacher Peter Gomes once said that a lot Protestants have trouble with Mary because they think she’s Catholic. He tells a story about a dean at a Protestant Cathedral who gives Mary very little of his time, and so when he eventually goes to heaven, Jesus greets him saying, “Ah, Mr. Dean, welcome to heaven; I know you have met my Father, but I don’t believe you know my Mother.” Well, this Sunday I thought we Protestants should try to get to know Jesus’ mother, especially in relation to Jesus’ birth, so this morning I have for you Three Reasons to Have a Mary Christmas!
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Hebrew Scripture Reading– Jeremiah 33:10-16
Arlo Gutherie is the son of Woody Gutherie and a highly regarded folk singer in his own right. After 9-11, he recalls how he “didn’t feel like playing.” He didn’t want sing, but then he realized that there were others who were counting on him and counting on musicians everywhere to keep a sense of hope alive through their song. At every show now, Gutherie says to the audience, “Somewhere somebody’s ducking for cover. Somewhere somebody’s shooting at somebody that’s hiding in a hole, hoping that somewhere in the world somebody’s singing, somebody’s playing, and life is worth living.” There is a sense in which folk singers, and perhaps, musicians in general, serve as our designated contrarians. When us average folk are feeling miserable about the state of the world, we rely on them to present us with a contrary perspective and feeling, so that our spirits might be lifted up.
“Fast for the Children” is a 24-hour fast to call for a state budget in Washington that feeds our children. Join us for fasting from sundown on February 19th to sundown on February 20th. These are the key child hunger issues that will be considered in deliberations over the state’s budget in 2013: