First Sunday of Advent
Luke 1:5-13
Pastor Eric Preaching
This Advent, we begin a journey through stories of stubborn hope in a year marked by war, division, and democracy under strain. Like those who first bore witness to the light Isaiah saw coming and John proclaimed arriving, we're invited to discover the light that's already rising, even when we can barely see.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, and we begin in the shadow of empire, in what Luke calls "the days of Herod." An elderly couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, have lived with barrenness for decades. They've remained faithful through unanswered prayers, but they've stopped expecting miracles. Then an angel appears with impossible news. Zechariah's doubt silences him for nine months. But Elizabeth speaks first, filled with the Holy Spirit, naming what God is doing in her body and in the world.
Their story reminds us that God specializes in impossible births, planting seeds of light in the darkest nights, choosing unlikely people to carry hope. Light is rising, even now. Will we notice?
Our Congregational Care Team will light the Candle of Hope. Additional scripture texts are Isaiah 2:1-5 and Romans 13:11-14.