In this second week of Advent we meet John the Baptist in the wilderness offering a new way for all people; the curious, the hopeful, the faithful, and those who have lost their way. This baptism is an invitation for change, growth and empowerment in our lives. How will we let the Holy Spirit work that growth in us? What is the hard exterior we need to let go to access the good fruit of God and allow a new way to be prepared in our world and in our lives?

Our First Week of Advent starts with us being asked to stay attentive to the surprising and unexpected ways God Shows up in our world. Advent happens in the darkest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and in that time we search for, anticipate, and wait for the light just around the corner to meet us at Christmas.

On Christ the King Sunday, we remember that Jesus' power is not like the power of earthly rulers. Earthly rulers seek revenge and Jesus offers forgiveness. Earthly rulers throw $20,000 per plate fundraisers and Jesus eats with sinners and throws the doors open to anyone. Earthly kings sit on thrones far away, Jesus is born in a manger and his throne is the cross. It's a backward beautiful kingdom indeed.

This week we celebrate all the saints that have gone before us and remember that there is a power even greater than the power of death that connects us. We remember our humanity and God's grace that is present for us in both the good times and the hard times. It's that love we receive from one another and from God in all parts of our life that continues to draw us in and reminds us to share the kingdom with all those we meet.

Happy Reformation Sunday! The week we celebrate Martin Luther's work to reform the Church and Society, pointing us toward God's grace through faith and not our own actions. Today we get a text of Jesus promising freedom by the truth of love and not anything we are able to accomplish on our own. Grace is a release from the spiral of sin and perfectionism we often find ourselves in if only we are able to admit that perfection is impossible.

Today we get stories of determination: the parable of the persistent widow and the story of Jacob wrestling God by the river. Their blessings come not from their skills or acumen, but because of their willingness to continue on with hope in the midst of hardship. We have a lot to learn from them and our own need to continue showing up in hope, in determination, and in community with one another in the midst of injustice in our world.

In today's sermon we hear the story of the 10 people cured of their skin disease who are made well while still on the way to show their cured state to the priests. It is a great act of hope... and points to showing up in faith even when we don't have everything figured out. Their healing happens while on their journey, and the one who returns in thanksgiving shows us what wholeness could look like for us.

This week we celebrate Saint Francis of Assisi and think about our relationship to creation, including our non-human companions on this earth. So often we find ourselves removed from our connection to creation, but this is not God's intent. Our beginning story in Genesis shows an intimate and interdependent relationship with creation, with God, and with each other. When we live with these symbiotic connections in mind, we live into the Kingdom of God, and God's original hope for us.