Send the Light

Following the Revised Common Lectionary for Advent & Christmastide Year B, this five week sermon series calls on God to once more send the Light to show us a way through danger, discord, and strife. The plea is simple, but it reverberates through 2000 years right up to the present day. The series intertwines the RCL scriptures with the classic Advent themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.

Week 1: “Send Hope”
Scripture: Mark 13:24-37
This apocalyptic text is often a strange fit for the first Sunday of Advent. The strong language of suffering and darkness can evoke fear or even revulsion. Yet the promise throughout this scripture is one of Christ’s return–not to punish us, but to save us. Jesus enjoins us to the spiritual practice of watchfulness, which does not ignore the pain of the world, but also recognizes the hope we have in God. We plead with God to send hope, knowing how much we need it; and we wait for the light to break.

Week 2: “Send Peace”
Scripture: John 1:6-8, 19-28 
During Advent we often dwell on the big promises of Christ, who did for us what no ordinary human could do. John the Baptist, on the other hand, shows us what is our domain. John dares to be the first one to speak about Christ’s coming. John puts his energy and his life toward’s Christ’s mission. John’s commitment to peace is not a gentle one, but a forceful one, calling on people to change their hearts and minds so that the Prince of Peace will find a straight road to walk on when he comes. John shows us that our prayers for peace must be accompanied by action and even risk.

Week 3: “Send Joy”
Scripture: Luke 1:46-55
The famous Magnificat, the song Mary sings as she comes to understand the miracle of the Christ-child, is rife with joy. The song begins with Mary’s own rejoicing in God. This joy is not superfluous or light-hearted; Mary’s joy comes from God’s strong, decisive power, shown in lifting up the lowly, hungry, and oppressed, while lowering the rich, haughty, and arrogant. The joy we are seeking at Christmas is not just the fun of presents and parties; we are asking God for the kind of joy that comes when everyone in our communities stands on level ground and rejoices together.

Week 4: “Send Love”
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
This week the lectionary takes us backwards, to the scene of the annunciation. The angel Gabriel visits Mary to announce that God is coming to earth as a human, born of a human woman, to be with God’s people in a way they can see and touch and recognize. Jesus is the very embodiment of God’s love–a love that is not content to stay away when we are in such need of it. At Christmas, we celebrate that God sends love, not just in theory, but in physical form as Jesus Christ.

Week 5: “Send the Light”
Scripture: Luke 2:21-38
For the Sunday after Christmas, the lectionary takes us forward to the presentation of Jesus in the temple. There, the Holy Spirit guides a meeting between the infant Christ and the aged Simeon, who at once sees the truth of who the child is. In a song of relief, Simeon names Jesus as “a light of revelation to the gentiles and glory to the people of Israel.” Simeon, who has waited so long for a savior for his people, somehow manages to see–and to be glad–that this Jesus has come for all people. We still pray to see the world by Jesus’ light–all in need of saving, and all worthy of it.

Ministry Resources

Send the Light Liturgy 

• Advent Wreath Candlelighting Liturgies (offered for $10 through the Presbyterian Oulook)
• Weekly Confessional Prayer
• Weekly Affirmations of Faith
• An Advent Communion Liturgy

Send the Light Graphic (editable Canva template)

• Facebook Cover Photo

Send the Light Devotional ($15 digital download)

• Send the Light Devotional Sample
• This simple Advent devotional provides a daily scripture reading and prompt for reflection, prayer, or action. It includes four full weeks of Advent, so that the devotional can be used any year. The devotionals can be printed as individual cards or as a traditional booklet. While they are full-color, they also feature abundant white space, to be mindful of the costs of color ink. If you are interested in purchasing a digital download of the devotional, please contact me directly.