Holy Textures is a spot for my musings on the various Biblical texts that come our way through the Revised Common Lectionary.
My goal is to provide timely, short, easy to use and thought-provoking background commentary for your sermon or bible study preparation.
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Everyone involved in worship leadership and support needs to do some serious advance planning with family and friends because Christmas Day and New Year's Day both fall on Sunday.
Year B - Seasons of Advent & Christmas - 2011
Advent 1
November 27, 2011
Mark 13:24-37.
"The lesson for Advent is still: Stay awake. Be alert. Live in expectation. Live now as you will when the Son of Man does return."
Sermon: "A Cry of Absence."
Advent 2
December 4, 2011
Mark 1:1-8.
"Unlike us, John the Baptizer is a wild and woolly character. But like us, he lives to point people to one who is greater than himself. John is the first Christian in the sense that he is the first who gives witness to Jesus."
Sermon: "A Cry of Peace."
Advent 3
December 11, 2011
John 1:6-8, 19-28.
"This Advent season is a time for us to wake up and see the light. It is time for us to do what is our work: to prepare the soil of our souls, so that the seed of God’s word can take root in us and put down deep and strong roots."
Sermon: "A Cry of Joy."
Advent 4
December 18, 2011
Luke 1:26-38.
"As the story of Jesus' life is bookended with a special embedding of the spiritual and the material (spiritual conception at birth; spiritual body at resurrection), so too, just within each bookend, as the first and last books on the shelf, are stories of total shame, violation and degradation (pregnancy outside of wedlock; naked execution on a cross)."
Sermon: "A Cry of Love."
Note: Any of the following lessons may be used on Christmas Eve / Day.
Christmas Eve, December 24, or Christmas Day, December 25
Proper I: Luke 2:1-14, (15-20) Sermon: "A Night Of Hosting."
Proper II: Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20 Sermon: "A Cry Of Birth."
Proper III: John 1:1-14 Sermon "Light Breaks In."
First Sunday After Christmas Day
May be replaced by readings for Epiphany. See note below.
January 1, 2012
Luke 2:22-40.
"By the time we have finished reading Chapters 1 and 2 of Luke, we should realize that the stage has been set for a powerful confrontation between two kingdoms. The Pax Romana of Caesar - the way of peace through force of arms; and the peace of Christ - the way of peace through justice."
Sermon: "."
New Year's Day - January 1
Matthew 25:31-46
"What I love about this parable is that BOTH those judged to be honourable AND those judged to be dishonourable have exactly the same response: Lord, when was it we saw you hungry ...?."
Sermon: "On Not Judging."
Second Sunday After Christmas Day
Sunday Between January 2 and January 5 Inclusive
May be replaced by readings for Epiphany. See note below.
Not used in 2012
John 1:(1-9), 10-18. Sermon: "Light Breaks In."
Note: The Season of Epiphany begins on January 6, the Day of Epiphany of the Lord.
If January 6 is a weekday, Epiphany may be celebrated on the first Sunday in January and replace the readings for Sundays following Christmas Day.