For many members of Community of Christ tomorrow we will be celebrating the Advent Sunday of Love and worshiping with the theme Love is Coming. For those congregations and those ministers who embrace this theme and the lectionary passages, many will be using the Gospel of Luke chapter 3 verses 7-18 as a central passage for their address. At this point, it appears I am one of them.
When I first started to reflect on the various passages of the lectionary for Sunday, I was struggling as most of the scriptures speak clearly about joy and rejoicing but love? After awhile though I started to realize and see the love expressed in them, and the joy coming as a response to that love. As I moved forward I planed on referring to a few other passages, and perhaps even to one or two outside the lectionary. Then I stood, okay walked around, sat , played the piano, and more, at the Westerville Community of Christ congregation this afternoon and the early form of the sermon came to be. In part as response to my reading the passage as it is found in the Inclusive New Testament, and in part from reflecting that it is truly my grandfathers name and not mine listed as the person giving the message Sunday.
Upon return home this evening, I started to write out my ideas. I now have a draft of a sermon written over several pages of 11 point font at 1.15 spacing. It will change and evolve between now and Sunday, perhaps longer or shorter. I know not. At present only the Luke passage is used, it may stay that way or not. I know not. What I do know is this sermon will transform, from several pages of written out sentences to perhaps a sticky note with a few points on it, or a brief outline, or more than likely, to nothing written except for “17-Dec-2006; Love is Coming; Luke 3:7-18″ on the sticky note marking the passage.
As it is, the sermon looks back at past experience and expression of the Love of the Eternal One, and also forward in anticipation of that love. It calls upon people to radically and actively respond to their encounter and experience with the ever present unconditional grace and love of the Eternal One as expressed in the Living Christ, so that through them that love may flow, and others may come also to recognized that grace and love and radically and actively respond, so that perhaps one day the Peaceable Kingdom of which we year, aye even Zion, may truly be a reality where all are in whole and right relationships with self, community, humanity, creation, and the Creating One, and all radically and actively responding to their individual and communal encounters with the love of the Eternal Loving One.
Peace be with one and all,
— Lyle II