12.8.24 Worship Preview Advent 2 "Hope is More than Longing"

FIRST UNITED  METHODIST 

This Sunday: 10:30am – Advent 2: Hope is More than Longing. Rev. Christopher Eshelman preaching. Scriptures: Isaiah 11:1-10 and Hebrews 10:19-25 & 11:1-3

In this part of the world, we experience the darkness and cold of winter. I’m not a fan of cold but I have come to appreciate winter – a season which proclaims the wonder of rest and renewal – sabbath for the earth. And one that emphasizes the beauty of light and wonder. Even many who aren’t deeply connected to church look forward to annual traditions of singing silent night while holding candles on Christmas Eve. The season of Advent, the 4 Sundays leading up to Christmas, is an intentional time of preparation that helps deepen that beloved moment.

Advent begins the liturgical cycle, a new year on the Christian calendar, preparing us to celebrate the incarnation – the birth of Christ, the Word become Flesh. Traditionally during the 4 Sundays of Advent, we light Advent Wreath candles and focus on themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, sometimes in different orders. This year we are also drawing on the “Peanuts” cartoons of Charles M. Schulz. Last week, Snoopy’s dancing helped us talk about how Joy is more than fleeting happiness, but a way of resilience and insight in all circumstances. This week, Charlie Brown and friends will help us explore how Hope is more than longing.

One of the things that has struck me as I’ve read books like “the Gospel according to Peanuts” and “the Parables of Peanuts” by Robert Short is how dark Peanuts often was – I mentioned last week the first ever strip under the Peanuts syndication name shows a boy who says “Here comes Good Ol Charlie Brown” – the next two panels, Charlie Brown walks past, then the boy mutters “Oh how I hate him!”  We aren’t given any reason, no context. And yet this comic is beloved worldwide as a source of joy and hope. Something about the loveable loser Charlie Brown, the bossy Lucy, the wise and insecure Linus, inquisitive Sally, the imaginative Snoopy, and all the rest leaves us smiling, even when the comic reflects some of our worst traits. Schulz long admitted that the strip was partially autobiographical – and more than that, I think he captured something of the essence of our flawed humanity and yet also sees that redemption is possible. Schulz shared his own faith, his own questions, and his own hopes through the strip. In interviews about the strip, he said "Charlie Brown has to be the one who suffers because he is a caricature of the average person. Most of us are acquainted with losing more than we are with winning." He continued, "Winning is great, but it isn't funny.”

He is also quoted as saying that “A whole stack of memories never equal one little hope.”

The scriptures mentioned above – from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah and the New Testament author of Hebrews, proclaim hope. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to see Charlie Brown famous drooping tree as “a shoot from the stump of Jesse.” In selecting it, Charlie Brown goes beyond the commercial, prefabricated, “perfect” expectations of the season to look for something real, humble, and good. And in the end, his friends come to see it too. As we journey towards the celebration of Christ’s birth, in a weary, exploitive world, this Sunday will continue to help us search – and find – hope – which is deeply connected to joy, peace, and love.

If you do not have a church home, or if it’s time for a change, we invite you to take this Advent journey with us. We meet each Sunday at 10:30am at 301 S. National. Come as you are, wear what you have, and join with others as we sing, pray, and seek to to find our path and share our journey! Blessings in this holy season.

Upcoming Events: 

Today and Tomorrow: Christmas on the Bricks and our 2nd Annual Nativity Showcase are under way. Come by the church at 301 S. National to see nativities from all over the world. The display will be 10am -2pm today, Saturday, Dec. 7th, and new this year, Noon to 2pm after our worship service on Sunday, Dec. 8th. 

Wednesday, December 11, 5:30–6:30pm: Feeding Families in His Name – this free meal is available to everyone without obligation. A “to-go” meal is distributed under the portico at 301 S. National. A reminder: Please do not block nearby driveways while waiting. Thank you. If you would like to support this ministry, you can make donations online at: www.firstumcfortscott.org/onlinegiving. 

(Note – to give our volunteers a break and time with their families, there will not be a meal served on Dec. 25th, Christmas Day and Jan 1st, New Years Day since they each fall on Wednesday this year.)