Faithfully Feasting in a Full Season
Hi COTC Family!
This time of year is always a bit overwhelming. With Thanksgiving upon us and December right around the corner, there is a lot to attend to. That sense of being overwhelmed might be compounded by the variety of crises playing out around the world. Wars, turmoil and dysfunction can increase anxiety in this busy season.
With that context in mind, I want to invite you, invite us, to several specific modes of engagement with the Lord over the coming weeks. These practices of engagement include, lament, thanksgiving, rejoicing, and waiting.
First, this coming Sunday, the week before Christ the King Sunday, is our service of lament. Our Gospel reading, the middle section of John 11, includes the terse verse “Jesus wept.” Those simple words are a reminder that grief was a part of Jesus’ experience. He knows what is to be brokenhearted. On Sunday, we will have a specific moment in the liturgy to name and lift to Jesus all the areas where we do not yet see his Lordship realized. In advance of this time, I encourage you to consider any grief for yourself and for the world that you might bring to Jesus in our time of worship.
Second, our service of Lament leads us directly into Thanksgiving week. It is oddly fitting. While Thanksgiving is a civic holiday, the Bible does encourage us to “enter His gates with thanksgiving.” There is something about the disciplined practice of gratitude, even in the face of real sadness, that draws us near to the Lord who is our maker and sustainer. Be encouraged to mark out your celebrations this week with opportunities to praise God for the blessings of this life and for the gift of himself.
Third, next Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, a celebration of Jesus’ lordship over all things. Our reading for this morning will center on Jesus’ victory over death and the grave. We will rejoice over this triumph and the very real ways that Jesus' kingdom of life, justice, and peace is already present and advancing in the world around us. And we will respond with faith to Jesus’ call to “Come out” from under the powers of death, sin, and evil. That following week, on Wednesday, November 29th, we will host another Evening Prayer and Worship Night at the church building. This is an opportunity to draw near to our King, Jesus, together. In a world of distraction, we set our attention upon the one who is most worthy of it.
Fourth, recognizing Jesus’ as our triumphant king, and that the fullness of his kingdom has not yet arrived, we will enter into the season of Advent, taking on a posture of waiting. See below for more details. We'll be communicating more about the season next week. We will have opportunities to engage together in prayer, a primary practice of waiting upon God.
The season is full, but we have the opportunity in these ways and others to make it a feast of meaningful engagement and worship of Jesus. Let us draw near!
Grace and peace,