Readings for Sunday, December 11, 2011Readings for Sunday, December 11, 2011Presented by staff and friends of

Sunshine CathedralSunshine CathedralMetropolitan Community Church

affiliated with the Center for Progressive Christianity Ft Lauderdale, Florida, USA

Rev. Dr. Robert Griffin

Sunshine Cathedral Chief Programming Minister

Rev. Dr. Durrell WatkinsSenior Pastor Sunshine Cathedral

Rev. Dr. Mona WestDirector, Office of Formation and Leadership DevelopmentMetropolitan Community Churches

Rev. BK HipsherVirtual Chaplain Sunshine Cathedral

Director of Sunshine Cathedral in Second Life

December 12: Sister Alicia Domon (d.1977)—French nun and martyr.

During a period of military dictatorship in Argentina thousands of civilians were abducted and never heard from again, including several French nuns who had devoted themselves to working with the poor and oppressed. Sister Alicia became closely involved with the Mothers of the Disappeared, who dressed in black and gathered in silence in the central plaza each day, carrying pictures of their children. Along with several others, Alicia was abducted and, as later reports revealed, tossed out of an airplane over the Atlantic Ocean.

December 17: Dom Bede Griffiths (1906-1994)Monk and Sannyasi.

Raised in a middle-class English family and student of C. S. Lewis at Oxford, Griffiths’ spiritual journey led him first to the Catholic faith and the life of a Benedictine monk. While sent to establish a monastery in India, he came to believe that the secularized West had much to learn from the East. He helped found a Christian ashram that was faithful to Christian traditions, but adopted the disciplines of the East, including yoga and meditation. He dressed in the saffron robes and lived as a sannyasi, or Hindu holy man. His liturgies combined Christian and Hindu prayers and readings. He believed he could find the truth of Christ present within all the religions of the world.

Advent 3, Joy Sunday

The Second Candle: Joy

“As the budding flower bursts into bloom; as the glowing light kindles into flame, may the spirit of life and love bloom and flame within us, with ever-renewing light and love.” (Dorris Dow Alcott)

Isaiah 61.1-3 (NRSV)The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me…to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…to comfort all who mourn; 3to provide for those who mourn…a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display [divine] glory.

1 Thessalonians 5.16-18 (NRSV)

16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

John 1.19-23, 26-28 (NRSV)

19This is the testimony given by John when…priests and Levites from Jerusalem [asked] him, “Who are you?” 20He confessed…, “I am not the Messiah.” 21And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.”…22Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer…What do you say about yourself?” 23He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. 26John [then said], “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27the one who is coming after me…” 28This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

Rev. Dr. Robert Griffin

Word /phrases to consider for in your preparation:

First Reading: Isaiah (NEVI’IM)-“To proclaim release”: Refers to Lev. 25.10, where Israelite farmers lost their land and were forced into indentured servitude. Deutero-Isaiah applies this concept to the nation as a whole: In 586 it lost its land and was forced to live elsewhere 50 years later, the service ended when the Edict of Cyrus allowed them to leave Babylonia and to regain their ancestral land.” The Jewish Study Bible

Second Reading: -Rejoice always: A keyword here is “always”. (Strong Concordance #3842)Speaks to “behavior” in the community. (Jewish Annotated New Testament – NRV)

Rev. Dr. Robert Griffin

Word /phrases to consider for in your preparation:

Gospel Reading-“Who are you?”: The ones asking this question here is key, they are those closely associated with the ritual purification aka “ritual police”. A question of credentials and authority. (Jewish Annotated New Testament – NRV

-- “He confessed”: John the Baptist was revered by the Mandaeans, a little known monotheistic group, adherents still exists today, mostly in Iraq.(Jewish Annotated New Testament – NRV)

Rev. BK Hipsher ~ Ponderings

Proclaiming liberty, freedom, comfort, encouragement

Rejoicing ALWAYS

Crying in the wilderness

Baptized in the spirit

Joyfully answering our call

Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VS20XrHivw&feature=related“Social Justice Is”

Isaiah: The prophet affirms that he is immersed in/anointed by/filled with the infinite spirit of life. Realizing that his life is Divine Life he knows that human hands are the hands to do divine work. To recognize the Sacred in his life is to feel called to reach out to others to help them realize their sacred value.

Paul: Just as the contributor to the Book of Isaiah affirmed his sacred value and his call to uplift and empower others, Paul affirms optimism and gratitude as a powerful form of prayer. He suggests that prayer can be a continuous experience of looking for what is good (in spite of what might be challenging) and feeling grateful for what is good and for what is possible.

John: John isn’t THE messiah, but he is part of the messianic mission, the spiritually anointed work for justice. He isn’t THE prophet (Elijah), but he is part of the prophetic work of calling for social justice and healing. There are others (like Jesus) who are standing with him, but he doesn’t “out” – he simply stands with them to work and wait for better days. He immerses people in water, but he is part of a movement that is immersing people into a life of purpose which offers hope, peace, and joy.

Jewish Annotated New Testament