This Sunday, Jess Williams explored the role of hope when we walk through hard times in life. Starting with the pain caused by toxic positivity and the cultural pressure to put forward a polished life, Jess asks what the antidote to this might be. She thinks the blessings of Jesus in the Beatitudes have something important to teach us about the kind of life Jesus calls blessed.
With an invitation to an Honest Advent, Jess shares some confessions that begin with her own reluctance to welcome advent this year. She reflects on how speaking the truth in this way can help clear the air, and perhaps even make a little room in our hearts to welcome a Saviour. Then she considers why advent begins with apocalyptic passages about the end of the world, and connects this to our current context and how we might stay awake in this season — as we watch  and wait for Christ’s arrival today.
Bradley Jersak was with us this Sunday, and he shared the incredible example of Palestinian Christians who have chosen to walk the Jesus Way of choosing hope and peace instead of giving in to hatred and the inevitable cycles of violence that result.
Today Walter shared some thoughts on making it easier to endure pain and hardship if we help each other tell ourselves better stories, using a paraphrase of Romans 5.1-4 (and his own experience) as an example.
A beautiful service for the First Sunday of Advent came in the form of our second “communion liturgy Sunday.” With music, readings and a homily on hope by Rachael Barham, we ushered in the season together.