Advent 1 (B) + Be restored in prayer + 11.30.14
www.episcopalchurch.org M. Campbell-Langdell+ All Saints, Oxnard (Isaiah 63:19b-64:8; Ps. 80:1-7, 16-18; 1st Cor. 1:3-9; St. Mk 13:24-37) Restore us, O God of hosts; * show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. Many times, I find the texts of the first week of Advent jarring. Here we are, content after turkey dinner and ready to put up lights or whathaveyou, and here comes the end times! Woohoo! Talk about getting ready for Christmas, right? A peppermint mocha with your apocalypse? But oddly enough, pouring over these readings earlier this week, the Isaiah passage really made me think of what is going on in Ferguson, MO. I can imagine the family of Mike Brown asking God to come down and intercede, do anything different, to bring about peace and justice. They don’t want the looting that has occurred. They want peace, and a just resolution. And again later this week, we heard the news that the church that the Brown family attends has been torched. It w...