This Sunday, we began a new series for the Advent series, What Do You Fear?: Insisting on Hope This Advent.
Luke’s Gospel begins the story of Jesus with this opening line: “In the time of Herod…” This detail may seem minor to modern readers, however, it reveals layers of
information about the fearful world Jesus entered, one filled with rampant oppression, economic disparity, uncertainty, and instability. A world not so unlike our own. And yet, throughout the stories of Christ’s birth, we hear the whispers of angels delivering a surprising message: “Do not fear.” In our own time, we might ask: is it even possible to be fearless in a fearful world? When Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the magi are each called into God’s redemptive story, they do not deny their
fears—they move through them. They ask questions, hold fast to courage, trust in good news, and say, “Here I am, Lord.” When we find ourselves in fearful times, can we acknowledge our fears while also insisting on hope?
You can read Rev. Dr. MLK Jr's sermon on fear here.
Olivia Guy-Evan's article "Fight, Flight, Freeze, Or Fawn: How We Respond to Threats" here.
Thanks Johanna for sending this in - if the idea of fawning as a response to threat is new to you, you can listen to an interview with Dr. Ingrid Clayton, author of Fawning: Why the Need to Please Makes
Us Lose Ourselves—and How to Find our Way Back here. (Unfortunately this is behind a paywall, but you might have access to it through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.)
One of the many sources for the content of this series is the book Hope: A User's Manual by MaryAnn McKibben Dana.
If you would like to chat about the series between Sundays, you can join the discussion group here.
There is a devotional booklet that goes along with the series. You can pick up a hard copy on Sunday or fill out this form and we will mail one to you.
Our friends at A Sanctified Art have provided a special
e-reader version of this year’s Advent devotional, which you can access on your computer and mobile devices: online.flippingbook.com/view/361593675/ (In order to protect their work, please refrain from sharing this link or posting it on social media.)