(This post not part of the Advent Devotional)
For our loyal readers you notice that the webpage has changed from purple to blue. But purple is the advent color! True, but blue is also an Advent color. Historically, the color of Advent shifted to blue when the season of Advent shifted away from being a season of penance to a season of preparation for the coming of Jesus.
At WWSIC we have decided to celebrate the Joy of God’s promises this season. Don’t worry, the purple will return come Lent.
In some ways the beginning of Advent is an ode to Parents. The women becoming mothers, the men bearing their own visions and dreams. But Advent does bring that focus on the women becoming mothers.
In I Samuel 2:1-10 we read about the story of Hannah. Hannah was a woman of God who prayed with fervor for her barren womb to be opened, and she became the mother of Samuel, the Prophet and Judge who would anoint David King. In fact the passage of 1 Samuel 2:1-10 is often called the Song of Hannah. It is a text of longing for the child within, and the model text for another passage famous this time of year.
In the tradition of Hannah, we find in Luke 1:46-55 a very famous text often called the Magnificat. It is a text of Mary – soon to be a mother herself – expressing her gratitude in a psalm of praise to God. Her hope, though, was not just for herself and for her unborn child, but for all people… for all generations. Her hope was for a time when oppression and scarcity would be a distant memory. Through our singing of the songs and telling of the stories of Mary’s little baby, who became Jesus of Nazareth – our brother, teacher, and Christ – we keep hope alive. We hope for the continued fulfillment of the promise, when justice and deliverance will be realized for all of Creation. “A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.”
PRACTICE: We invite you today to look at these texts so foundational to the Advent season. Ponder them deep in your heart and soul. We invite you to write your own hymn of praise to God, a praise that acknowledges the coming of Jesus at Christmas which we anticipate this Advent Season. If writing a unique praise to God seems to daunting…then you are invited to re-write the Magnificat from Luke’s gospel in today’s language—who are the downtrodden today? Can you name them in prayer to God?
Today’s devotional is a collaboration featuring the thoughts and words of Rev. Mary Jo Bradshaw and Rev. Kelli Parrish Lucas. Both of their bios can be found on the bios page.
Uh, that's "Rev." if you please...
Kelli just delivered her first sermon since being ordained in May. It was delivered at CCCPB on August 14th. Since it ran past YouTube’s 15 minute rule, it had to be cut into two, and at least at the time of posting, this is how we gotta do it. Back at YouTube, you can view it as a slightly more graceful playlist that will auto play in series.
Rev. Kelli looks at food insecurity in the time Joseph, a Hebrew in Egypt, and the dire situation in Africa (and lots of places) today, and introduces the UCC Mission 1 campaign.
Just saw this video on ucc.org and got goose bumps, so I had to share it.
You can call her “Rev.” now.
One relieved girl!
We just got back from the festivities following Kelli’s ordination today—long awaited, and taking just a bit over six years since she was accepted to seminary in April 2005. You can imagine this is a huge victory to claim. After our dinner, she was wiped out, so here I am, ever the journalist for the family…
Held at the church where we both were born into and where we have been baptized and married in, this is a particularly notable day in the history of CCCPB, as Kelli is the only of that congregation to have started so young and followed the long and winding path of faith and formation, all the way to this point.
In attendance were members of CCCPB, Mission Hills UCC (where she interned), other churches in the local UCC Association, friends from United Methodist, Disciples of Christ, Unitarian Universalist, and Presbyterian worlds. Friends from the world of chaplaincy, poetry, and plain ol’ good friends were there to support her too. (A few of the ladies might not know it but they might be contributors to this very site, once the dust settles here!)
For the week, Kelli’s mom Kay Taylor was in town, and brought her autoharp with her. She sang a heart melting rendition of God’s Eye is on the Sparrow for the offertory in the ordination service. We just happened to have a mic on her too!
Over 100 images from the day are now on my Facebook page, and concurrent with all this, we are starting the WomenWhoSpeakInChurch page on Facebook too.
To save you a trip to YouTube, check these out:
Laying on of hands, clergy and lay folks
Kelli after being robed, and having just distributed the bread in her first communion
Kelli serving the wine at her first communion as "the Rev."
Kelli and a number of us from Mission Hills Young Adults, out to dinner to celebrate
Kelli's new chalice and plate for communion, made from solid stone from Pakistan
Thanks to Phil, Tara, Margie, and Amanda for heroic help.
WOOOOHOOOOO! Kelli just got her ordination date: May 1, 2011! Long time in coming! Bravo, Kelli!
Came across a very good article on Sojourners today. The Sojourner’s article is entitled “Mary and Martha: Women in Ministry in the 21st Century” and was written by Theresa Cho. I am sharing the link to the article so you can read it
Mary and Martha: Women in Ministry in the 21st Century by Theresa Cho
I thought Cho raised many important points about being women clergy in these days. So, let’s talk about it…here is your assignment respond to Cho’s article and let us post it here On Women who Speak in Church!
Women Who Speak In Church 