This week is also the final week of the Christian year. This Sunday we celebrate “Christ the King” Sunday, also called “The Reign of Christ Sunday.” It’s the Sunday that we acknowledge that Jesus has already inaugurated his reign, the beginning of making the world right again. We don’t get to know all of the details about that reign, or about its timing, but we do already know that Jesus, in the life he lived 2000 years ago, has already done everything necessary for our salvation. And that this beginning is everything we need. The rest—how it all plays out—we simply trust.

The point of the church calendar is to take us through the events and teachings of Jesus’ life once per year. Each year the Scriptures vary (we have four Gospels, after all!), but each year we cycle through, thinking about anticipating Jesus’ birth in Advent, then Jesus’ birth and early life in the Christmas season, and Jesus’ death and resurrection in the Lenten and Easter seasons. In “ordinary time,” as it is called, we look at many of Jesus’ teachings.

As we move into Advent, consider taking some time to notice the world’s need for salvation. The literal darkness and the shorter days mirror the darkness of a world without Jesus, and intuitively they remind us of its cry for light. And we who are already Christians, we are lucky enough to know that the light is coming in a few short weeks. Find an Advent devotional—Jen will be putting some in the newsletter—and prepare your hearts to perceive anew the wonder of this new light of Jesus’ birth.

Grace and peace,

Becky

Prayer

God of the now and the not yet,

Not everything is yet as it should be.

The world remains a difficult place for many of us.

We deal with consequences from illness,

or difficulty in relationships,

or concerns about practical life,

or with watching a loved one cope.

We see injustice in the world,

and we know that many live where peace does not.

And yet.

We know that you are with us.

You have promised always to accompany us,

and you are always true to your promises.

We thank you for the grace of your presence

even as we ask you for change.

We thank you for the grace you have given us

in the community of faith that surrounds us.

As the world gets darker with the change of seasons,

we know the promise

and the presence of your light,

And together

we help each other to seek it.

Encourage us as we share that light

with each other, and with the world.

Amen.