week of December 22, 2024

This Week’s Lectionary Scripture

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Peace)1

Advent is a season of waiting in expectation for the coming of light into a darkened world in the form of the infant Jesus. Advent is spent anticipating and spiritually preparing for the arrival of the Christ-child. Scriptures, symbols, and hymns help make Advent a time of expectation for Christ’s birth, rather than a frenzy of holiday tasks.

Hebrews 10:5-10

 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘See, I have come to do your will, O God’
(in the scroll of the book it is written of me).”

When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

  • What does “sacrifice” mean to you? How have you sacrificed in your life? Why, or for what purpose, have you sacrificed?

  • How does knowing about Christ’s life, death, and resurrection change how we live into Advent?

  • Maya Angelou, a well-known American poet and writer, once said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” How can this idea be applied to our religious or spiritual lives and practices?

This Week’s Text from Sharing in Community of Christ

We Share A Sacred Story2

The sacred story is the unfolding drama of God’s reconciling work in the world. This story reveals God as the One who calls humanity into relationship, and who seeks the well-being of all creation. This revelation, first made known in the books of the Hebrew Bible, continues in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God. This library of books called the Bible roots the church in the sacred story and nurtures and informs the Community of Christ’s faith, identity, and mission to the world.

[…]

The story of God’s transforming work in the world did not end with the testimony of the biblical writers. It continued in the life and witness of the whole Christian church, as well as in other places. The sacred story is the all-encompassing saga of God’s redeeming action in the world. Generations of Christian followers have written new chapters to this continuing story. The sacred story, as found in scripture and in the larger Christian tradition, anchors and nurtures our understanding of ourselves and our call. Our unique identity includes claiming our place within the wide circle of those who in every time and place have called on the Lord Jesus Christ. With them, we continue to write new chapters to the old, old story of Jesus and his love.

Do not fail to listen attentively to the telling of the sacred story, for the story of scripture and faith empowers and illuminates.

—Doctrine and Covenants 161:5

The story of Community of Christ is part of a much larger sacred story that is rooted in Christian history, including the Hebrew tradition from which Christianity emerged. Within this larger history, Community of Christ has a particular story that is inspiring, colorful, and increasingly international. The church began in the early 1800s in upper New York state, USA, during a time of Christian revival. So far, the church has established a presence in close to 50 nations.

The story of the church is one of unusual faith, vision, and creativity in response to God’s call. We can clearly see God’s Spirit active in every chapter of our faith story. What began with a teenager seeking God in prayer in the early 1800s continues today. God gives each generation insights, experiences, and challenges for divine purposes.

  • How do you think future church members will look back on Community of Christ in the early years of the 21st century?

  • What could you do today to help them better understand what is going on in the church and society?

  1. The scripture text is taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, copyrighted in 2021 by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States, and made available through these Licensing and Permission Guidelines. Other text is adapted from this week’s Sacred Space resource for small-group ministry, provided by Herald Publishing House. ↩︎

  2. This text is adapted from pp. 16-19 of the fourth edition of Sharing in Community of Christ: Exploring Identity, Mission, Message, and Beliefs, which was copyrighted in 2018 by Herald Publishing House. ↩︎