How? How do we accomplish the mission?

Week of November 27, 2011: How do we accomplish this mission? [Love Sunday of Advent]

 Theme/Title:  "How? How do we accomplish the mission?"

 Scripture:  Galatians 3: 28; Jeremiah 29: 11-13; Genesis 1: 24-27 & Isaiah 58: 5-11

 Media:   

 YouTube video “inclusion is belonging” by TorrieatKIT 

YouTube video Jack Johnson – Hope by Jack Johnson

YouTube video “The Crying Indian – full commercial – Keep America Beautiful”, 

YouTube Video “Poverty – PSA” by nuitsdelapleinelune

Reflection:  This week we enter the season of Advent, a time of preparation and reflection.  Each week of Advent has a traditional theme that reveals an aspect of the season.  This week we use the word “Love.”  What does it mean to prepare our hearts and minds and spirit for the coming of God in a baby – for the Incarnation?  How do we understand “love” in the context of Advent, our mission to boldly shape partners of God for the transformation of the world, and as we seek to discover how we will transform the world?

Love in this context is a verb – it is the “how” questions answered.  Love is what we do and how we do it in our effort to transform the world.  There are four issues or needs that VHUMC and its faithful are uniquely positioned to effectively address in our community and world: inclusion, hope, the environment and poverty.

 Love is including everyone in the entire life of our community and it is seeing that every person in our society and world has their basic rights protected and that they can live up to their fullest potential.  Love is helping others find reasons and ways to hope and be hopeful about the present and the future.  Love is healing our earth and working to see that this creation continues to thrive and support life for millenniums to come.  Love is caring for the basic needs of people everywhere and addressing the causes of poverty and eliminating them.

 You and VHUMC already love in these ways – maybe not fully or passionately – and we need to be more and do more if the world is to be transformed.  Some are passionate about these issues but not sure how to put that passion to work.  Some want to do more but are unsure it will make a difference.  And some feel like they are bashing their heads against the wall and getting nowhere.  Which are you?  It is time we combined our efforts, join forces and take what we already do and crank it up.  “What the world needs now is love, sweet love, no not just for some but for everyone!”  It’s time to show the love, be the love and to witness to the love.

Meditation:  What are you most passionate about?  What issue or need are you most fired up about?  What are you already doing to include others, to heal the environment, to bring hope and to end poverty?

Prayer: Pray for those who suffer most from hopelessness, exclusion, poverty and the damaged environment.  Celebrate the places and ways you are already addressing these needs.  Pray for those who work to attend to these issues.  Ask God to reveal to you how VHUMC can tackle these issues to transform the world.