Toward Sunday

We shift this week to a four-week Advent worship series called Take Me To The Alley. Our worship series will be rooted in the lectionary, an ancient collection of appointed readings from Scripture, from the Gospel of Matthew.

We’ll have a number of ways to Reach in Love as we move toward Christmas this year at The Table. Our Christmas Offering will go to support an organization called Community Against Sexual Harm (CASH). CASH aims to be a picture of hope for sexually exploited, trafficked, and prostituted women by providing a gateway out of abuse and addiction toward recovery. It was created in 2008 by Sacramento police officers, former sex workers, and others to offer a “safe and non-judgmental” space where women could receive support, referrals, food, and basic health care assistance.

We’ll also have opportunities to reach in love with special gifts for children, mothers, and families associated with Tubman House. We’ll have brief biographical information on families in worship this Sunday and hope everyone will add these families to their Christmas shopping lists. We’re thrilled to shower these beautiful children of God with gifts in celebration of Christmas this year.

We have additional opportunities for individuals to volunteer their time by spending a day with Habitat for Humanity’s Build for Unity on December 10 and January 14.  Sign-up on our website: thetableumc.org.

Finally, we will host around 100 unhoused guests this year for Winter Sanctuary from December 25 – January 1. Here is a link to make donations. Here is a link to sign-up for helping with a shift or a few shifts over the week.  If you have any troubles with the Winter Sanctuary sign-ups, please contact Dorothy Lingren at [email protected].

We invite everyone to track their spending on family & loved ones this Christmas and then match the amount spent on families & loved ones by generously giving to reach in love to those beyond our own circles. Whether your Christmas giving this year is to CASH or to directly support other organizations that embody your values, we are grateful for this phenomenal opportunity to give generously this season.

 

Take Me To The Alley

November 27: Watch (Matthew 24.36-44)
December 4: Turn (Matthew 3.1-12)
December 11: See (Matthew 11.2-11)
December 18: Dream (Matthew 1.18-25)
5pm & 11pm Candlelight Christmas Eve: Luke 2
9:30 AM Christmas Day & New Year’s Day (ONE WORSHIP ONLY)

Our Advent worship series is named after a song by Gregory Porter called Take Me To The Alley. Here is a link to a live performance by Gregory Porter: Take Me To The Alley.

Gregory Porter reminds us of the journey in Advent toward Christmas as he sings,

Well they build their houses
In preparation for the king

And they line the sidewalks
With every sort of shiny thing
They will be surprised
When they hear him say
Take me to the alley
Take me to the afflicted ones
Take me to the lonely ones
That somehow lost their way
Let them hear me say
I am your friend
Come to my table

Read Matthew 24.36-44. This brief text from Matthew focuses on the second coming of Christ; a reminder that the first coming of Christ in Jesus is not yet complete. Matthew’s Gospel wants followers of Jesus to be prepared to witness to our experience of Good News at all times and to join with God in tending to the kingdom of heaven on earth. Matthew’s Gospel is apocalyptic. In other words, it anticipates the end of times. Some followers of Jesus throughout history have used this text to predict the world’s end. Others have used this text to encourage folks to stay prepared. Still others read apocalyptic texts in symbolic, or figurative, ways as reminders of God’s continual luring toward peace with justice.

How do you understand this text?  However you understand its significance, how will you prepare for Christmas this Advent season? How might your life be different in these four weeks of Advent? How might you ensure you’ll be awake as God comes among us at Christmas?

Consider closing with this prayer or with your own:

Immanuel, God with us,
surprise us as we prepare for Christmas.
Call us to the alleys.
Take us to the afflicted ones,
to the lonely ones.
Let us all hear you say
You are our friend.
All are invited to your table.

Amen.

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