As we gather, we recognize that we live, work, pray, and play
in the traditional lands
of the Cowichan Tribes and Coast Salish People. 
We continue to commit ourselves
to the work of reconciliation and relationship-building
with our First Nations neighbours.     

Call to Worship:  

 Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
All flesh
shall see the salvation of God. 

Luke 3.4,6 

O Come, Let Us Worship

Collect for Purity
Almighty God
to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden.
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

Collect for Today
Almighty God,
who sent your servant, John the Baptist, to prepare
your people to welcome the Messiah.
Inspire us, the ministers and stewards of your truth,
to turn our disobedient hearts to you,
that when the Christ shall come again to be our judge,
we may stand with confidence before his glory;
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.   Amen. 

Psalm 72. 1-7, 18-19
1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king's son.

2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.

3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness.

4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.

5 May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.

6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.

7 In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.

18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.

19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen

The Proclamation of the Gospel:

Matthew 3.1-12

Sermon:  The Ven.  Brian Evans

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of
our hearts be ever acceptable to you, O Lord.  Amen.

 “Searching for Peace” 

 If you are sensing a theme here, you are correct: a theme which was not planned in advance.

John the Baptist always provides an interesting challenge to the community of believers.
We might ask the question, which group of people do I identify with.            

Isaiah; John clothed in camels’ hair; people of Jerusalem, Judea, Jordan.
How about a Pharisee, or a Sadducee, that brood of vipers, or even a Gentile?            

OR take your pick from one of the nations in the world today involved in domestic violence, domestic discrimination, cultural genocide, foreign dominance. The list is not only overwhelming, at the same time, exhausting.           

I know, some of these topics are not very exciting.  History has a way of challenging us to look at the ‘log in our own eye.’            

There is HOPE, as we learned last week. And not to give it all away: there is Peace.            

The prophet Isaiah reminds us of this today.            

Isaiah gives us hope in announcing an ideal king is on the way, (lower case ‘k’) with the metaphor of a tree:  

“On that day, the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.” -Is. 11:10            

The part most difficult for all of us in finding peace is our role, our responsibility, of which Paul is so good at challenging us.

Paul reminds us: we who are strong are to be the agents of peace:  

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus. Rom 15.4-5              

Within this comes John the Baptist, with a message of confession and repentance: the first two steps to finding peace. A peace which begins here, within us as individuals.

John knows we cannot repair our souls without first exploring what is wrong. In other terms, we would call it truth-telling: a message we have heard, loud and clear, over the past few years in our own country.                

This truth-telling is not only one which is personal; it is also one which is Corporate; in the church and in the nations of the world. A truth which has to begin at the top, it has to be ours to own, be it rulers, at all levels of society.                

John and Jesus both were too well aware of the hidden truths in our lives which need to be declared within each of us, and within the world at large.                

The details of all these truths are what lies ahead, and how they will be addressed, in living out the narrative of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.                

On this 2nd Sunday of Advent awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, John enters the scene reminding us of his dismay in witnessing, what we would today call, a broken world: a world in which, at times, even the leaders of the nations appear complacent.  

John sees the world as the world is in his day.            

John sees the world as the world sees itself today.            

John calls society into action.            

John gives the world this command:

3:8 Bear fruit worthy of repentance.
3:9 Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
3:10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
3:11 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and fire.
3:12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."            

One interpretation of John’s ministry is a message of truth-telling.  
In preparation for the awaited Messiah, we, the church, are called to be truth-tellers.
Not the parish (not the Wardens and Priest), not the diocese (the Bishop and Archdeacons), not the National Church, or Canterbury.            

US: we are the church. A message we hear over and over, but a message which I think that the challenge of repentance that we would like to put over onto someoone else.             

I find it interesting, in many ways, John calls each of us, in some way, to gather with him in Advent.

If you leave out the Sundays, then you will have about 25 days of reading.
If you were to choose the Psalms you would have about 6 Psalms each day.
I am not sure how you count Psalm 119.            

The Sunday 'last before Advent' in the BCP has the great ‘STIR-UP COLLECT.’            

This Sunday, in Looking for Peace, our first response is to be looking for the Prince of Peace.

Looking for the Prince of Peace is more than just looking for baby in a manger. It is more than looking for a ruler who is a ruler who rules with justice.

We are in need of something even greater, which will come for us, as Christians, when we center our life on the witness of Jesus Christ.            

This coming of Christ to the world is finding a peace filled with security, as we witness in the images of the opposites living in harmony in Isaiah 11; images continued in Psalm 72.

72:3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness.
72:4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.
72:5 May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
72:6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.
72:7 In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.            

Contrary to what we may think the ‘Stir-up Collect’ is about, it is, for at least this Sunday, an opportunity for us to be 'stirred-up' in our commitment to finding peace in the world.            

Prepare the way, says John. The way for peace.      

Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Let Us Pray

As we prepare for the fullness of Christ’s presence,
let us pray for a world that yearns for new hope.  

God, you renew the church in every age.
We give thanks for hymn writers and theologians.
Inspire teachers, writers, and musicians to
delight and instruct your people. 

God in your mercy,
hear our prayer. 

You give us a vision of creation in harmony,
when hurting and destruction will be no more.
Teach us to be stewards of the earth and companions to its creatures.
Restore to balance, and wholeness, what human greed has harmed. 

God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.  

You defend the cause of all who are poor and oppressed.
Raise up leaders who will govern with equity,
and serve the common good.
Guide judges, lawmakers, and public officials,
to protect the rights of those who cannot advocate for themselves. 

God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.  

You deliver those in need, of suffering and fear.
Come to the aid of any who are exploited or abused,
especially children, elders,  and victims of human trafficking.
Provide safety and help to our neighbours without shelter,
refugees, and those fleeing violence.

God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.  

You urge your people to welcome one another, as you have welcomed us.
Nurture ministries of hospitality and care in this, and every, congregation. 
We pray for people who are homebound, hospitalized, ill or separated from loved ones.
In our Parish we pray for: 
Roy & Gail; Daryl & Sue; Roy; John; Brandon & Kelsey; Daryl & Joyce; Sheila; Geoff;
Carolyn; Catherinel; Adriel; and those on our hearts.

God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.  

You embrace all who have died trusting in your promises,
and we give thanks for their faithful witness.
Sustain us in hope, until we are united with them in
the joy of your eternal presence. 

God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.    

God of our longing,
you know our deepest needs.
By your Spirit, gather our prayers and join
them with the prayers of all your children.
In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen. 

As our Saviour taught us, 
We pray:

Our Father,
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven. 
Give us today our daily bread. 
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us.
And lead us  not into temptation, but deliver us evil.  
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power and the glory,
forever and ever.  Amen.

Faithful God,
we thank you for feeding us with this heavenly banquet.
Help us always to hear the prophet’s call to turn our hearts to you;
in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord.    Amen. 

The Blessing

May the peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and
love of God, and of his son, Jesus Christ, our lord.

And may the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be with you, and remain with you, always. Amen.