The Lord’s Prayer is so ubiquitous in Western culture that the average person on the street could probably recite at least parts of it. In fact, the Lord’s prayer was only taken out of Canadian schools in 1988. That isn’t so long ago…wait…actually, that is. That is 37 years ago. Sheesh, where does the time go, eh? Anywho, Jesus gives us a simple recipe for prayer. Before that, he cautions about using prayer as a publicity stunt or to barter with God. But here is the thing, those two things aren’t our challenge with prayer. Mostly our struggle with prayer is we don’t know WHY we should pray. Does it have utilitarian value? Should that even be the benchmark? We don’t know WHY we should pray, therefore we often don’t know HOW to pray. I hope to offer something of value on this front.

Well, it is our final Sunday before Christmas and that means lots of great stuff for this Sunday. We are having a “Sweet Sunday” so we are hoping everyone might be willing to bring in some Christmas cookies or things of that nature. The kids will be presenting us with a Christmas pageant, which of course means a whole lot of chaotic cuteness. And then there is music and another Advent reflection on top of that. For my part, I want to reflect on the Magi who are warned in a dream to return home by a different road. I find a deep resonance with this story, and I think you will as well.

The Advent/Christmas season is upon us which means it is time for some stranger things. This fall we have been laser focused on the ethical aspects of the Jesus Path. For this season though, we are going to need to explore some seriously weird ideas. The Christmas story is so familiar to us, it is easy to miss that every aspect of the Christmas story includes a most quizzical character - angels. Why are they so prevalent in this part of Scripture? Fair warning, this Sunday will be stranger than most. I will need to tell you some peculiar stories, like the one about the guy who stared me straight in the eye while claiming to have encountered a Sasquatch, or the hitchhiker prone to seizures, how on the side of an Ohio road I met an angel with alcohol on his breath, and of course the one time I was able to role play an angel in disguise. When you are trying to speak of the Jesus Path as a reasonable way of life, angels don’t get mentioned much. But sometimes the weird stuff is exactly what we need in times like these.

Last week, we dared to face our loneliness. We had a great follow-up discussion Tuesday night, sharing times when we have felt the most lonely, and we talked about what helps us feel less lonely. In the sermon this week, we’re considering how our loneliness can serve as a doorway into something that might not sound much better: Solitude. Even worse, the transition from loneliness to solitude is a difficult, challenging journey. So why would we even bother? Great question. I encourage you to begin thinking about that - why would you bother? What could be so great about solitude? Why would anyone think that’s a good destination? What’s your relationship with loneliness? With solitude? How are they different? Listen in as we explore the barriers and benefits, the practicalities and the potential of being “In Solitude”.

All humans journey with loneliness, experiencing it in varying degrees, at different times in our lives. We’re in this together. But most of us - all of us? - do NOT enjoy this feeling in any way, and why would we? Most of us usually do everything we can to avoid it. We even avoid talking about the “L” word, or admitting that we are lonely. This is quite reasonable of us, considering how deeply painful and isolating chronic loneliness is. And yet…what if loneliness, as soul-sucking as it can be, can offer us something? Could the Jesus path include loneliness in ways that are freeing and creative? Could it even be a key to the Good Life? I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we engage with scripture, research, statistics and a meme or two, along with some of my most (un)shining moments of connection and togetherness as we explore this possibility, and dare to face The Lonely Road.