Perkasie Mennonite Church

Those Who Dream . . . Prepare the Way. Poetry by Sarah Are (featured in our Advent devotional)

The 2nd Sunday of Advent we remember that "Those Who Dream Prepare the Way..." Are you ready?

The Beginning of the Good News by Lisle Gwynn Garrity Inspired by Mark 1:1-8 | Digital painting sanctifiedart.org... "Recently, my husband and I volunteered to serve on the safety team for a Black Lives Matter march and vigil in our local city. While we’ve frequently participated in peaceful protests, this role was new to us. We joined hundreds of white allies and community organizers, showing up hours before the march began to prepare supplies and receive training. Our role was straightforward: we were to use our bodies to create critical mass along the edges of the crowd in order to protect the leaders of the march from harm. We were to stay alert and look for agitatorswhite supremacists or others instigating violenceand either place our bodies as a barrier or, when possible, try to nonviolently de-escalate the situation. Our trainers directed us: Today’s march is not about you. You won’t be able to participate in the chants and you might not be able to hear the speakers. Instead, you are here to use your privilege to protect our Black leaders so they can make their voices heard, so they can express their grief and cry out for change without fearing that harm will be done to them in return. And so, all day we walked alongside the shouts crying out in the wilderness of downtown city streets. As a call for repentance for the sins of racism, police brutality, and systemic injustice were proclaimed, we did our best to keep the peace and prepare the way. As I’ve returned to this scripture, I’ve been struck by the fact that the story of the good news according to Mark begins with protestwith crowds swelling and shouting, with a movement of people hungry for change and willing to risk their lives for it. And so, I’m committing to preparing the wayfor God’s message of liberation and love to truly be heard and made known." Lisle Gwynn Garrity Join us at 9:30am Sunday for our Worship Service on Zoom, for more reflections on God's movement of Justice and how we can join in preparing the way for Christ.

As we light the Advent candle of hope, we keep awake by dreaming, by envisioning how we will live out God’s promise to be with us. (Words from Dr. Riggs, our Advent guest contributor)

A simple daily advent activity for families...