Today is the second Sunday of Advent.  Last Sunday as we attended worship in McKinney, Texas, with Elke and Robert, their pastor asked for volunteers for lighting the advent wreath. The church with four traditional and two contemporary services each Sunday means 24 families or individuals have an opportunity to participate through the season, with even more on Christmas Eve. Although it's a large membership church, I know from my own experience that it's still a challenge to recruit enough people to serve.  Thankfully, most people consider it a privilege to light the wreath's candles, and read the scripture lesson, and lead the congregation in prayer.

I always thought it important to include the wreath lighting in the advent worship planning as the ritual provides a moment for quiet personal and corporate remembering.  We pause amidst our activity to reflect on the mystery of why God would even want to be involved in human events. Our global family is battered by poverty, injustice, war, hunger, disease, and harm of every kind (much of which we are the cause). Still, we believe that the hope proclaimed for centuries will become real. We certainly need the hope. I do.