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On December 17, 1927, the crew of the Navy submarine S-4 trolled beneath the waters of Cape Cod Bay, engaged in routine testing of their vessel. At the same time, the Coast Guard cutter Paulding traveled across the surface. Those traveling on the two craft never saw each other. The submarine broke the surface just in time to receive a death blow from the Paulding. The submarine, with its crew of forty, sank in less than five minutes. It came to rest more than one hundred feet below on the ocean floor.Rescue attempts began at once. Due to inclement weather, it took twenty-four hours for the first diver to descend to the wreckage. As soon as the diver's feet hit the hull, he heard tapping. Survivors were trapped inside. Pounding out Morse code on the hull with a hammer, the diver discovered that six crewmen had survived the collision. With renewed efforts, the rescue crew struggled to reach these men before it was too late. Again, the weather would not cooperate. Every attempt failed. With their air supply dwindling, the six survivors tapped out in Morse code a final haunting question, "Is there any hope?"This provocative question echoes across the craft we call Earth. By our own experience, we agree with the New Testament's words that all of creation groans for renewal and relief. The world hopes for something better. As part of this expectant world, we do the same. We hope for a better future for ourselves, our children, and our families.Hope is the intangible fuel that moves the human spirit along when life appears untenable; when marriages fail; when sickness invades; when we face difficult decisions; or when we encounter inexplicable suffering in our lives and in our world. We need hope to live on this planet the same way we need oxygen in our lungs.In our faith tradition, all hope is fastened to the child we find lying in a Christmas manger. Christians gather in houses of worship and around Advent wreaths to reflect upon the implications of his birth and to anticipate the day when hope will become certainty, when what we can only pray for now will become definite. Advent is a season to remember, but it is also a time to renew our lives of hope in the One born in Bethlehem.

Paul left the church a treasure in the letter he wrote to the Christian community in Corinth-the letter we call 1 Corinthians. Sure, Paul was writing with a first-century audience in mind and likely assumed that the second coming of Christ was imminent, but we still benefit from the teachings we find in this letter. By reading it, we gain a rare glimpse not only of Paul's teachings on how to be the church, but also of the difficulties our brothers and sisters of the first century faced.We should avoid the temptation to dismiss this book as merely a record of a church that once was and is no longer. The words of Paul reach across the centuries to call us to repentance and unity. As Paul struggles with his beloved brothers and sisters who have failed time and again in Corinth, we can easily hear how Paul might struggle with us even today. Paul's original audience struggled with divisions, arguments, jealousy, and sin. They debated what to believe and how to live. The church in Corinth was pressed in on all sides. It was fragile and given to quarreling. In many ways, the Corinthian Christians were struggling even to remember the most basic things Paul had taught them about following their Lord Jesus.Yet Paul refused to write off these beloved brothers and sisters. Instead, he wrote them a letter in which he promised his undying love for them, even going so far as to name them as his children. Through all of their failures, Paul refused to abandon them to the world, for in them dwelled the spark of God's love that Paul had seen work miracles in many places. Paul confronted the brokenness of this beloved church in Corinth. It was a congregation that was still worth fighting for.Such a timeless message is fresh and relevant in Christian communities all over the world who are also worth fighting for. With Paul, we learn to confront the brokenness of our beloved church.

One of the most dearly beloved aspects of the Christmas season is the music. From songs on the radio to church cantatas to school holiday concerts, Christmas means music. Some of this music is secular, but who doesn't start tapping their toes to "Winter Wonderland"? For Christians, the most precious songs of the season are those that celebrate the coming of Christ, born as a baby in the little town of Bethlehem.Before any of our Christmas favorites were composed, people of faith celebrated the newborn King through song. In this study, we will explore some of the songs of the season recorded for us in Scripture.We'll begin with one of the so-called "Servant Songs" of Isaiah as we contemplate the mission of Jesus-and us!-to be a light to the nations. Then we'll study the four songs found in the first two chapters of Luke and listen as Mary, Zechariah, the angels, and finally Simeon guide us in praising, proclaiming, and interpreting the meaning of Christ's coming.

Every Christian is a priest, a minister, and a representative of God on earth. Each of us is an extension of the very life and ministry of Christ in a world that deserves to see his love expressed in the gathered community we call church. More than an institution, the church is a living, vibrant organism whose purpose is defined by God as the place where the divine chooses to manifest the work of grace. The church is the place where, in Christ, the love of God is received, shared, and contemplated in both worship and mission.The sessions in this study reflect on the work of the church in light of the cross, challenging church members to consider how priorities in worship and ministry witness to the wisdom of God, which is Jesus Christ crucified. In his letters to the Corinthians, Paul calls the church to unity of mind and purpose. Yet, perhaps surprising to some, the Apostle's concept of the mind has far less to do with agreement on right doctrine and far more to do with a way of right living in the world. Paul's succinct but profound insight-one that the church has yet to contemplate fully-is this: If God chose to reveal divine love in the cross of the Son, then surely the community gathered in his name would do well to show that same love, both to each other and to the world.What common purpose unifies the church? What strengthens the church? What weakens the church? What are the building blocks upon which our church is built? These are the central questions for the following study that reflect on our call to build a unified church that is resolute in its understanding of the wisdom of God that humbles the great and lifts up the lowly. We long for the kingdom to come where we are one in Christ Jesus, but in the meantime, we also work in the present to make the kingdom happen through our memory of the cross and its message of redemptive love.These sessions challenge the church to make the wisdom of God, which is Jesus Christ crucified, a priority in living. The call is to allow the cross to embrace the church so that each of us can understand anew the heart of God and see all that is aflame with Christ's presence in the world. In the process, we are to be both transformed and transforming through the power of divine love.

As a college student, I attended a retreat that included a session on "Trust." The leader introduced the theme by asking us to choose a partner. The partners faced in the same direction, a few feet apart, one behind the other. At the leader's signal, the person in front, with eyes closed and arms folded, was to fall backward into the arms of his or her partner. The exercise quickly revealed who in the group had a high level of trust and who did not. Some allowed themselves to fall without hesitation. Others could not resist the temptation to look back. Some were unable to trust the person behind them and refused to participate.The study of Elijah challenges us to explore what it means to trust God. Elijah's story reveals that a life of faithfulness is built on trust in God's care and guidance. When Israel needs a prophetic voice to confront the nation's religious infidelity, Elijah responds to God's call. His first lesson in trust comes when he has to depend on God to survive. His experience will help us examine our own response to economic hardship.Elijah's greatest challenge comes when he stands alone against the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. His actions are bold and unconventional, but he is convinced that he follows God's will. Through this dramatic episode, we will ask ourselves how we can be certain that we follow God's guidance.Immediately after his dramatic victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah experiences a time of spiritual discouragement. In the midst of his despair, he has a profound encounter with God. We will explore how we can trust God to meet us in our darkest moments and offer hope and renewal.As Elijah's time on earth draws to an end, he prepares to pass the mantle of prophetic leadership and his legacy of faithful trust in God to his disciple, Elisha. As we study this final episode in Elijah's life, we will think about our personal spiritual legacies. Elijah's story reminds us that we can face each day with confidence because we know that our future rests in God's hands.Let's get to know this intriguing Old Testament prophet who has much to teach us about trusting God in all circumstances.

The prophet Zechariah ministered during the late sixth century BC. His audience was composed of Jews who had recently returned from Babylonian captivity and were struggling to rebuild their nation under Persian rule.This was a crucial turning point for the people of God. They stood on the threshold of a new beginning. Chastened by decades of exile, how would they use what they had learned about God, themselves, and covenant faithfulness to make a new way for themselves in their ancestral homeland?Like the returning exiles, Christians today often feel led to restore their relationships with God and each other. Perhaps the lessons of Zechariah can help us in that task.