“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Micah 5:2
I could tell that Trinity had a vital acolyte ministry as soon as I arrived here. With the efforts and dedication of the coordinator, acolytes, and their families, it has been a blessed ministry to the church. I always appreciate acolytes being part of the worship service because they play a significant role in the worship service. They bring the light to light the candles on the altar, which signifies the Lord’s presence in the community of faith. They extinguish the altar candles, bringing out the light, indicating that the light goes everywhere with people who are sent to serve because Jesus Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12). Even though adults can serve as acolytes, they remind us of how Jesus said about children, “Let the little children come to us, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). In worship, everyone, either a child or an adult or a participant or a leader, has an essential role because worship is an act of community. I believe the acolyte ministry helps us understand the meaning of being a worship community as the body of Christ.
Micah, a prophet, shares a vision of restoration. Even though he presupposes the fall of Jerusalem due to Israel’s idolatry and social injustice, he proclaims a message of hope. It is a transformative process of beating swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks (Micah 4:3). God repurposes the intentions that human beings originated and brings good out of evil by creating new opportunities to value small things that we have abandoned. Our values and intentions can be upside-down when we allow ourselves to be accessible to the vulnerable, the lowly, the forsaken, the poor, the hungry, and the sick by encountering God. I pray that we may experience Advent and Christmas as a time to reconnect to God and one another as the body of Christ.
Rev. Hung Su Lim
