Advent Day One: Keeping Watch

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.
                            —Psalm 130:5-6 (NIV)

What comes to mind when you think about the word HOPE? What helps you to persevere in HOPE?

 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” — Luke 1:28 (NIV)

Ponder what it means to be loved, chosen, favoured by God. Which Scripture verses remind you of the love of God? Write them down.


The greek word for “favoured” in Luke 1:28 means “graced.” In fact, the apostle Paul uses the same word in Ephesians 1:6 to describe God pouring out his grace upon us: “to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” Write down your own response to the word “favoured.” What helps you to receive the good news of God’s grace? What makes it hard to believe?

Spiritual Practice: Celebration

Ponder what it means to be “pregnant with the Son of God,” to be chosen and graced and favoured to bear Christ like Mary. Find a way to celebrate the Spirit’s work in making you a dwelling place of the Most High God.

Practice standing in front of a mirror and saying these words: “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you!” Notice your receptivity or resistance to the exercise.

Jesus was not born in the Bethlehem Hilton, He came right into the mess of our world. And we look around at the mess of our lives and wonder, what can be born in a place like this?

Spend time considering the landscape of your own life. How are you welcoming Christ’s presence into chaos, trials, or mess? Or if nothing comes to mind with a current situation, contemplate a past experience. How did Jesus make his presence known? How might the memory of God’s faithfulness encourage you to trust God in the future?
 

Spiritual Practice: Waiting

One of the common ways God forms us is through waiting. If you find it difficult to wait – perhaps you find yourself battling impatience while waiting – look for opportunities to practice waiting well. If you choose to wait in the longest line in the store, don’t distract yourself with your phone or magazine while you wait. Use the wait time to be attentive to the presence of God. What would God have you notice about the people around you? How might you pray for them? Offer a word of kindness? Provide a simple act of service? Practice prayerfulness in the waiting times.

reflections taken from Two Steps Forward: A Story of Persevering in Hope by Sharon Garlough Brown

Advent ~ A Season of Preparation

If you were with us on Sunday morning (December 18), you should have received a booklet full of five guided devotions to take you to Christmas. It is our hope that you will take some time before the 25th to reflect on the season and all that God has in store for you. We will post each devotion here as a reminder to dig into the Word and seek Jesus in the midst of the hustle and bustle.

Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
God’s Sunrise will break in upon us,
shining on those in the darkness,
those sitting in the show of death,
then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
down the path of peace. — Luke 1:78-79

Advent, a season that invites us to keep watch and remain attentive to all the ways Christ comes into our world and into our lives. Advent is a season of prayerful preparation, a season to practice hope – not the kind of hope synonymous with “wishing for” certain outcomes, but a hope firmly rooted in the person, work, and promises of God in Jesus Christ. We are called to be Advent people, to live in a posture of readiness and expectation, every day of the year.

During Advent we are reminded of the paradoxes and incongruities of life: light and darkness; faith and fear; joy and sorrow; vulnerability and power; weakness and strength; done, but not complete; already and not yet.  These pairs of contrasting ideas are not just for Advent. They are the daily themes and dilemmas of ordinary, everyday Christians.

December 20: Day One – Keeping Watch          

December 21: Day Two – Waiting in the Dark           

December 22: Day Three – In a Place Like This      

December 23: Day Four – Love Descends        

December 24: Day Five – Let the Star of Morning Rise

reflections taken from Two Steps Forward: A Story of Persevering in Hope by Sharon Garlough Brown

Mary’s Song ~ Sermon Video

When your world is turned upside down, remember…

1. God provides faith-filled-friends.

2. God plants his word in overlooked people.

3. God promises to lift up the humble and bring down the proud.

Luke 1:46-55 New International Version (NIV)

Mary’s Song

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”
New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


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FAMILY: We Belong Together ~ Sermon Video

Ephesians 2:14-22 New International Version (NIV)

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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CARE: Extending Love In Practical Ways ~ Sermon Video

Caring for the least should be one of our highest priorities

1. There is a judgement day (v. 31-34; 41-46)

2. Caring for the least is simple and practical (v. 35-36)

3. Caring for the least is humbling (v. 37-40)

Matthew 25:31-46 New International Version (NIV)

The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


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Worship: Glorifying Jesus Through Personal Obedience ~ Sermon Video

 Christ-centered worship is transformative

Practices of Worship:

    1. Get comfortable with being a living dead person (vs 1)

    2. Fix your mind on Christ

Results of Worship:

    1. Personal transformation (vs 2)

    2. Knowledge of God’s will (vs 2)

Romans 12:1-2New International Version (NIV)

A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Worship: Praising God in our Congregation and in our Groups

Come prepared to worship together

1. Start with God (vs 3:12)

2. Dress up (vs 3:12b-14)

3. Allow Jesus to tune your heart (vs 3:15)

4. Bring the Word of Christ with you (vs 3:16a)

5. Sing with gratitude (vs 3:16b)

Colossians 3:12-17New International Version (NIV)

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


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