Advent

Advent Week 4

December 24, 2023 by Bill Leave a Comment

This week is the fourth and final week of Advent. In previous weeks we have seen that during this Christmas time we should be focusing on Hope, Preparation, Joy and this week LOVE. We have had Word given to us of a Savior and people Hoped for that. He came and now we Hope for His second coming. Because of that Hope, we should be Preparing our hearts and minds for that event. Jesus’ first coming brought great Joy to the people and we should have great Joy during this time when we celebrate His birth.

And now, LOVE. “For God so LOVED the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3: 16-17). “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14). “This is LOVE: not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1John 4:10). “And now I give you a new commandment: LOVE one another. As I have LOVED you, so you must LOVE one another.” (John 13:34).

LOVE. It’s a strong word that is used in many different ways in our society. This week remember the unconditional, sacrificial, incomparable LOVE that was shown to us on that glorious night when LOVE was born into our world. LOVE your family, LOVE your friends, LOVE your neighbors, LOVE your enemies, LOVE everyone, and LOVE yourself! LOVE Jesus and show it in your life. Merry CHRISTmas! I LOVE you!

Advent – Week Two

December 9, 2023 by Bill 6 Comments

Preparation. Last week, we began a series on what Advent is and how we celebrate it. I am giving this explanation for any who did not see this last week. The word Advent is derived from the Latin word, “adventus”, meaning, “coming” and by the 6^th century, Roman Christians had tied it to the coming of Jesus. For Christians today, the season of Advent comprises the four weeks leading up to Christmas with each week focusing on a different topic: Week 1 – Hope or Promise, Week 2 – Preparation or Waiting, Week 3 – Joy or Peace and Week 4 – Love or Adoration. Also, each week is highlighted by the lighting of an Advent Candle which we see in the image above. Today, we will look at Week 2 of Advent, Preparation or Waiting.

“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 40:3-5)

Preparation. The prophet Isaiah is seeing a few hundred years into the future and speaking of John the Baptist, (John 1:23), who was preaching repentance of sin and baptism and telling the people of One who was coming who was greater than himself, Jesus. John was telling the people to prepare, to get ready for the Kingdom of God. Jesus was there. He had been born; He grew and was beginning His ministry. But would suffer and die for the sins of the world. Jesus was among them. However, some of the people did not listen to or believe in Jesus then. Jesus is among us now. However, some do not listen to His Word or believe in Him today. Jesus came once as a baby but He is coming again in glory as the Victor over sin and death. We celebrate the birth of the Baby but we must prepare for the Victor. “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44). We wait and prepare.

Advent – Week One

December 3, 2023 by Bill Leave a Comment

Advent. We’ve heard the word but what does it mean and how do we participate? The word is derived from the Latin word, “adventus”, meaning, “coming” and by the 6^th century, Roman Christians had tied it to the coming of Jesus. For Christians today, the season of Advent comprises the four weeks leading up to Christmas with each week focusing on a different topic: Week 1 – Hope or Promise, Week 2 – Preparation or Waiting, Week 3 – Joy or Peace and Week 4 – Love or Adoration. Also, each week is highlighted by the lighting of an Advent Candle which we see in the image above. We will look at these topics beginning today.

The first Sunday of Advent – HOPE. From the prophesy of the Prophet Isaiah: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9: 2, 6-7).

The people in Isaiah’s time were looking for HOPE. Today, we are looking for HOPE. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). They were hoping for the arrival of a Savior, and He came as a baby. We are hoping for His second coming, and it will happen. Celebrate Christmas in faith as we focus on HOPE this week.

Advent 2

December 18, 2022 by Bill Leave a Comment

As we learned last week, the word “advent” means, “coming” or “arrival”. They were awaiting the arrival of our Savior and King during this Christmas season. We talked about HOPE and PEACE last week and, this week, we are going to focus on JOY and LOVE.

JOY. Some view joy and happiness as the same thing, but that’s not the case. Joy is more Spiritual and intentional. Happiness is shaped by what happens to you, joy is found deep within no matter what’s going on around you. If you’re going through a hard time and feel like all your strength has been sapped, declare this verse: “The joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).Be reminded of the promises of God, (they’re in the Bible), and don’t listen to the temptations of the enemy. And, as a witness, people would expect you to be happy when good things happen to you. But the best witness could be that, when you’re in a storm of life, that you show joy and faith that God will bring you through. That is Spiritual and internal. Jesus endured the cross, “for the joy that was set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). We can too.

LOVE. “An intense feeling of deep affection:” Oh wow, love. How much love is displayed during Christmas? We see the love of God toward us in action by the events of Jesus’ birth and early life. God is love! We should be showing our love for God during Christmas, and every day, by the way we love others. Jesus said, “Love one another.” (John 13:34). God loves us with a never-ending love and we should try to do the same toward Him and His creation. We can love our car, our sports team or our phone but what about people? We can love our spouse, kids, grandkids and others in our family but what about those we meet each day, our co-workers, our church family? Show the love of God. Let’s demonstrate our Christianity during this Christmas season by showing our JOY and LOVE. God will be pleased.

Advent, Part 1

December 10, 2022 by Bill Leave a Comment

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.” (Micah 5:2)

The word Advent originates from a Latin word “Adventus” which means “coming” or “arrival.” Advent Season is focused on preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ in all ways, from His birth in the past to His Second Coming in the future as the Messiah.

There are four weeks and themes of Advent and I am going to cover the first two weeks here. The first theme is HOPE. “Hope is an ACTIVE anticipation in the ability to reach desired goals,” – Dr. Steven Sandage. Hope may not be necessary when we are faced with an easy task. It comes when we are faced with something that feels impossible. Hope requires belief. Hope requires action. What are we actively hoping for? We don’t hope for something we already have, we hope for something in the future. Jesus came into our world to give us the hope of His return and our going to Heaven.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

The second theme of Advent is PEACE. The dictionary defines peace as, “a state of tranquility or quiet: such as freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions.” Peace is not the absence of pain; peace is the presence of God. Inner peace is the feeling that, even though things may look bad around you, you have a peace from within that comes from God and that He will take care of you. If you’ve ever had a major decision to make, you probably had two choices. You pray about it and one choice makes you uneasy but he other choice, “gives you peace”. That is God letting you know which way to go and that He’ll go with you.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

During this Christmas season, we have HOPE because Jesus came and, if we accept Him as Savior and Lord, we can look forward to our eternal life. And because of that HOPE, we can have PEACE as we travel this earthly path knowing that He is with us.