Looking together at the traditional Christmas reading from Luke 2:1-20, we’ll ask ourselves what this means for us today. A baby was born, an important baby by all accounts. Still when we ask how this is meant to fit into our lives today and why it matters to us, we sometimes find ourselves giving either simple answers we’ve always heard or not really having a good answer. I try to tie the pieces of then and now together in ways that can make sense for us everyday. Listen and see what you think.
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Luke 1:26-38. In the Bible story for worship, Mary is approached by an angel asking her to be mom for Jesus, God’s son. As we all know, she said yes. Have we ever really thought about the ramifications of that yes, what it meant for her life? What are the ramifications in our own lives when we say yes? Listen and see what you think of saying, “yes!”
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Reading from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, we looked at what it means to do the will of God, not only in BIG ways but also everyday ways.
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I am preparing for the message this weekend and as I do, I am reading the several texts suggested for the weekend. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 is catching my eye at the moment. Since so many folks ask me about figuring out God’s will in their lives and generally I think they mean specifically what work God wants them to do or what God wants from them in their next major life-decision. I found these words in the beginning of this text interesting as regards God’s will:
Rejoice always,
Pray without ceasing,
Give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
While I believe God has a will for all of us and has wired us in certain ways to live out our faith, I also find this piece of scripture fascinating as it directs us to understand that at the very least, God has a broader sense of will for all of us that involves rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. These are great activities at any time and certainly as we prepare for the coming of Jesus again in our midst. Even when we don’t know exactly what we are supposed to do with our lives and maybe BECAUSE we don’t know what to do with our lives, we need to follow this pattern in doing God’s will. We need to, not simply ought to. Some thoughts on a text that may make the cut for Sunday’s message…
Looking together at Mark 1:1-8 (a change from the planned 2 Peter text!), we talked about how so often we think of Christmas as a children’s holiday and while we do not want to take it away from children altogether, adults get a lot from the season.
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So this is the message for the last Sunday in November which turns out to the first Sunday in Advent, the season to prepare for Christmas. Take a listen…
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