Music, O Holy Night, a solo by Barbara Caine. Jayne McDonough, accompanist.
Part 4: People of Blessing, People of Song In Advent LightLuke 1:39-55. Dr. Kevin Yoho
Let Mary and Elizabeth be our guide to being a people of blessing and song. Here’s the good news: God‘s plan always included us to be adopted into God‘s family (Ephesians 1:5). Our purpose is to be involved in God‘s family. Some of us may have an awesome amazing human family, or others may have a different experience. Perhaps because of our stage in life, or because of the circumstances and choices we have made our family is differently configured. But in the community of faith, like here at Cold Spring Presbyterian Church, everybody is family, everybody belong and has a place. We hope you feel this way today. Here’s why:
God cannot love you any more than he did when Jesus rose again from the dead for you. And, God cannot love you more than he loves you now, and into the future, no matter how unclear, unsettling, that future is. We, like Mary, can have an open heart and when we accept the blessings God has for us, we start singing! What’s amazing is that our future is can be awesome because its in God’s hands. “To as many as received him, who believed on his name, shall be called the children of God.”
“Gesu Bambino”, a solo by Lenore Bowne, accompanist is Jayne McDonough.
This year’s Advent Message Series is titled The All-Inclusive Story featuring the animals of Christmas. Animals, you ask? Yes! You can become a part of the story, too!
The eagle’s sharp eyesight and the dove’s spirit will inspire us this week as we over-hear John the Baptist challenge the community who met him at the Jordan River. It was as if he posted on his Facebook page and live-streamed his message for all to see. What did John say about Jesus? What were the “take-aways” for parents, shopkeepers, and military types? What are we required to DO for Christmas? This week, our lesson from Luke 3:7-18 will challenge our preconceptions about Christmas and exchange them for eagle-eyes and a dove’s spirit which will provide a foundation for experiencing the presence of God in our lives today. Everyone is welcome to come and worship with us every Sunday in December. Enjoy special music, an interactive and inspiring message from God’s word, and a joyful community of faith!
Listen and consider how you can put “doing” into Christmas!
Christmas includes the tradition of exchanging gifts with those we care about. And also it includes volunteering and serving others in new ways. We call these activities acts of kindness. Christmas is about doing. Last week you selected an activity, what did you do. Read a book with a friend. That’s awesome! Well this week, I will offer you three challenges! Are you up to it? I have some great “gifts”, acts of kindness suggestions in this Advent Tin for you to choose from! Reach in a see what your challenge is this week. Great. Invite a friend to Christmas Eve service. Pick another. That’s a really good one: Help in the kitchen. Another. Make a Christmas card for a neighbor. God wants us to show our gratitude for his “indescribable gift” of Jesus! Thank you for being with me today! Be blessed as you do Christmas this week! Let’s pray.
Did you know that earliest followers of Jesus didn’t celebrate what we call Christmas? That’s right. In fact, it took them 300 years to set the date! Why? The focus of the early believers was on the life and work of Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Christ, and the birth narratives were not thought to be central to the Jesus-stories. The focus was on the atoning work of the cross, death, burial, resurrection, ascension and Jesus’ promised return. A few centuries later, however, it became important to introduce a more complete story of the Savior to show his full humanity and full divinity. The scholar and pastor, Jerome (347-420 AD), helped early believers learn the four gospels using familiar creatures, each representing a diffferent animal. Mark (the Lion), John (the Eagle), Matthew (humans) and Luke (the Ox).
This year’s Advent Message Series is titled The All-Inclusive Story featuring the animals of Christmas. Animals, you ask? Yes!
On the second Sunday of Advent, this week we will consider the ox and the donkey as images to help tell the Christmas story. The Gospel of Luke features the important role John the Baptist as a messenger to level the playing fields of life. The Good News is for everyone! God is in the business of smoothing out the rough edges, the ups and downs, the obstacles that impede our learning and growth as followers of Jesus. Listen to the an all-inclusive adventure toward Christmas hope this message.
Sharing the Message and Gift of Christmas. Everyone is invited into the Christmas Story. We don’t just want to hear the story of Jesus birth, we want to become a part of it! The wonderful git of Christmas is that God gave his son Jesus to us to empower our lives, to set us free from all those things that hold us back and help us to live our very best selves. Here’s what the Bible says about God’s gifts to us:
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (1 Corinthians 9:15)
This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son… by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life (John 3:16-18).
We love because he first loved us (1John 4:19).
That gift is ours to open, but there’s more to it. God want us to be in the Christmas Story and we can do that when we also give gifts. What kid of gifts can you give? Here are some ideas adapted from Elf On the Shelf:
Hold the door for someone
Make a card for someone you love
Compliment a friend
Help a friend at school today
Write a thank you note
Give away some clothes that don’t fit anymore
Give books to the library
Give a kid a toy
Write a thank you note for your teacher
Give 5 people a high five
Bake cookies and deliver them to the firemen
Tell a friend what Jesus means to you
Smile at everyone you see today
Deliver cookies to your neighbors
Call your grandparents and tell them you love them
Make cards for kids at the Children’s Hospital
God wants us to become a part of the Christmas Story by sharing God’ s love this week. Will you do that? Thank you!
