November 28, 2010
First Sunday of Advent
Romans 13:11-14 The Message Bible
Isaiah 2:1-5 God’s Word Translation
“The Reason for the Season”
(Show Video from “A Life-Giving Christmas”: week 1 Hope by Rev. N. Neelley Hicks)
Good Morning. . . this week we are beginning the celebration of Advent. This Advent season. . . Pastor Huntley and I are going to take you on a journey with us. The journey may make us re-think how we think about and do things. . . it may make us re-think our conceptions of the world around us. . . it may make us re-think our thoughts about what the “Reason for the Season” is.
You see. . . Advent is the season that we Christians expectantly wait. . . or wait expectantly. . . to celebrate that wondrous day that “The Word became Flesh and lived among us”. . . that day that mercy came down from heaven. . . the day that radically changed the world. . . the day that our Risen Lord Jesus Christ was born. . . that Christmas day so long ago. . . it is a season that brings hope, love, joy and peace.
This is a time of excitement for me. . . this is a time when I tend to look at my life. . . this is a time of searching within myself. . . this is a time when I not only “prepare” my home that I live in but also the home where Christ lives. . . the home of my heart. It is a time when I contemplate that day when the Hope of nations was born to teach us to Love so that we may have Joy and Peace.
Romans 13 verses 11-14 reminds me of what the season of Advent is about. . . things that we as humankind need to be thinking about. Christ came into the world so long ago and lives within our hearts today but he also promised that He would come back and this passage makes me think about what I should be doing in the mean time. The passage reads: (and I’m reading from the Message Bible). . .
So this is the first week in our Advent journey. . . the week of Hope. As we saw in the Video this morning, Purity lost both of her parents and didn’t know where her next meal was coming from. . . where was her hope in that dire time? Have you ever had a time in your life when you were in a situation that you felt you had no hope? Where did your hope come from? Purity found her hope in the Lord Jesus Christ and through the help of others she was able to learn how to help herself and her family. Not only did she learn how to help herself and her family but whe is now a business woman who is able to take care of her family. But she didn’t stop there. . . Purity shared that hope. . . she share her prosperity with others who were in the same situation she was in. She was hope to others.
My question to you is this. . . have you shared your story of hope with someone else who just may need a ray of hope. . . who in your life needs to hear that hope that you have within? Just as Purity shared that hope with the people of the village where she lives, we too need to share our stories with those around.
OK this is my challenge. . . I want you to take one thing that depletes your energy and bank account and replace it with something that renews your hope and faith. But I don’t want you to stop there. . . I challenge you to take that renewed hope and faith and share it with someone. Take that renewed hope to the streets. The time has come for us to “wake up” to the fact that there are those around us that need hope. . . there are those around us that need that radical hospitality that Jesus showed so long ago. Let us be on watch. . . Jesus promised that he would be back. . . let us spread the Good News of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace and be about the kingdoms work and not asleep on the job. . .
AMEN
November 28, 2010
Romans 13:11-14
Isaiah 2:1-5
Worship Theme: “Hope”
and sermon, “The Reason for the Season”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
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Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NHNovember 28, 2010
First Sunday of Advent
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