My how time flies – there are only 22 shopping days until Christmas! It seems like it was only a month or so ago that Trudy and I moved here and I became your minister! As we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent (the Sunday of Hope) what is it that you hope for? That is a very broad question so let me narrow it down. What do you hope for in your personal life?
For me, I hope that this year will be a healthy year and that things here at Countryside CC continue to move forward. I hope we can bring in some younger families and I hope that our music program continues to provide uplifting and meaningful music, which, by the way, makes our worship services more meaningful! I hope that my family has a healthy and prosperous year as well. What do you hope for? As Christians, we most certainly have hope that this world is not our final destination. This reminds me of some words from an old Southern Gospel song: This world is not my home I'm just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven's open door, and I can't feel at home in this world anymore. (This World Is Not My Home by Jim Reeves) Today, this world is in a mess. People are killing each other over miniscule things. Radical terrorists make many places in this world un-safe. Christians are persecuted more than any other religion. Racial tensions possibly are higher than they were in the ‘60’s. Many times I wonder how long God will allow this world to spiral downward! But then again, my guess is that this is not the first time the world has been in this kind of condition! As we begin this season of Advent, let us begin with hope – hope that this Christ Child who came to this world to bring salvation to all who claim him as their “personal lord and Savior” will come again. Let us hope that we will be safe through another year. Let us be thankful for the gift of the Christ Child in whom we always have hope. Amen. I trust that all y’all had a great Thanksgiving and that you did not eat too much or watch too much football! Believe it or not, Christmas is just around the corner. I also hope you survived “Black Friday” without any serious injuries! It amazes me that more and more these days, Christmas celebrations seem to begin earlier and earlier! This year, the Hallmark Channel began playing Christmas movies BEFORE Halloween! Are we in that big of a hurry for Christmas to come?
I love the season of Advent. Maybe that is because, as a child, Advent was something we did not celebrate. We went straight from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas. It is four weeks that slowly leads up to, or builds up to Christmas. The First Sunday of Advent this year is one week later than normal! That is because Christmas Eve just happens to fall on a Sunday! That places the First Sunday of Advent on December 3. Each Sunday of Advent asks us to celebrate, to contemplate on four different themes. The First Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of Hope. Prior to the birth of the Christ-child, the nation of Israel hoped for a Messiah-one who would set them free from Roman oppression. Today there are lots of people who think they have no hope but in that tiny child born to poor parents anyone and everyone can find hope if they will just look. The Second Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of Peace. We live in a world today that is torn apart in so many ways we stop to wonder if there ever will be peace. Jesus did not come to bring world peace, but a peace that resides inside those who choose this tiny child as “their personal lord and Savior.” The Third Sunday in Advent is the Sunday of Joy. Even today, there are still so many things that bring us joy. That first smile from a new-born comes to mind! The Fourth and final Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of Love. God loves us so much that God’s only Son was sent to die for you and for me! These four Sunday’s of Advent allow us to prepare for what happens on Christmas morning and it is NOT the arrival of Santa. Hope, Peace, Joy and Love are four of the reasons this tiny child was born to begin with. Let us go through these weeks of contemplation and be prepared to greet this child born “King of the Jews!” Amen. In our sermon text for today (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11) the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica concerning the Second Coming of Jesus or what we call the Apocalypse! This letter is the oldest piece of “Christian” literature we have, pre-dating Mark’s Gospel by some 20 years. It was also written some 20 years after the death/resurrection/ascension of Jesus. Paul is concerned about the newly formed “church” in Thessalonica. He and timothy had not been able to spend much time in Thessalonica but they did “preach” in the Jewish synagogue there with the result being several Jews and lots of pious Gentiles converted to this new movement called The Way.
In our text for today, Paul addresses the Second Coming and he uses the metaphor of darkness and light to drive home his point. He reminds those Christians there that they are not in darkness (v4). Why – because they “are children of light and children of the day…” I believe the point that Paul is making here is that as Christians, we should not be surprised at the Second Coming of Jesus when it happens. He relates the Second Coming to a thief in the night and because they are Christians they will be prepared no matter when or how that Second Coming happens. The very same holds true for you and for me today. As Christians, we must remember that we are no longer children of the darkness—now we are children of the light and the day. If the Second Coming should happen in your life-time, it should not surprise you. Truth is, we ask God to send Jesus back every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer (“Thy Kingdom come!”). As Christians we should expect that coming to happen just any time! IN fact, pray more for it – things will be much better when Jesus does return. Amen. Last Sunday as we worshipped here at Countryside, a most heinous act was taking place in a small town in Texas. A young man walked in and mercilessly shot and killed 26 people and wounded 20 more. Almost every person sitting in worship that morning was either killed or wounded and all in a small town (less than 1,000 people).
Churches used to be a place of safety. In fact, there have been multiple times in our nation’s history where people actually sought refuge in a church. Churches were a safe place but not so much anymore. Back in the Old Testament, synagogues were places where people could legally seek refuge. That has gradually changed over the centuries and today, it is illegal for churches to harbor criminals (although many churches will still do just that). The Catholic Church actually kept sanctuary rule as part of their Code on Canon Law until 1983. My question is simply this: what has happened to the morals of our society when one person walks into a church during Bible study or Sunday morning worship and opens fire on innocent people? Hate is a strong emotion and hate causes people to lose track of what is just and right and moral. We may never know the real reason for the senseless murders in Texas, but I can assure you of one thing – until the people of this great nation have a change in heart, things like this will continue to happen. We can place blame on guns but what about the man who rented a truck recently in New York City? Truth is if someone wants to kill lots of people, they will find a way! What then can we do, as individuals or as a church to get things straightened out? First, we can pray and in that prayer we should ask God to give us the courage to “go make disciples!” If we, as Christians could be as enthusiastic about telling the Jesus story to others as we are about, say cheering for our favorite college football or basketball team, could we change the world in which we live? Amen. |
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This blog consists of reflections written by the minister each week for the Sunday bulletin. We hope that you enjoy the musings! Archives
January 2020
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