Come!
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
Many peoples shall come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn warany more.
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord!
Isaiah 2:1-5, NRSV
Happy Holidays
Every year it happens like clockwork, stores begin putting their Christmas decorations out and then comes the chorus of complaints, “They’re already putting out Christmas decorations and it not even Halloween yet!” Then comes the myriad of Facebook posts about keeping Christ in Christmas and the outcry against Holiday Trees and saying, “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” All of this happens because we have some very particular ways of celebrating Jesus’ birth and if it doesn’t happen that way, then the earth will explode – well, not really.
Every year people bemoan the commercialization of Christmas, and yet many of those people line up for Black Friday and pre-Black Friday sales. They scurry around trying to get all their Christmas shopping done in the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Some are so good at planning that they have finished their shopping before Thanksgiving even gets here. Others brag that they got all their shopping done online and never had to leave the house. Then comes the inevitable charity appeals to help make sure children have a good Christmas, by which we mean get presents.
God's Idea of Christmas
However, have you ever taken the time to wonder what God’s idea of Christmas was? We all know the story of how he sent Jesus to be born of the Virgin Mary in a stable in Bethlehem. But why? What was God trying to accomplish by that act?
You get some idea when you read the songs of Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon. But to understand you should dig into the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. That is what we will do in worship as we prepare for Christmas this year.
Over the next four weeks, we will unwrap Christmas to discover God’s purposes for this special Holy Day. The passages we will explore in this series come from the Prophet Isaiah and have been used by the church for just this purpose for centuries.
Coming
Traditionally, the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day has been called the season of Advent. Advent comes from a Latin word that means “coming.” It was a time set aside by the Church long ago to celebrate Jesus’ first coming in the world and anticipate his second coming. It is a time to reflect, repent, and prepare for Jesus to come again. How would Christmas be different if we did that this year? Let’s find out.
Blessings!
- Alan
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Alan Cassady serves as Senior Pastor at Navarre UMC, and has been at the church since 2011. When he's not preaching and teaching, he enjoys sci-fi movies and FSU Football. Read more about Alan here.
Advent vs. Christmas
What is Advent about anyway?
Advent starts Sunday, but what really is Advent? In the Church Calendar, Advent begins the new year. It's the 40 days, not counting Sundays, the leads up to Christmas. The time after Christmas is called Christmastide. If we were actually following long-standing church tradition, we wouldn't sing a single Christmas song in the church until Christmas Eve, and then would sing them all through Christmastide which starts Christmas Eve and lasts 12 days (ending January 5th).
On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
12 Drummers Drumming
11 Pipers Piping
10 Lords a Leaping
9 Ladies Dancing
8 Maids a Milking...
Anyway. Advent is about anticipation and hope. It's about looking toward something, whereas Christmas is about celebration. In our culture today, we spend so much busyness during Advent, we don't have a chance to truly look towards Christmas. We're so busy shopping, planning, and preparing; we can't even start to begin to think about what is coming...the birth of God in a human form.
This Advent, I encourage you to as many moments as you can and stop to think about why you are dong all of the shopping, planning, and preparing. Why do you attend all the parties and celebrate with everyone? What is it we hope for at Christmas?
Don't forget to have fun!
Faith
Faith Parry serves as our Associate Pastor, and has been at the church since 2015. When she's not preaching and teaching, she enjoys documentaries and TV. Read more about Faith here.
A Call for Prayer and Fasting
Preparing for Commitment Sunday
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
Hebrews 12:1-3, NLT
As we draw near to commitment Sunday, I’d like to encourage you to consider a time of prayer and fasting. I know. We’re 21st century Protestants. We don’t talk about fasting. But Fasting is one of the spiritual disciplines that have been rooted in our Methodist tradition from its founding and can deepen your prayer life.
When you do a short fast, you are taking extra time to focus on God. It’s more than fasting from food and drink; it’s fasting from things that would be a distraction to prayer. Don’t watch your regular TV shows; TiVo them for later. Keep your mind focused on God for a short period, meditating on scripture, your prayers to God, and most importantly, listening.
What would the fast look like?
I’m seeking people in our church to fast and pray on Saturday night as we prepare for Sunday morning, a time to commit to God for the coming year. After sundown, avoid eating or drinking. You don’t have to skip dinner just eat dinner early.
Spend time as a family or personally in prayer. Reflect on the scripture passage for this Sunday. Read it multiple times and in different translations. Focus on the words that stand out to you. Ask God to speak to you through the passage.
Pray for our church. Ask God to bring unity to our church in the coming year and that we would be his living example in our community. Pray that we will be strong and reach out to those around us. Pray that we will embrace each other and those outside of our walls. Pray that God will show you your role in our church for the next year and how you can help us accomplish our vision to the community. Ask God how you can help further the Kingdom of God.
Spend time in prayer over your Financial and Service Commitments for 2017. Sunday you will be presenting those to God at the end of the service. Ask God to help you discern how you can give to help build his Kingdom and help reach those who don’t yet know him, as well a help build up his body.
Together, we can make 2017 a year like no other. We can bring people closer to God and make an impact for the Kingdom.
I'll be praying with you,
Faith
CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S FAITH NOTES
Faith Parry serves as our Associate Pastor, and has been at the church since 2015. When she's not preaching and teaching, she enjoys documentaries and TV. Read more about Faith here.
Just pick a stupid pen, already!
Click or Twist?
Have you ever had a moment where you ask yourself “Am I really having this conversation?” Maybe it’s when you met your hero and actually got to talk them. Maybe it was while talking to customer service and the person on the other side of the counter just doesn’t get it. But my absolute favorite ones are when it’s because of something hilariously trivial. One of my favorite examples is an ongoing conversation our church staff has about pens. When I mean ongoing, we’ve probably spent hours trying to decide on what pen to buy. And then we have to go through the process again every so often when we run out of pens.
We have sample pens sent to us. We pass them around, critique the look of the pen (does it look like it’s good quality, does it match our branding colors, would it look stylish in a pocket protector), we test how it writes (ball point, blue or black ink, ultra fine or broad point or somewhere in between), we talk about the weight of the pen (is it too heavy, does the lightness make it feel cheap) and the most important question - what type of cap is there? Is it retractable with a push click on top, or a twist, or the old fashioned cap? Then we have to weigh all that against the price point of the pen. Is it worth it to pay an extra few pennies to get this style of pen that we like more than this other pen that isn’t our favorite but is cheaper?
And by now you are probably thinking the same thing I usually think. Just pick a stupid pen, already! They all work just fine. Welcome to consumerism. 4imprint.com has almost 2000 different pens to chose from. Each one of those pens was designed by somebody who had a particular clientele in mind, but at the end of the day they just leave a mark on paper. They all exist to transfer ink to some surface, all of the other things that make them unique are just extras.
Pens vs. Jesus
This holiday season, you will find plenty of things that will seem important; trying to find the perfect present for somebody, putting up more lights than that one guy across the street, or talking about the latest Starbucks cup design. After a while all of these things feel like we’re just talking about pens again.
Christmas is supposed to be about celebrating the birth of Jesus; not giving, not perpetual hope, not spending time with family. Even though it’s not a traditional Christmas passage, Paul summarized it perfectly:
[Jesus], though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8
Christmas matters because it’s about Jesus, and Jesus matters because through his unconditional love and sacrifice for us, he has saved us all.
-Nathan
Nathan Persell serves as our Youth Director. When he's not leading devotions and playing basketball with teenagers, he enjoys disc golf and bike riding. Learn more about Nathan here.
Is our Time Ours?
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Romans 12:9-18, NLT
Have you ever thought about who your time belongs to? In the church world, we like to use the word "steward" a lot. It's a really old word. The people who study words (whoever they are) believe it dates back to around 900 AD. That's really Old English.
What was a Steward?
A steward was a person who managed someone else's household and property. He would live in a house that was owned by the lord of the area. It was usually a really nice house. He would then maintain the equivalent of three counties today for the lord. He would make decisions as if they were the lord's decisions, but in reality the house and land still belonged to the lord.
Today, the dictionary defines steward as "a person who manages another's property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others." That seems pretty much in line with what it meant back in 900 AD.
What about Time?
Have you ever thought about what it means to be a good steward of your time? If we do everything on this earth for our Lord because we are his stewards, then everything we have is to serve him. Of course, we take care of our family in the process, but the purpose is to build his Kingdom here.
How then should we spend our time? We have to work or take care of our families. We have to eat, sleep, and exercise. What do we do with the rest of it?
This week, I challenge you to look at where your time goes. Do you plan time to dedicate to God, or do you just give him whatever time is left over? Do you treat time as a resource or is it just a fact of life? I'd love to hear what you come up with. Leave your comments below.
See you Sunday!
-Faith
CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S FAITH NOTES
Faith Parry serves as our Associate Pastor, and has been at the church since 2015. When she's not preaching and teaching, she enjoys documentaries and TV. Read more about Faith here.