Advent 3 - The Gift Exchange - Week # 3

Our message series called “The Gift Exchange” builds upon the reality that this is one of the busiest time of the whole year. The hectic pace can even make it hard to enjoy and manage the numerous expectations and demands placed on us. These can become “obligations” instead of “opportunities”. Our series is dedicated to discerning together how to make our “yes” to the numerous requests we receive, a response build upon the best one we can make, all the difference so that is to set our priorities on God. But that response can get crowded out by all the other “yeses” we’re making. How do we make our first “Yes” the best. Our message series will be all about setting priorities for the season and celebrating Christmas well.

You may wish to listen again to the Audio of the Lord’s Day Message

At this point please use the video Message for this series – Week #3

This 3rd week of Advent focuses on the Journey to the stable. We’ve prepared, decided on a path and now we’re on our way to our destination. Where are the choices we’ve made thus far this Advent Season leading us?

The Journey, whether on vacation, or in life can be challenging. From the backseat we hear, “Are we there yet?”Once at our destination, we soon hear, “I’m bored.” “What should we do?” In today’s Gospel, we hear that phrase 3 times—once from the crowd, once from the tax collectors and once from the soldiers. “What should we do?”

This teaching anticipated something greater to come — Jesus the Messiah — and the gift of the Spirit of God that He would bring. Just as the mission of John the Baptist was to prepare the coming of the Lord by raising the spiritual consciousness of the people, our own compassionate response to others makes possible the greater work of God in us and on our behalf. Teacher, what should we do? The answer is simple and clear - forgetting self.

This third week of Advent invites us to develop in our life Discernment so that we choose the most life giving “Yeses”. It calls us to gentleness so that we can achieve peace and it calls us to forgetting self so that we may live lives of service to others which gives us perspective, which in turn, leads to Joy. The beauty of this part of the Gift Exchange is that is that it is about learning these skills in the midst of the menu of options before us, so that we experience Joy not for a Sunday, or a season, but for our entire lives. These are not just Advent habits – but life habits!

Please discuss these two questions as a family:

1. This Advent has been focused on the stable: our preparaton of Jesus’ coming, our choice of the right path and not necessary the secular one, and the actual journey. What have you done differently this year during Advent than in previous years?

2. Have your choices been a source of joy for you? If so, why? If not, why not?