Advent! Can you believe it? We begin a new liturgical year and a new primary Gospel writer,
Luke. With it we also begin a new message series - The Gift Exchange.
This Lord’s Day we
begin a new message series called “The Gift Exchange”. Nobody would argue that
the holidays are the busiest time of the whole year. And every year it seems to
get worse. It can even be hard to enjoy them, when there is so much to do, so
many expectations to manage, so many demands to be met.
The Advent and
Christmas seasons are all about growing in love for God, and preparing a bigger
place in our hearts for our Saviour. Saying yes to God's presence and plan for
our lives. That yes is the best one we
can make, the best one ever. But it can get crowded out by all the other
“yeses” we’re making. How do we make our “Yes” the best. Our message
series will be all about setting priorities for the season and celebrating
Christmas well.
Are you frightened by the ride or will you freely give this Advent Season to Him and exchange let Him do the work while we wait?
Warm-Up:
·
What do you love about this
time of year? What do you find difficult about this season?
·
What are some of the things
(the other yeses) that distract you from “the Yes” to God?
The message sounds very familiar to one we heard 2 weeks ago from Mark. Remember, it is not about doom and gloom, but the need to be vigilant, to be prepared, to turn our lives around. There is no better time to do that than over these next 4 weeks.
Isn’t that really what this season and this Gospel is all about? Our life is the journey. Our destination is Jesus, waiting at this point as a baby in a stable. Like any journey, preparation is the key to success. Every year the Church gives us these four weeks. With so many options during this time of year to take a detour, let us pray we can stay focused on our real destination and say, “We are truly Stable-Bound.”
Please discuss these two questions as a family: