What God Can Do:

LMPC Faith Stories

For Advent

LMPC ADVENT DEVOTIONAL

2007

WHAT IS ADVENT?

Advent means coming.  Jesus came down for us, not because we deserved God’s help, but because He is a giving, gracious, loving God.  Jesus is our hero and our Savior.  He is the one who enables us to be better than we are in and of ourselves.  He works in us to make us a better people.

A lot of people are talking about heroes these days.  Advent is about our hero, Jesus, coming to the rescue.  But he does not just come once.  Many hymns and carols echo the theme that Jesus comes to us:

            Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown when thou camest to earth for me.

            But in Bethlehem’s home there was found no room for thy holy nativity.

            O come to my heart Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee!

            Come desire of nations come- fix in us thy humble home! [Hark the Herald Angels Sing]

            Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay close by me forever and love me I pray.

            O holy Child of Bethlehem descend to us we pray.  Cast out our sin and enter in,

            Be born in us today.  [O Little Town of Bethlehem]

This advent devotional is a storybook of sorts.  It is a story of how God has been working in the hearts of some of the leaders of our church.  Last year (2006) before Christmas we had an excellent examination of our officers, and heard some great stories of how God is at work in the lives of our people.  These are stories of how the holy child of Bethlehem has come to us in 2007. 

People celebrated Christmas as far back as we can record (though on varying dates).  One early tradition was the twenty-fifth of December.  In the 300’s this was finalized in a statement from the leaders of the church.  In the 500’s a special liturgy was developed around the light of the world coming into our darkness with four candles. 

Advent begins 12/2 and extends through Christmas Eve.

The four candles represent the following:

1^st candle- Symbol of prophecy- longing for the light. HOPE

2^nd candle- Symbol of preparation- the stable light. TRUTH

3^rd candle- Symbol of joy/rejoicing- the angelic light (usually a pink candle) JOY

4^th candle- Symbol of love - the star’s light LOVE

Each night a candle is lit (all the candles from the previous nights are lit- adding a new candle each Sunday).  If you have family with you, you may want to divide the parts- perhaps even making a schedule.

Sunday 12/23- Light four candles

[Church events- Sudnay School -9: worship -10]
Christ and Jonah- the death and resurrection foretold

Scripture: “As the crowds increased, Jesus said, ‘This is a wicked generation.  It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.  For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation…The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now one greater than Jonah is here.”  (Luke 11:29,32)

What is the sign of Jonah?  Every church kid knows Jonah was swallowed by the whale (or big fish), and that he was spewed out of the whale and preached to the people of Nineveh afterwards.  Jonah died in effect, when he was thrown into the ocean.  He was in the belly of the whale for three days and then spewed out on land. 

Jesus predicted he would be in the tomb like Jonah would be in the belly of the whale: three days and out.

Yet he also predicted that even though he was greater than the great Jonah, the people would not repent—even after his resurrection. 

Jesus came in part to save us and to show us the way to eternal life.  He came, He said,  to seek and to save what is lost.  Advent is a reminder of the salvation we have.  Our salvation is similar to Jonah’s and Jesus’ escape from ultimate death.

Prayer: Lord you came to set us free.  You came to ransom us from death, sin, and hell.  Help us to rejoice in our freedom and turn from our sin.  We pray for those we know today who feel trapped by their sin and are in the darkness of despair.  Let them see your salvation and hope, in the name of the Christ. Amen.

Monday, 12/24 Christmas Eve- the last day of advent.  Light all the candles

[Church events: worship 5:00, 7:00, 11:00]

Scripture: I Timothy 1:15,16: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” 

The writer of I Timothy (traditionally Paul) does not admit he is a hero.  But here he focuses on what Christ can do with him. 

This verse tells us why that first Christmas occurred.  “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”  This implies things that we should not assume.  It implies that Jesus came into the world from outside of the world.

It implies that Jesus is capable of saving others.  It implies that God cares about our sin, and also about our salvation.

This also is a verse that tells us of God’s great grace to save even the worst of sinners.  There is no sin that you can commit that is greater than God’s wonderful grace.  If this was indeed Paul (the letter claims to be written by him- 1:1), then it was written toward the end of his life to his disciple, Timothy.  Paul never really got over the fact that he was one who persecuted Christians, even taking part in their death, before his conversion.  Yet, he knows that even this terrible sin can be forgiven by Christ’s grace. 

Paul also holds his life up as an example.  Not so much the great things that he did, but that God’s patience was really at work on, in, and through him.  God was patient to bring Paul to faith.  God was patient to lead Paul on the right path.  God was patient in an “immense” way as an example for all of us.  We can trust God to be far more patient than we truly can be. 

Advent is, after all, about waiting and thus about patience.  Let us be patient with God- who is very patient with us.  There is far too much anger toward God and each other in our stressed-out, busy society.  Our busyness- seven days a week- every waking moment, leads to greed, which can kill a people and an economy.  Would that we could have peace with God, patience with God, and trust in God.  That is a much more decent way to live.  I wish you peace and patience with God and each other this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!