Advent Readings - Week 4

 Advent Readings Week 4: Giving

Readings - Luke 12:33-34, Matthew 6:19-21, James 1:17, 2 Corinthians 9:7

Why read these verses this week?

We know that ‘tis the season for giving, but these verses highlight what a giving spirit really means.

2 Corinthians 9:7: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Families, especially children, may be eager to unwrap presents and to get, get, get, but these advent readings can remind us how God did nothing but give when he sent Jesus to earth.

A Prayer:

Jesus, it’s oh so easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas. That you gave. You gave your life so that we could have life abundant. May we not get lost in the consumerism and greed that often accompanies this season. Give us a spirit of compassion and charity so that we may bless others this time of year, and throughout the year. Not just in December. Amen. 

Advent Readings - Week 3

 Advent Readings Week 3: Christ as Saviour

Readings - John 1:1-18, Colossians 1:19-20, John 3:16-17, Romans 5:8

Why read these verses this week?

Easter and Christmas usually are about three to four months apart in the calendar year, but for some reason, we don’t often associate the two with one another. But the birth of Jesus should make us think about Easter. After all, Jesus came to earth not for us to exchange presents but to ultimately save humanity from their sins. Think about the profound nature of Jesus’ birth. Those tiny fingerprints would eventually stretch out on a cross.

God chose to come to earth in the most humble way, lived a humble life, and died a humiliating death. All for us. Oh, the profundity of his love.

A Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you could’ve come to earth as a king or a rich man, but instead, you chose a humble birth and life. May we remember the true reason we celebrate this season. Not to exchange gifts or enjoy Christmas light displays but to recognize the solemnity of your death and resurrection that would come 30 years after you entered this earth. Thank you for your sacrifice, Jesus. Amen.

Advent Readings - Week 2

 Advent Readings Week 2: Birth Narrative

Reading - Luke 1:5-2:52

Why read these verses this week?

You cannot have an Advent reading without reading about Jesus’ birth. Although Jesus’ birth appears in two Gospel accounts, Luke has the most extensive version of it. You’ve likely heard the story many times. Either you’ve seen your child perform as an angel in a church pageant, or you’ve seen the Charlie Brown Christmas special where Linus reads from Luke 2.

So it may seem monotonous to dive into the Luke 2 account. But this time, I encourage you to try to catch something in the story you hadn’t before. Maybe ask yourself what it would be like from the perspective of the shepherds or the innkeeper. Write your new insights and share them with your family. If you cannot come up with a new perspective, ask the Spirit to speak to your heart as you read the account in Luke.

A Prayer:

Father God, thank you for sending your Son to us in the Christmas story we find in Luke.  God, I know I may have heard this story a dozen different ways. Help me to realize the astounding truth of the miracle of Jesus’ birth. And let me pick up on the small details: why you chose shepherds to see Jesus first, why Jesus had to be born in a stable, the importance of the town of Bethlehem … the list can go on. Help me to experience the glimpses of joy everyone present at Jesus’ birth would’ve felt. Amen.

Advent Readings - Week 1

 Advent Readings Week 1: Old Testament Prophecies

Readings - Genesis 3:14-15, Isaiah 7:14, Is. 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-10

Why read these verses this week? 

Many people feel tempted to skip over the Old Testament prophecies (literally, hundreds of them) of Jesus’ birth. But people do so at great peril. God did not include the first 39 books of the Bible for no reason. Throughout the Old Testament, we see the story of a people needing redemption and a Saviour. As Israel found themselves falling prey to foreign nation after nation, they realized that not only did they need a physical Saviour, but a spiritual one as well.

Throughout the Old Testament, in the Psalms, Isaiah, and even in Genesis, we see the Bible foretelling a Saviour who would defeat the greatest enemy of all: sin. Jesus’ birth was not only a miracle in the sense of the virgin birth but also a miracle in terms of prophecies fulfilled centuries later.

It may seem odd to have an Advent reading that comes from the Old Testament, but we also have to keep in mind the Early Church, before they had the canon of the New Testament finished in 70 AD, preached and taught the Old Testament. All of Scripture is God-breathed, after all.

A Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we see your evident faithfulness in the entire story of the Bible. Your story of redemption doesn’t start in the Book of Matthew, but rather, we have even seen the first prophecies in Genesis 3. You always intended to save humanity, and you did so at such a great cost. May we remember your promises this Advent season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 ADVENT

Christians today (especially those who follow the liturgical calendar) observe the season of Advent as a time of expectation, preparation and celebration leading up to Christmas or Christmastide. Many may be surprised to know that the original observance of the Advent season had nothing to do with Christmas!

 

The word Advent means “coming” and is derived from the Latin word adventus, a translation of the Greek word parousia. In the fourth and fifth centuries Advent was a season of preparation — not for Christmas but for baptisms that would take place at Epiphany. It was a season (40 days) of fasting, prayer and penance. Roman Christians in the sixth century began to tie the season of Advent to the second coming of Christ. It was not until the Middle Ages that Advent was celebrated in anticipation of Christmas.

 

In the modern-church era, Advent is a memorial of Christ’s first coming and an anticipation of the kingdom to come. In fact, the first two Sundays of Advent point to the return of Christ in judgment while the last two Sundays remember his first coming into the world.

 

Advent is intended to be a time of reflection, penance, fasting and praying. Ironically, the weeks leading up to Christmas are filled with parties, food and shopping. The secular commercialism of Christmas, which begins right after Halloween, can distract the faithful from taking time to reflect during this holy season.

 

Amid the activities of the season, reflect on the Scriptures for each week in Advent. Also, reflect each day of the week on the themes for each Sunday: hope, peace, joy and love. Reflection often prompts one to action, and many wonderful gifts of kindness and compassion are expressed during the season of Advent. This is a story of kindness shown by complete strangers.

 

As is evident in most coffee shops, baristas are trained to offer polite conversation and care to customers while they simultaneously maintain a steady focus on their primary task of preparing and serving drinks. Yet, when baristas Pierce Dunn and Evan Freeman of Vancouver, BC, noticed a grieving woman pull up to the drive-through window of their coffee shop, they did something bold.

 

They stopped what they were doing and listened to the woman tell them about her recently deceased husband. Then, together, they reached out the window to hold her hand and to pray for her. Unbeknownst to the baristas, the driver of another car also waiting in line snapped a picture of them praying for the woman.

 

The image ultimately went viral, and the crew’s story was featured across Canada and the United States. When asked about why he chose to pray for the woman, Dunn concluded that “if you can bring yourself to understand what someone else is going through, you can show them kindness and make an impact on the world.”

 

From a Christian perspective, this story is striking and startling because such a small act of kindness has been viewed by the world as a rare and special moment. Yet, in today’s world, we often find ourselves substituting a “nice” gesture for a “kind” action. A polite habit can even be used as a cop-out or excuse for avoiding deeper conversations and bolder actions. And while our intentions may be good, our nice habits are often void of value and substance, and the power of our Christian faith is subsequently held at bay.

 

The message and character of Jesus was rooted in kindness and care for others. He never allowed rules, reputation or risk to hold him back from serving those in need. He was and is the perfect example of kindness: one who puts others’ needs before his or her own. His disciples were and still today are called to the same task.

 

After all, during the first Advent, God gifted the world with a Saviour and Jesus gifted the world with salvation. The second Advent promises eternity with Christ for those who receive his gift of salvation.

Pastor Linda Douglas