Advent - Part 1
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Intro
Intro
Opening Story/Illustration: The Christmas season is upon us. I want to open with this question tonight - As a Kid, when it came to Christmas, what did you look forward to the most?
Advent
Intro: We just started what’s known as advent season. Maybe you’ve never heard of that. We talked a lot about Christmas in our tradition, but Advent began December 1 and it ends December 24. It’s the waiting period. The time we prepare our hearts and begin looking forward to Christmas - To the coming of Christ.
Advent has one common focus; to refocus our attention and realign our lives with the person of Jesus.
Advent is a time to remember and reflect, but it’s also a time of looking forward with hope and anticipation.
We remember the significance of the baby Jesus who was born in the flesh. in a little town called Bethlehem, and we look forward with great anticipation to his return one day for his church.
Transition to
We just started what’s known as advent season. Maybe you’ve never heard of that. We talk a lot about Christmas in our tradition, but Advent began December 1 and it ends December 24. It’s the waiting period. The time we prepare our hearts and begin looking forward to Christmas - To the coming of Christ.
Advent
Advent has one common focus; to refocus our attention and realign our lives with the person of Jesus.
Intro: We just started what’s known as advent season. Maybe you’ve never heard of that. We talked a lot about Christmas in our tradition, but Advent began December 1 and it ends December 24. It’s the waiting period. The time we prepare our hearts and begin looking forward to Christmas - To the coming of Christ.
Advent has one common focus; to refocus our attention and realign our lives with the person of Jesus.
Advent is a time to remember and reflect, but it’s also a time of looking forward with hope and anticipation.
Advent is a time to remember and reflect, but it’s also a time of looking forward with hope and anticipation.
We remember the significance of the baby Jesus who was born in the flesh. in a little town called Bethlehem, and we look forward with great anticipation to his return one day for his church.
We remember the significance of the baby Jesus who was born in the flesh. in a little town called Bethlehem, and we look forward with great anticipation to his return one day for his church.
Tr
This week and next week we want to talk about this idea of looking forward to and preparing our hearts for the coming of Jesus.
Transition to
Transition to Text: The people of Israel were looking for a Messiah. They were waiting on a Savior. God had made some promises to them and they were waiting on them to be fulfilled.
Text: The last few words of the Old Testament make clear that God was going to send a Savior.
1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. 4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
But by the time we get to the events of Jesus’ birth in Matthew and Luke, it’s been 400 years. 400 years of waiting. Hoping. Looking. Anticipating.
In the Christmas story there are a couple of people who embody this hope. Let’s take a read in
22 Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” 24 So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” 25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, 29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. 30 I have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared for all people. 32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” 33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.” 36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.
This reminds me of a passage in Hebrews -
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.
Main Idea: Have hope. Christmas reminds us that God can be trusted to keep his promise.
Transition to points/discussion: Let’s dive into this idea of hope tonight.
Points/Discussion
Points/Discussion
Simeon and Anna have been hoping and waiting for Jesus
They have been evidently waiting a very long time.
The text tells us that there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon
He is righteous and devout
The text tells us that there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon
He is eagerly awaiting the Messiah to come and rescue Israel
He is righteous and devout
He is eagerly awaiting the Messiah to come and rescue Israel
We get this vibe that His whole life has been lived in response to the coming of the Messiah
We come to our last character in this account, Anna.
Anna is a prophet
Anna is a prophet
We get this vibe that His whole life has been lived in response to the coming of the Messiah
She was old.
She was old.
She had been married for seven years and then her husband had died.
She had been married for seven years and then her husband had died.
She lived as a widow ever since and she stayed at the temple worshipping and fasting.
She lived as a widow ever since and she stayed at the temple worshipping and fasting.
The vibe we get from this account, is that she too has been waiting on Jesus.
The vibe we get from this account, is that she too has been waiting on Jesus.
Can you imagine waiting your whole life for something like this? Think about the Jewish people in general - 400 years of waiting and waiting and waiting for God to work on their behalf.
Maybe there are some things you have been hoping and waiting for
Are there things you’ve been believing for God to do for a long time? What are they?
Are there things you’ve been believing for God to do for a long time? What are they?
We hate waiting.
My kids have access to movies and shows and information at their finger tips.
Have you lost hope while waiting for a promise to be fulfilled in your own life?
We hate waiting in line. We try everything we can to distract ourselves while we are waiting (think Disney)
Have you lost hope while waiting for a promise to be fulfilled in your own life?
Have you lost hope while waiting for a promise to be fulfilled in your own life?
Are there things you’ve been believing for God to do for a long time? What are they?
Have you lost hope while waiting for a promise to be fulfilled in your own life?
How do you keep from loosing hope in the midst of your waiting?
Don’t get out of line - Have you ever been in the checkout line and you’re in a long line and then you think you’ll move to the shorter line, only to discover the shorter line ends up taking longer?
Sometimes we think we are going to take a shortcut or rush what God wants to do.
Like - We will move when we should sit still.
I heard it put this way - We talk about walking with Jesus and we talk about walking away from Jesus - But what about walking ahead of Jesus? Some of us are trying to rush him. We aren’t called to walk ahead of him, but walk WITH him.
What’s one specific area of your life where you need to experience hope and anticipation again?
Have you lost hope while waiting for a promise to be fulfilled in your own life?
What’s one specific area of your life where you need to experience hope and anticipation again?
How do you find that hope again?
You have to remember that even when you don’t see it, God is working.
Very few people saw Jesus’ birth in the stable. Almost no one would have really thought it was that important.
If you don’t pay close attention, you’ll miss it!
Ask God to reveal himself
Ask God to show himself to you in the midst of your waiting.
Think about all the prep and movement it took to get to the moment of Jesus’ birth.
Watch for Him in everything
Slow down..observe
Ask the question - Where is God working?
Make note of his activity and thank him
Journal
Write down what you think God is doing
Have you ever considered praying for God to reveal to you where he is currently at work? How could this be an encouragement to hold on in the waiting?
Thank Him for what he is doing!
Have you ever considered praying for God to reveal to you where he is currently at work? How could this be an encouragement to hold on in the waiting?
Have you ever considered praying for God to reveal to you where he is currently at work? How could this be an encouragement to hold on in the waiting?
Take a moment each day this week to reflect on the activity of God in your current situations and journal about the things you see and hear.
Take a moment each day this week to reflect on the activity of God in your current situations and journal about the things you see and hear.
This Christmas - take time to slow down. Think about where God is at work in your life!
Take a moment each day this week to reflect on the activity of God in your current situations and journal about the things you see and hear.