Are You Ready For Christmas?

Advent • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

0 ratings

· 96 views

The Good News is a new beginning. Jesus is revealed as our salvation. The time of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth has come. Are you ready?

Notes

Transcript

Handout

Are You Ready For Christmas?

Remember Thanksgiving? I know, two weeks ago, in 2020, feels like forever ago! But try hard! Maybe you sat around a table with some family and friends and had a lovely meal and good conversations. It wasn’t typical by any means, but it left us thankful for what God has placed in our lives!

Lisa and I had the joy of having dinner with church family. I remember leaving there that night thinking God has been so good to Lisa and me. We have been here less than a year, but it feels like home. We knew we were with close family and were thankful for the gifts God has given us. You could say that we were full of thanksgiving—the spiritual kind, along with stomachs full of the excellent thanksgiving day cooking.

The radio played a few Christmas songs that night, but not a tree or Christmas decoration in sight. The next day the switch flipped, and the Christmas rush was on. Yards were filled with decorations and lit bright with glorious strings of lights. Every house seemed to have a tree grow in their living room, complete with decorations and lights. Stockings were hung in various places in anticipation of being filled with snacks and small gifts.

Black Friday wasn’t quite as intense as usual. But it still seemed pretty busy, and Cyber Monday was getting a boost. The deals seemed exceptionally good this year as businesses tried to get customers buying to make up for the losses due to the Corona Virus.

That Saturday, many of us gathered to Hang the Greens. That wonderful day when we get to decorate for the Advent Season, we start looking forward to celebrating baby Jesus’ birthday. The Advent theme for the first week was hope. And I felt full of hope looking out over the church. It has been a tough year for all of us, but it has brought us closer. God has prepared us for the next step. I don’t know how you feel, but when I see this church, decorated for Advent, and see all of you sitting here, I see God’s hand in what is happening! That gives me hope.

Today is the second Sunday of Advent. And the themes are Preparation and Joy. If that strikes you as a strange combination, ponder it a bit more. Doesn’t preparation done well, for the right reasons, often lead to joy? I have seen it in my life, have you seen it in yours? The text for today’s message is iconic! John 1:1-8, where John the Baptist tells us to get ready for Jesus. If you are prepared for Jesus, you certainly are going to find joy, AMEN? The title for today’s message is Are You Ready For Christmas? The Good News is a new beginning. Jesus is revealed as our salvation. The time of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth has come. Are you ready?

Mark 1:1–8 (HCSB) — 1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way. 3 A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight! 4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. 6 John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He was preaching: “Someone more powerful than I will come after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of His sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The Text in Context: The Intended Meaning

If you like a direct author- Mark is your guy. His Gospel reflects both first-hand accounts from Mark as well as from Peter. Peter is another pretty straightforward guy! So if you want to hear about the nativity and the baby Jesus laying in the manger, Mark isn’t your man after all. He just cuts right to the chase! Mark's Gospel starts with John the Baptist, and immediately after that, John baptizing Jesus. Direct doesn’t mean devoid of content, though.

Mark 1:1 (HCSB) — 1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Doesn’t that sound a bit like the opening to Genesis? I believe that was very intentional on Mark’s part. It says God is doing something new. And just like in Genesis, it is good, the good news of salvation. Christ is the English word that is equivalent to the Hebrew Messiah. The two titles are interchangeable. Mark doesn’t do a long genealogy. He cuts right to the chase and tells us what we need to know. Jesus is the Son of God and God Himself. James Edwards captured truth when he wrote that Mark is giving us a concise confession of faith, announcing that God is beginning a new work, through the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Gospel is inseparable from the person of Jesus, the promised Messiah, and the Son of God.

Mark 1:2–3 (HCSB) — 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way. 3 A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight!

Mark gives the credit to Isaiah, but the quote that follows is a combination of text from Exod. 23:20; Mal. 3:1; and Isa. 40:3 that provides a crucial message.

Exodus 23:20 (HCSB) — 20 “I am going to send an angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.

Malachi 3:1 (HCSB) — 1 “See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire—see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts.

Isaiah 40:3 (HCSB) — 3 A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.

The portion from Exodus is an angel whom God will send to guard Israel on the way to the promised land. In its original context, Mal. 3:1 refers to a “messenger” sent to prepare for the day of God’s arrival in judgment. The quotation of Isa. 40:3 originally referred to the “new exodus” of Israel from Babylonian exile back to Judea. Mark is making the point that the Torah, the Major Prophets, and the Minor Prophets confirm what he is about to tell. That is an influential citation of truth. Taken together, we can be confident that God is starting a new age of judgment and bringing His people to a new promised land in the doing! The promises of the ancient scriptures are about to be fulfilled; the Lord-Messiah's arrival is imminent. Make sure you are ready!

Mark 1:4–5 (HCSB) — 4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

Mark introduces John with the same directness as he did Jesus. No back story, no genealogy. Just BAM! John pops out of the wilderness - Preparing the way for Jesus! The message he preached is the same one we need today to get ready for Jesus. Turn your back on your sins and the Devil and turn towards Jesus.

“Prepare the way for the Lord- Make His paths straight.” Salvation is the work of the Lord. He is coming to save us. Out of respect, though, we should do as much road work as we can. Make sure that our eyes are focused on Jesus. Make sure we are headed directly towards Him- you don’t want God’s Son having to take a winding path to find you do you? :) Make sure the potholes are filled in. Do a better job than the RI DOT while you’re at it!

Mark 1:6 (HCSB) — 6 John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.

If I were to tell you that John was wearing blue tights with a red cape and a big S on his chest, you would know John was Superman, right? Iconic! Same with saying John was in the desert with rustic clothing brought Elijah to mind! Elijah was known to wear a goat haired garment with a leather belt. John is a prophet in the OT style. He is the culmination of all the preparation done by the prophets as God slowly unveiled His plan.

Mark is bringing together all this imagery with short, direct word choices. He is getting to the point. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the completion of the work God started through His prophets. To understand it, you need to see it in the context of the OT, the Hebrew Scripture.

Mark 1:7–8 (HCSB) — 7 He was preaching: “Someone more powerful than I will come after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of His sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

John the Baptist was leading a revival! He was capturing the attention of the Jewish people. But he wasn’t doing it to build his reputation or ministry. John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness to let people know Jesus was coming. The call for all believers to be baptized by immersion was shocking to the Jewish ear. Traditionally only the Gentile who converted to Judaism and people who were defiled needed such cleansing. John was saying everybody needs to be baptized by water meant the entire nation was defiled. When John says that he baptizes with water, but Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit, he illustrating the gap between him and Jesus. Donald English says it well. There is no evidence Jesus baptized anyone. John says it to heighten his hearers’ awareness that Jesus isn’t just another prophet. He is unique. Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophet's dreams and vision. God is ushering in the end time through this anointed one who now comes. The Gospel of Mark points to a way of salvation made possible by God.

Are You More Prepared for Christmas Than Christ?

Advent prepares us to celebrate the birth of Jesus. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, which we do today in a glorious Godwink, we spend time preparing to take the cup and the bread in silent prayer, making sure we are right with God and the people around us. Christmas is Christ’s Mass, and mass is a liturgical meaning communion. Both Christmas and the Lord’s Supper look back to historical events that have great spiritual meaning. Both events encourage us to lift our eyes and look for Jesus’ return! Is today the day? Has He come back for us? We want to be ready, every day, to meet Jesus.

Meeting Jesus- That is what Christmas is all about. Remembering Baby Jesus and what His arrival means for the world.

Well- that is what Christmas started as, anyway. The History Channel and Christianity.com agree that nobody celebrated the King's birth for the first 300 years of Christianity. An old list of Roman bishops, compiled in 354 AD, has the words next to December 25th, 336 AD. Christ born in Bethlehem, Judea. Hey, if Christianity.com and the History Channel both agree, that means it has to be real, right? Even Wikipedia says it. So I think we can hold about 25% certainty on this! I have the same degree of uncertainty on when Jesus stopped being the focus of celebrating Christmas.

Many of the pagan customs celebrating the winter solstice became associated with Christmas. Christian overtones changed the old pagan myths, but the practices hung on. Lighting candles, kissing under the mistletoe, and many other Christmas traditions started with those pagan customs. Gift exchanges may be one of them: Saint Nicholas, a real but legendary figure of 4th century Lycia (a province of Asia). A charitable man, he threw gifts into homes.

The celebration of Christmas has often been controversial. In American History, the NE Puritans banned the celebration. The Pilgrims started building the colony's first house on Christmas day 1620. The settlers in VA, however, celebrated the holiday. Christmas became a national holiday in 1870- after the civil war.

The History Channel says that by that time, traditions such as the Christmas tree, Santa Claus, caroling, and gift-giving had made their way into the American mainstream, helping to turn December 25 into the family-friendly holiday we know and love today. Picture wholesome families watching their kids opening box after box of fantastic presents, bringing joy to kids and grownups alike! Hearts everywhere are full!

Does the History Channel have the right of it? Is Christmas family-friendly at its heart? I think the way we celebrate it in America today is more of a celebration of consumption. We didn’t see the Black Friday mobs trampling people this year, possibly a good effect of the pandemic, but did anything change? A lot of money has changed hands this Advent season. And mobs of shoppers have been replaced by hordes of competing delivery services clogging our highways and byways.

We need to ask ourselves an earnest question. Are we getting ready for the commercial holiday called Christmas, or are we preparing to meet Jesus? You can do both, but buying gifts won’t necessarily get your heart right with Jesus.

My wife takes the holiday very seriously. I think she starts getting ready the day after Christmas, reviewing her process to smooth out any kinks and make next year even better. Her preparation habits include the house cleaning preparations I am showing on the screen. She starts buying her gifts super early, and since all the kids and grand-kids scattered around the North East, she has set up a boxing system to gather presents by households. Then she has set a target of addressing 5 Christmas Cards every day and wrapping at least two gifts each day. Our house looked like a Christmas store exploded on the First Sunday of Advent when I came downstairs. All we need is snow- and I think she may have a connection to get some. She watches every hallmark Christmas movie, and I believe she has some kind of a checklist they gave her to ensure she doesn’t miss any, plus all the classic Christmas movies like Elf, It's a Wonderful Life, and Home Alone. (She won’t let me count Die Hard even though it is a Christmas movie.) Hot chocolate, eggnog, and Christmas cookies are certain.

I get tired just talking about her Christmas Prep regimen.

If you are even close to Lisa in her Christmas preparation, you will undoubtedly be ready for Christmas. You will feel excited about the holiday and your traditions. You will feel happiness in gifting and getting presents. And unless you are a world-class athlete, you might be a little worn out by the end. The question is, will you find joy?

Happiness is certainly a possibility! Sustained joy would be unlikely—stuff breaks. Gifts are not received with the expected excitement. Bills pile up. The commercial holiday can be fun in moderation, but we need to be mindful that we are preparing to meet Christ. Everything is better when we put Jesus first in our lives. Everything! Especially Christmas!

How Do You Get Ready For Christmas This Year?

The same way John the Baptist told Israel to get ready for Jesus in today’s text. Prepare the way for the Lord. Make His paths Straight. Repent and be baptized.

Repent means to take a close look at your life through the eyes of God with the power of the Holy Spirit! This is the work of God, but it requires our cooperation and will. We join in this work as we join into Kingdom Work God prepares for us in the community. Keep your eyes on Jesus like you are stalking Him. Think of Him as your greatest need. Tell yourself how much you want to read and learn about Him. Admit the faults and sin’s that the Holy Spirit reveals to you. Don’t dwell on them and wallow in your mistakes. Turn your back on them, and you will see Jesus- then walk towards Him. You will find Him drawing closer than your speed would get you there!

You only need to be baptized once. The Bible doesn’t teach that baptism is the means of salvation; that is the work of Jesus on the cross. Baptism is a sign of your willingness to surrender your fight against God and your decision to follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It is also a sign of obeying Jesus’ command. Are you following Jesus today and haven’t been baptized? What is the Spirit whispering to you in your heart? Are you ready to obey and be baptized? See me after the service!

Reading Scripture and pondering it is a great way to prepare your heart for Christ. Remember my wife’s plan for getting ready for the Christmas Holiday? She is just as diligent in getting ready for Christ on Christmas Day. She has been promoting a great new tradition on her Facebook page. There are 24 Chapters in the Gospel of Luke. Read a chapter a day, and you will have read the entire Gospel by Christmas. If you read and ponder the words in the Gospel, you will be preparing your heart each day. Think about how ready you will be to celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas if you do. Hey- don’t worry if you haven’t started this yet. It is early in the month. Catch up today! Make it a family tradition and read it with your children. You will be preparing them for Christ as well!

The Good News is a new beginning. Jesus is revealed as our salvation. The time of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth has come. Are you ready? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Read thru Luke this Advent Season. Keep your eyes on Jesus! You will be prepared!

Points to Ponder

The Significance of Mark 1 Today by David E. Garland

MARK SHOWS NO interest in listing Jesus’ human credentials (as do Matthew and Luke) because those things might cause the reader to miss the divine dimension of who Jesus is. Jesus’ status does not derive from his family pedigree but from God. The narrator gives us access to this divine dimension in the prologue so that we know in advance the answers to the questions raised by a variety of baffled characters in the story. A stunned synagogue crowd asks, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority!” (Mark 1:27). Livid theological experts ask themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (2:7). Spooked disciples ask, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (4:41). A resentful hometown crowd asks, “Where did this man get these things?… What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles!” (6:2). Vexed priests ask, “By what authority are you doing these things?… And who gave you authority to do this?” (11:28).

The truth suddenly hits a centurion in the execution squad when he sees how Jesus died: “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (15:39). The Pharisees think he is in league with Satan. Herod’s best guess is that he is John the Baptizer come back to life to haunt him for his sins. Some think he is Elijah; others, one of the prophets (6:14–16; 8:27–28). The disciples are captivated by his powers but are baffled as to who he is for much of the opening chapters. Only Peter, James, and John are let in on this mystery at the Transfiguration. They hear the voice from the clouds proclaim that Jesus is God’s beloved Son and learn on the way down from the mountain that Elijah has already come and gone (9:2–13). Even so, this experience does not spare them from failure.

We readers and listeners of this Gospel know far more than the characters in the story. We know that John the Baptizer, the messenger sent before the more powerful one, must be referring to Jesus when he confesses that he is unworthy to stoop down to loosen the thongs of that person’s sandals. We see the heavens rip open at his baptism and the Spirit descending on him, and we hear the voice proclaim that he is God’s beloved Son. This is why we might become exasperated with the disciples who, as the story progresses, sometimes are as thick as a brick. We know more than they do. The coming of the Son of God, who makes a claim on everyone’s life, has made an irreparable breach in the fabric of reality. Perhaps for the first disciples, the light was too bright for their eyes to behold. Perhaps it was not too obscure, but too full of meaning for their minds to grasp. But knowing what we know about Jesus, are we any more faithful, any more discerning, any more willing to give our lives?

The opening section of Mark is frequently used as an Advent text in lectionaries. Most Christians consequently associate it with preparing the way for a babe in a manger and assume that it has something to do with getting ready for the coming of the Christ by catching the Christmas spirit. It is questionable, however, whether this text calls for us to do anything to prepare the way for the Christ. Certainly, that way does not lead us to a manger with angels singing, shepherds bowing, and a little drummer boy tapping out the beat. John the Baptizer does prepare the way by leveling the ground, so to speak, in calling all Israel to repentance. He humbly confesses that the gifts of salvation and of the Spirit are not his to give but another’s—a good model for modern-day preachers. His arrest, however, makes it clear that the way made ready for Jesus is not going to be a smooth path.

The “way” (hodos; 1:2) appears again as a theme in 8:27; 9:33–34; 10:32, 52. In these sections, Jesus speaks frankly (8:32)—the way for him will end in Jerusalem and in a solitary death. The disciples do help somewhat in preparing for his death. They throw clothes on the road as he enters Jerusalem (11:8–10). They prepare the Passover (14:15–16). A woman prepares him for burial (14:8–9). Joseph of Arimathea buries his body in a tomb on the Day of Preparation (15:42–47). But most play their parts without a clue as to what is really happening. This makes it doubtful whether the followers of Christ can prepare or construct the way if they are so often blind to God’s purposes. Throughout the story, the disciples spend most of their time getting in the way or trying to lead the way themselves, but always in the wrong direction. The same holds true for modern disciples.

When one reads Mark again, it becomes more clear who it is who needs to prepare the way: Jesus is the one who must be out in front, blazing the trail (10:32, 52) and leading (14:28; 16:7). Disciples are those who follow in his way (8:34–10:52). When Jesus’ disciples try to precede him on their own to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (6:45), they do not make it. They are helpless until he comes to their rescue. Jesus must go before them (6:48). Schweizer uses the illustration of a heavy snowfall that strands a young boy in the home of a friend after school. He cannot get home

until his father comes, with his strong shoulders, and breaks the way through three feet of snow. The boy “follows him” in his footsteps and yet walks in a totally different way. Father is not merely his teacher or example—or otherwise the boy would have to break his own way, only copying the action of the father—nor is it a vicarious act of the father—otherwise the boy would just remain in the warm room of his friend and think that his father would go home instead of himself.31

The problem is that the way that Jesus prepares for us to go home is not the one we want to travel. It is arduous and paved with suffering, but it is one that we must journey to get home. If the church prepares the way for anything, it is for his return by following in the path he has laid out and in the worldwide proclamation of the gospel (13:10).

In following the way that Jesus has prepared, disciples will encounter many enemies, just as Jesus did. Mark does not tell us the specific content of the temptation that Jesus faced in the desert. Did he fast or not? How did he parry Satan’s wiles? Mark does not let us in on any internal conflict. Today, we are far more interested in the psychological drama: Jesus’ struggle with doubt, with his sense of purpose, with his commitment to his task laid out for him by God—all things that we might identify with from our own pilgrimage. The emphasis in Mark, however, is that Jesus does battle with Satan. The temptation, like the baptism, has cosmic significance. It is not so much a temptation scene in the moral sense as a titanic power struggle between the more powerful one and the prince of the forces of evil. The battle to put the evil genie that crushes the hopes of humanity back into the bottle has begun. It is not enough for God to win over human hearts and for them to repent and to confess their sins. Evil forces organized under the prince of the power of the air (see Phil. 2:9–10) must be defeated before the kingdom of God can be established. The power of God as long promised breaks into the world to conquer the powers of evil that imprison, maim, and distort human life.

If the battle takes place on the cosmic stage, we also learn that God has a cosmic plan discernible from the Scriptures. Few today bother reading or studying the script, yet it is vital because the kingdom of God manifests itself in disarming ways. The power of God appears in the desert, in weakness, in ones who come out of nowhere and will be handed over. God’s activity has been hidden from human beings, and even when it is revealed through Jesus, many will be unable to see. Those who do see will take comfort when they pass through the desert. They will know that Jesus has already been there and knows the way. All they have to do is follow.

(David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 55–57.)

Repentance by Rodney L. Cooper

Someone once said that you cannot keep walking down a wrong road and hope that it will eventually turn out right. That is a good picture of repentance. Repentance is realizing that you are on the wrong road and then turning around so you are going the right way. You can know you are on the wrong road and still not turn around. You can even be sorry that you are on the wrong road. But until you turn around and head the right way, you have not repented.

The Bible uses two words for repentance: niham and shub. Niham is most frequently used of God in the Old Testament. It signifies a contemplated change in God’s dealings with humanity. The word shub carries the meaning “to turn back, away from, or toward.” It is confessing that you are on the wrong road, turning away from your current direction and turning toward the right way (Matt. 3:6).

Commentator William Barclay notes that confession must be made to three different people. First, men and women must confess to themselves. We all want to justify ourselves, to rationalize our sinful behavior. Sometimes we rationalize it, based on physical characteristics that we have no control over: “I’m Irish; I can’t help it if I get angry.” At other times, we justify ourselves by comparing ourselves to others: “At least I don’t drink as much as he does” or “at least I don’t smoke like she does.” The sin of “at least” may be one of the biggest pointers to sin in our lives!

Luke recounted a wonderful parable of Jesus that shows the sin of “at least.” Two men—one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector—went into the temple. The Pharisee stood at a distance and prayed, “Thank God I am not like other people, especially this tax collector. I fast, I tithe, I do all the right things.”

The tax collector, on the other hand, knew himself. He repented. He confessed and called himself a sinner. Jesus commended him (Luke 18:9–17). Most people miss the marvelous thing about this story in their hurry to get to the parable. It is in verse 9: He also told this parable “to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else.”

So the first step in repentance is to confess to ourselves that we are sinners desperately in need of a Savior. Barclay comments, “There is no one in all the world harder to face than ourselves; and the first step to repentance and to a right relationship to God is to admit our sin to ourselves.”

Second, we must confess to those whom we have wronged. Jesus said that we must clear away human barriers before we come to the Father (Matt. 5:22–24). For most of us, it is easier to confess that we are wrong to God than to another human being. After all, the other person may not forgive us. He or she may agree with us that we are wrong and then we will be tempted to justify ourselves, to minimize our sin. One of the steps in Alcoholics Anonymous is to confess to people who have been wronged when it will do no further harm. Admitting our sin to another person has the wondrous effect of loosening its grip on us. Secret sins lose their power when they are not secret.

Third, we must confess to God. Echoing again the parable of the tax collector, Barclay notes, “It is not the man who desires to meet God on equal terms who will discover forgiveness, but the man who kneels in humble contrition and whispers through his shame, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner’ ” (Barclay, Mark, p. 15).

A good example of a call to repentance is found in Isaiah 55:6–7: “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him return to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” Jesus called everyone to repentance (Mark 1:15). This repentance calls for a change of the entire person, physically, volitionally, intellectually, morally, and spiritually. Through repentance and conversion, humans dethrone themselves and place Christ on the throne as the rightful ruler.

R. E. O. White shows the link between repentance and conversion (or the new birth in Christ): “In Jesus’ openness and friendship toward sinners, the loving welcome of God found perfect expression. Nothing was needed to win back God’s favor. It waited eagerly for man’s return (Luke 15:11–24). The one indispensable preliminary was the change in man from rebelliousness to childlike trust and willingness to obey. That shown, there followed life under God’s rule, described as feasting, marriage, wine, finding treasure, joy, peace, all the freedom and privilege of sonship within the divine family in the Father’s world” (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, p. 968).

(Rodney L. Cooper, Mark, vol. 2, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 19–21.)

A Week’s Worth of Scripture

Monday 1 Thessalonians 5:16 (HCSB) — 16 Rejoice always!

Tuesday Galatians 5:22 (HCSB) — 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,

Wednesday Isaiah 35:10 (HCSB) — 10 and the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with singing, crowned with unending joy. Joy and gladness will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.

Thursday Psalm 47 (HCSB) — For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah. 1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry. 2 For Yahweh, the Most High, is awe-inspiring, a great King over all the earth. 3 He subdues peoples under us and nations under our feet. 4 He chooses for us our inheritance— the pride of Jacob, whom He loves. Selah 5 God ascends among shouts of joy, the Lord, among the sound of trumpets. 6 Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our King, sing praise! 7 Sing a song of wisdom, for God is King of all the earth. 8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne. 9 The nobles of the peoples have assembled with the people of the God of Abraham. For the leaders of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.

Friday Luke 2:10 (HCSB) — 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:

Saturday John 16:20–22 (HCSB) — 20 “I assure you: You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. 21 When a woman is in labor she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. 22 So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy.

Related Media

Related Sermons