Coming Home Takes Preparation

As we continue to focus on our theme of "Coming Home for Christmas" this week we turn our attention to the preparation required in order to go home for Christmas. More specifically, what does it take to spend quality time with God and our Christian family this season?

The passages for Sunday are:
Malachi 3:1-4
Luke 1:68-79
Luke 3:1-6

These passages all focus on John the Baptist's coming. As you probably know, John the Baptist is the messanger who came in order to prepare the way for Jesus. John the Baptist is an interesting character. He is rough and gruff and does not worry about being pretty. Next week we get a taste of his sermon style, but even this week as he is introduced we get the idea that this messenger isn't preparing the way for Jesus by sprinkling rose petals.

Malachi writes, "who can endure the day when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and a fuller's soap." Zechariah says of his son, "you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins." No matter how you look at things, John the Baptist requires you to get ready for Jesus by doing some cleaning up and examining your sins.

This is important for us, too. Sometimes, we need to look at our lives and do a little cleaning. We need to throw out the bad habits and make way for new. We need to clear off our schedule so that we can find time to spend with Jesus.

And while it's true that the cleaning process is rarely easy, it is equally true that being clean is worth all the effort.

Questions to ponder?
Why is John the Baptist's message important during Advent? Why do we need to look at our own sins in order to focus on Jesus' return?

John the Baptist reminds us to prepare the way for Christ. What do you need to do to prepare to see Jesus during this Advent season?

What things are cluttering your life and preventing you from finding true worship this Advent? What can you do to change this? Is their anything your Christian family can do to help?

May God bless you in your Advent preparations this year!

Come Home This Christmas

This year for Advent, we will be focusing on the theme of “Coming Home.” For me, the best image of homecoming comes from an old commercial for coffee where the oldest son/daughter returns back home and starts the coffee brewing. All the other members in the house eventually smell the coffee and run downstairs to greet the long-absent member of their family.

I love this commercial because in this brief moment, you see the family at their very best. They happily and excitedly welcome home their family member. Their joy is made complete because the one person, who was gone, has now returned home.

This is God’s experience when we “come home” to renew and refresh our faith. One only needs to read the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) to know how God celebrates when one who is lost comes home.

Advent is the season not just for the preparation of the Christmas celebration, but it is also the season when we anticipate Christ’s return to earth. We remember that Christ promised to come again and take us to our true home. Where we get to experience the fullness of God’s love for us. Advent reminds us that even though life might seem very dark right now, Jesus, the light of the world, promised to come again to light our way.

This is an undeniably busy season. Undoubtedly you have many things happening in your lives. But, in the midst of the chaos, we invite you to come worship with us this Advent season. Let us together remind ourselves that God invites us to come and find our true home in the love and peace of Christian community.