Sunday, December 7, 2014

December 14, 2014 - Third Sunday of Advent

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for December 14th: Isaiah 6:1-4,8-11; Psalm 126; I Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28; theme: The spirit of the Lord is upon you to do mission; Song: Come thou Long Expected Jesus – UMH 196 Isaiah : God has seen our pain, and God will bring about a solution. That solution is in the form of a leader who can truly make a difference. The jews are still waiting for that leader. And yet as Christians, we know that leader has come in the form of Jesus the Christ. In Luke, Christ proclaims that the spirit of the Lord is upon him to make a difference in the personal lives of God’s people. The spirit has given him the power to do what needs to be done. Isaiah 60 spells out what must be done, and who must be saved. We serve a God of righteousness, but in order for there to be righteousness in the world, there must be people who able to live according to that righteousness. This advent season, we not only serve our leader, but we live as he would live and we do as he would do. The spirit of the Lord is upon us! John: John the Baptist is the evangelist of advent. He is the one who spreads the good news. But the news he spread is not all good. In order for it to be good news, we have to be willing to repent. To turn our lives away from sin and to righteousness. When John stands up and speaks, people want to know who he is and why is he speaking. Are you a prophet? No I am a follower of Christ, I have been called not to be Christ for the world, but to follow Christ in all circumstances. We are not prophet, we are not the one who will change the world – but we are called to witness to the one who has come to make a difference. Questions: How do you know the spirit is upon you? Does the spirit make a difference in your life? In your attitude? How is God calling you to serve others? How are you a witness to the power of Christ?

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