Advent people make good witnesses. The season of Advent is a time of preparation. It’s the first season of the Christian calendar. If you’ve noticed, the gospel readings during Advent don’t always directly focus on Jesus. We hear of the birth of John the Baptist and how others responded to the promise that Jesus would be born. That is fitting when you understand the design of Advent. This time calls us to appreciate the need the world had for a savior. The need the world has for a savior. In a sense, as we pause and reflect, we are getting our spiritual ducks in a row. It’s not so much we’re figuring things out. No, we’re learning again to let the “wonders of his love” wow us again. If we don’t take time to do such things, Christmas zips by. It’s as if we just wrapped the last gift and it’s already time to move on. Pausing and reflecting prepare us to recognize the incarnation of Jesus in new ways. Of course, you can do that at any other time of the year. Any day the Holy Spirit nudges you to. But a good Advent helps us learn as the body of Christ. A good Advent helps us better understand our need for a savior. In turn, we learn to focus on the kingdom of God, our savior’s priority. Whereas you might only talk about the birth of Jesus at Christmas, we focus on the kingdom of God always. As an example, I was thinking of most of the “Christmas in July” events I’ve seen. Most focus on the festivities of Christmas and skip the incarnation of Jesus! We can’t help it. Baby Jesus belongs in December. But the Incarnation prepares us for the kingdom. No matter how much church experience we have, our focus is the kingdom. No matter how old you are or what season of life you’re in, the kingdom of God is our focus. And I say that to churches as well. New church starts and long-standing congregations don’t have different missions. Big and small churches alike have the same calling. Let’s connect this to our scripture reading today. What did Paul preach when his eyes were first opened? And in Acts 28, when Paul lived under house arrest in Rome, what did he preach? I’ll give you a hint, Luke says he preached it “with all boldness and without hindrance.” It was the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, our goal is to be led to the Savior and the reality of his kingdom. That’s what we teach. That’s what we preach. If not, we’re missing the mark of what it means to be God’s church. We just might need a good Advent. Stay blessed…john |
John Fletcher
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