Redeem the Holiday

 

This is the first Sunday of Advent.  This is the first in the sermon series "Christmas at the Movies."

The harried and hurried lives we live is illustrated by a clip from the movie, "Christmas with the Kranks."

A lot of what we do at Christmas time leaves Jesus out of the picture.

REDEEM THE HOLIDAYS.

     The real reason for celebrating Advent is lost in the wrappings all the wrong things.

Boycott the spirit of Christmas and exchange it for the Spirit of Christ.

     The Spirit of Christ says ":Less is more."  Less stuff, less hurry, more joy!

The simplest things bring the most joy, the most peace, the most satisfaction.

What it means to cultivate the Spirit of Christ

     Less spending, more giving.  In Acts 29 we read "It is more blessed to give than to receive."  

Buying is often more about how it makes us feel.  True giving is not about the amount of money but about the thought behind the gift.

  

The spirit of Christmas is about spending; the Spirit of Christ is about giving.

LESS HURRY, MORE PEACE

     " See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."  --Ephesians 5:15,16

REDEEM THE TIME
   The temptation to hurry is one of the greatest evils of our time.

     MEMORIES ARE NEVER MADE IN A HURRY.
     SLOW DOWN.
 Hurry robs us of time with those in need; hurry robs us of time for prayer.

GOD CAN GIVE YOU PEACE
     Hurry is the spirit of Christmas; Peace is the Spirit of Christ.
What would it look like for you to redeem the time?

THERE NEEDS TO BE LESS ME AND MORE JESUS.
    Let Christ be the center of your life all year-round.  Let your life revolve around Him.

John the Baptist said, He must increase; I must decrease.
     And so it must be with us.

FOCUS ON THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST WHO WRAPPED HIMSELF IN HUMAN FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US FOR OUR SAKE.
     In His heart of giving He gave everything He had.

>Advent is not just about looking back on His coming as a baby, it is about looking forward to His coming again!<

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE ARE NOT WRAPPED UP IN THE WRONG THINGS WHEN HE DOES.

     

Notes on the message by

Pastor Johnnie Blair

Sunday morning
 

     

 

Thanksgiving dinner

I avoid most of the click bait when scrolling down a facebook page but occasionally one is just too tempting and I bite, usually to my regret or at least to my dismay.

Yesterday the bait was something on the order of "ten things that should never appear on the Thanksgiving dinner table."

Just about every traditional item served on Thanksgiving was listed along with snide commentary on each.  What an ingrate.  It is Thanksgiving and some spoiled "Me-only" is whining because his cheeseburger and lollipop is not on the table?

Such an attitude of ingratitude is a direct result of people believing that nothing and no one beyond the self matters.

At the least, be grateful for the air you breathe.  I'm trying real hard to be thankful that I can share it with you.

The Prayer of "Send Me"

The scripture lesson is Isaiah 6:1-9 in which is revealed to Isaiah the holiness of the Lord.  He
recognizes his own unworthiness, is cleansed and then accepts the mission God has for him.


The prayer of "send me" is a dangerous prayer; it is more scary than it is glamorous.  The prayer implies that the "I" no longer cares about its wants, but about what God wants.

1. One response to the message of service is "Here am I, I'm not going."  Jonah is a scriptural example of this response.  His response was rejection of the assignment by way of going in the opposite direction from God's purpose.  The Book of Jonah details the story and the travails of the man and how he finally turned to God's purpose.

2. A second response to God's calling is "Here am I, send someone else."  Moses gives us an example of this response.  In Exodus 4:13 we hear Moses literally tell the Lord to "send someone else."  Seeking something that suits us better than what God wants is a sign that we prefer being served to providing service.  If you are more concerned about being served  than being sent, go to a restaurant.

Everyone has a call of God on his life. There is something special that He wants you to do.

3.  The third response to God's call is "Here am I, send me."  (Isaiah 6:8) This happens out of true conviction.  Like Isaiah, we must experience the presence of God in all his glory and holiness. (Rev.4)

To pray this dangerously
We must experience the presence of God in all his holiness.

The magnificence of God determines the magnitude of your mission.

We must realize the depth of our own sinfulness. (6:5)  We are unclean; God is holy and we are not.

We must have a real experience with the grace of God. (6:7) The coals represent cleansing, sins atoned for.

Something should happen that we must cry out, "Send me!"

Come to the end of self, learn to live in the shadow of Grace.

Grace:  When your sinfulness and God's holiness come together

 Terrifyingly beautiful

 Pastor Johnnie Blair

Sunday morning

Is there hope?

It seems we have become an unruly mob of riff-raff who will assemble and shout down the President as he attempts to express a valid idea.  I mean, he is the President.  What is the matter with us?

Too many years of "If you want it you should have it; if you don't have it someone should give it to you." ?
Too much self-absorption, undisciplined living?
 Or just plain disrespectful of self and everyone else?