The King Is Coming!

Advent, from the Latin word adventus meaning coming, or meaning the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.  

As I write this this first snow of the year is falling, Thanksgiving has passed, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, and we prepare for the flurry of activity called Christmas.  But how do we slow down and remember what the very first Advent was like?  How do we remember what it was like for the world to prepare for the King to come?  How do we celebrate Christmas, not for ourselves, not for presents, not for decorations, not for endless amounts of food, but for the King who through his life gave us life?

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  Luke 2:9-11 KJV

 Christ born into this world, as a gentle baby, would die for your sins.  Sins that you had not committed yet.  Sins that you may not even acknowledge.  But with God's unending grace and Christ's loving sacrifice, you are covered and your debt has been paid in full.

So how should we remember this extraordinary birth and subsequent amazing life?  What should the gifts sitting under our tree look like?  What thoughts should fill our heads as we wait in never-ending lines at the store?  What should our Christmas parties be?  

Pause and Give Thanks

While we all search furiously for our elastic waist pants and puffy shirts...
let's not forget to pause...
and give thanks.

For me and my family, once again, we have had a hectic, sometimes trying, but amazing year.  I want to thank God for Dylan, who is growing into a young man much too fast; Lincoln, who has grown up so much this year it is hard to believe; and Kristian, who will be one year old in just over two weeks.  I also want to thank God for Jodi, my amazing wife, who has strength and love and understanding much beyond what she gives herself credit.  She is also incredibly supportive of me, no matter what.  But most of all, I want to thank God for his grace and love.  I do not deserve the blessings I have received.  Please help me be a herald to the world and carry the good news of you to all those I may encounter so they will know your love and experience your grace.

What are you thankful for this year?

A wedding, a vacation, three kids on a plane, in-laws, and puke!

What do these all have to do with eachother, besides the first part of my vacation (oh there was also pinkeye and carrying two car seats and three kids' luggage through the Chicago airport?

What they all have in common is patience.

When I said I was going to post a blog while on vacation, I didn't know what I was going to write about. Well God has put this topic on my heat and mind. Now just to clarify; I like my in-laws. We get along great. I love being with my kids. But when family vacation consists of dragging three kids through busy airports to go to a wedding were one is the ring bearer, with pink eye, the other two were by God's grace kept quiet by sleep for one and a mother in-law with an abundance of fruit snacks for the other, while my wife was also in the weeding... The puke came later, but you get the point.

So, now to the point of this post.

Love is patient.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV

If we profess to follow Christ, it is important to act and speak out of love. Love is patient. So when life really gets going, I mean really going. Remember to be patient. And act out of love.

He is alive!

How do we make sure that when we talk about Christ that we make him feel alive to those around us?

This is a very important point.  Christ is alive.  As Christians sometimes we talk about the Bible and God, along with Jesus as if they were just stories, or things from the past.  It's not that we consciously decide to do this.  It just happens.  Sometimes it's the way we tell Bible stories... just like we were told.  And sometimes they become just that... stories.  But the Bible is God's Living Word. And Christ is (not was) God's Word alive in man.

Why does this matter?

Why does it matter to you?

It matters because we are not worshiping a statue or some old dead guy.  We are living in a relationship with someone who loves us.  We are in a relationship with someone who hopes we will grow closer to them.  We are in a relationship with someone who loves us and knows all of our dirty secrets... and still loves us.  This is as real and alive as any relationship we have with our friends, our family, anyone.

Why does it matter to people you know?

If you believe this and want others to experience this living breathing awesome God you know.  If you want the people around you to grow in a relationship with Christ, then you don't want to talk about Christ as if he was dead, or out dated, or stale.  He is alive! And that is how we need to communicate when we talk about him.

How do you make God come alive in your life?
How was Christ talked about in your life when you were a kid? ...when you became an adult?