Sermon Notes "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

Today is the first Sunday of Advent...the time of preparation for the first advent of our Lord as a baby in the manger...God With Us...

As we lit the first Advent candle... the Pastor read:

 "This morning we light the first candle, the candle of hope.  This candle reminds us that God's promises give us reason to be filled with hope~hope for unity in a world of division, hope for healing in a world of pain, and hope for peace in a world filled with anger and strife.  We remember that Christ is our light and the source of our hope." 

My view from the choir loft during the prelude. Such a peaceful, beautiful Sunday morning. So thankful to be able to worship in God's house each week.

And then the choir sang this to help begin the Advent Season. 

A little later in the service the choir sang the following anthem:

"Christmas is coming...Let the Church bells ring..."

With the onset of the Advent Season, we are preparing our hearts to welcome the Christ Child at Christmas. But it is not necessarily so out  there in the rest of the world.  Sadly, Christmas has become "sanitized" as Christ has been removed from the commercialized version of Christmas, and has been replaced with cash.

Our scripture reading today tells of the current world view:

II Timothy 3:1-7

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,

boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,

traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

having a form of godliness, but denying its power.

And from such people turn away!

For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, 

led away by various lusts,

always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

Christmas commercials that we see on the television may sometimes be heart-stirring and well-done, but they are still all about sending us a message to sell their product, whatever it may be.

God has been sending a message of salvation and reconciliation to man since the beginning of time and the fall of man. He has sent signs and wonders...plagues, parted the Red Sea, defeated big armies with just 300 men, healed those riddled with disease and leprosy.  He sent messages through the patriarchs and prophets of old...Abraham, Moses, David, Micah...He even sent a message through a donkey to get man's attention.  And yet we miss the message...we continue on in our own way..."lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God...having a form of godliness, but denying its power!"

Get amazed by the simplicity of God's message to us...He loves us...no matter what...He wants us to be reconciled to Himself...He wants us back.  This stubborn world continues to sin and rebel...God knew that only a personal act could redeem man...so God came down to live among us...to a dirty, dark, smelly stable...He didn't send some regal production to get our attention...He sent His Son...a Baby...Emmanuel, God with us.

Internet photo

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, 

and we beheld His glory, 

the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 

full of grace and truth."

John 1:14

Christmas, the ultimate act that demonstrates the unfailing and unconditional love God has for us, His precious children. God with us...Emmanuel.

Do we keep it for ourselves, or do we have a responsibility to share this gift with others?

The true message of Christmas is to learn to love unselfishly as God did...and start to love people unconditionally, just as He has loved us and sent His Son to redeem us to Himself...

What will you do with this precious gift?  Will you keep it for yourself...or will you share it with the rest of the world...?

Sermon Notes: FUMC, Interlachen, FL., Pastor A.C. Myers, 12/2/2018

Please Note : I want to repeat this disclaimer here...the notes, outline, and content included here are based upon my own personal understanding of the message that was being given. I am not attempting to completely quote or reproduce this message or any other message I've shared previously. Just as each person reading these notes may glean insights and thoughts that seem to directly apply to one's own situation and interpretation, my own delivery of these messages is skewed by my hearing and translation of what is being said. Some may read my notes here and wonder if they were hearing the same message as I...and I say, God speaks to each of us as He wills...there are things He is trying to get across to each individual that may be entirely different than what the person sitting next to you in the pew is needing to hear... That is how the Holy Spirit works! He knows what we need to hear and how to apply it to our hearts. So it is with that understanding that I present these sermon notes to you.