Advent: More of Jesus, Less of Me

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach – if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard. Colossians 1.21-23

The wonder of the gospel is that we were once completely outside the family of God and against the things of God, but through the wonderful cross of Christ and the reconciliation He graciously brought to us we are in the family of God and love Him. Our condition has utterly changed, but the battle rages on and especially this time of year. As I shared Sunday, studies have showed that November is the most depressing month for most. With the holidays, the busyness of the season, and the remembrance of loved ones gone this is no doubt a tough time of year. It is also tough because it is especially a flesh feeding season. This was the thought that woke me up this morning. I am sure you feel it, the pull here and there for this and that to buy. There is also the expectations of others this season that we feel pressed to live up to. So much pulling, push and competing for our time, money, affections and energy.

So, what do we need this Advent? Real simply, more of Jesus and less of me (ourselves). If I am going to be firmly established in my faith and steadfast through this season and not moved from the hope of the gospel then I need a steady diet of Jesus. More of Jesus is the answer to conquering the temptations, the consumerism pull, the unhealthy expectations of others and anything else that tries to rob us of our Advent joy in Jesus. So, take time this season for daily bible reading and prayer. There will be daily readings in the bulletin for the week ahead starting Sunday to help in that discipline. Also, I want to give you this resource as well by John Piper: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/books/good-news-of-great-joy. It will be a companion to my readings this season.

This Sunday (December 1), we will have one worship gathering at 10:45 am. We hope to see you then and also hope to see you tonight for our Thanksgiving meal together.