Advent: Enter the Story and Imitate Christ

Advent invites us to enter God’s story with open eyes and willing hearts. Today I set our gaze on Isaiah’s vision of a mountain rising above every power—where nations stream toward God, swords become plowshares, and light overtakes darkness. That vision isn’t escapism; it’s an invitation to locate our lives inside the narrative God is already writing. Bethlehem’s past under Assyria and later under Rome wasn’t just geopolitics—it was the soil where fear and longing grew. Into that tension, God did not send a memo or a military. He came himself. Emmanuel. Not distant power, but embodied presence.

I shared Rembrandt’s Christ in the Storm, where he paints himself into the boat. That’s the heart of Advent: “This is not merely their storm; it’s mine.” We’re not spectators to salvation or bystanders to hope. We are invited to step into the boat—to bring our fears, our choices, and our ordinary days into God’s redeeming work.

And here’s a truth I want us to wrestle with: Jesus wasn’t merely born to die. Yes, the cross and the resurrection are central. But if that were all, God could have done it another way. The incarnation means God shows us how to be human—how to live in light instead of darkness, to love, serve, and walk in peace in the very places we feel most pressed and afraid. Advent is participatory. We learn to let shovels stay shovels, to turn from reaction to reconciliation, and to make work into worship.

As a church stepping into a new year, I’m praying we grow by entering the story more deeply. Let’s locate ourselves among the shepherds and Mary and Joseph—ordinary people entrusted with holy participation. Let’s ask: where am I tempted to pick up a sword? Where is God asking me to climb the mountain, learn his ways, and live as I was made? This season is an invitation: step into the light, follow Christ, and let your ordinary life become a place where heaven meets earth.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Enter the story, not spectate. God doesn’t ask for distant admiration; he invites our participation. Like Rembrandt in the boat, we step into the scene with our fears and hopes. Advent is not a memory to observe but a movement to join. Paint yourself into God’s story. [29:58]
• 2. Isaiah’s mountain reorders our fears. When empires loom, God lifts our eyes to his higher mountain. His presence exposes the smallness of our idols and the brittleness of our anxieties. We are formed by the hill we climb; choose Zion, not fear. Live in his light. [21:42]
• 3. Incarnation shows us how to live. God didn’t just rescue us; he taught us humanity as it was meant to be. Jesus demonstrates love, humility, and grounded obedience in daily life. Discipleship is imitation—learning the “how” of human life from the Human One. [35:55]
• 4. Choose plowshares over the sword. In anxious times, retaliation feels practical, but it multiplies ruin. God’s way beats swords into tools that cultivate life and repair what’s broken. Peace is not passive; it is patient, stubborn, and deeply creative. [40:51]
• 5. Ordinary days become holy ground. Advent sanctifies the mundane—work becomes worship, errands become service, and fatigue becomes prayer. The Spirit meets us in hidden places where no one applauds. Holiness grows quietly in the soil of ordinary faithfulness. [41:11]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [20:24] - Why I love Advent
• [21:42] - Isaiah’s mountain and peace vision
• [23:40] - Bethlehem’s quiet life under threat
• [26:02] - Tribute, conscription, and rising anxiety
• [28:33] - Rembrandt’s storm on Galilee
• [29:58] - Painting ourselves into God’s story
• [31:10] - Bethlehem under Rome’s heavy hand
• [34:22] - The incarnation breaks into history
• [35:55] - Jesus shows us how to live
• [36:55] - Wrestling with “born to die”
• [38:34] - Imitating Christ in ordinary life
• [40:20] - Come, live in God’s light
• [41:40] - Step into the story
• [44:05] - Closing prayer

Bible reading
- Isaiah 2:1–5 (ESV)
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Observation questions (3–4)

1. Read Isaiah 2:2–4. What images does the text use to describe God’s reign (mountain, streaming nations, teaching, swords/plowshares)? What mood or hope do those images create for the original hearers?
2. In verse 3 the people say, “that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” What does the passage say about how people learn God’s way—who goes to the mountain and what do they expect to receive?
3. The image “painted himself into the boat” was used to describe personal entry into the story. How does picturing oneself in the disciples’ boat change the way one hears the nativity and the Gospel? [29:58]
4. Isaiah’s vision and the nativity both speak of light breaking into darkness. Where in the nativity account does the sermon connect that light with God’s presence in ordinary life? [34:22]

Interpretation questions (3–4)

1. How does the mountain function in Isaiah’s prophecy—does it point primarily to a future haven, a present way of life, or both? What implications follow for how a community should orient its priorities?
2. What does the transformation of weapons into farming tools (swords into plowshares) imply about the methods God uses to bring justice and peace? Is this primarily a change of tools, hearts, institutions, or all three?
3. The claim is made that the incarnation “shows us how to live” as humans were made to live. Which aspects of Jesus’ life would one expect to be the primary “lessons” for ordinary daily living (humility, service, Sabbath rhythms, non-retaliation, etc.) and why? [35:55]
4. The invitation to “enter the story” assumes some people remain spectators. What barriers keep people from entering (fear, cynicism, busyness, shame), and how might entering change a person’s posture toward daily decisions? [29:58]

Application questions (4–7)

1. “Paint yourself into God’s story.” Where are you tempted to stay on the shore and only watch? Name one concrete fear, role, or daily responsibility you could bring into prayer this week as a way of entering the story. [29:58]
2. “Choose plowshares over the sword.” Think of a recent situation where retaliation or a harsh response felt practical. What would it look like to choose a creative, peace-making action instead this week? Name one specific step you could take. [40:51]
3. “Ordinary days become holy ground.” List three routine activities (work task, commute, household chore) and one way to reframe or practice each as an act of worship or service in the coming week. [41:11]
4. The incarnation calls people to imitate Christ’s life. Pick one habit of Jesus you want to grow in (listening, serving, praying, resting, generosity). What is one concrete, time-bound practice you will try for the next two weeks, and who will ask you about it for accountability? [37:55]
5. “Let us walk in the light of the Lord.” Identify one area where fear, anxiety, or distrust is shaping your choices. What is one small, tangible step you can take this week to “climb the mountain” toward living by God’s light (a conversation, a confession, an act of mercy, or a study/prayer practice)? [21:42]

(Use these questions to guide a 60–90 minute small-group conversation: begin with the Bible reading, spend 10–15 minutes on observation, 20–25 on interpretation, and 25–40 on applications and personal commitments.)