Anticipating Christ: Embracing God's Love This Advent

Devotional

Day 1: Aligning with the Divine Narrative

The church calendar serves as a spiritual guide, helping believers align their lives with the life of Jesus. During Advent, this alignment is particularly poignant as it invites reflection on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. This season of waiting is not about passivity but about actively engaging with the anticipation of Christ's birth. It encourages a shift in focus from worldly schedules to the divine narrative, allowing individuals to ponder God's work in their lives. By participating in this rhythm, believers are reminded of the profound anticipation that marked the first Advent and are invited to experience it anew in their own lives. [01:30]

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: How can you intentionally align your daily routine with the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love during this Advent season?

Day 2: Transcending Early Attachments

Our understanding of love, and consequently God's love, is deeply influenced by our early attachments and family dynamics. These experiences shape our expectations of God, often unconsciously. However, God's love transcends these experiences, offering a deeper, more profound connection. It is not defined by our past but by His actions, as demonstrated through Jesus. This understanding invites believers to reflect on how their perceptions of love have been shaped and to seek a more authentic understanding of God's love that goes beyond human limitations. [06:03]

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him." (1 John 3:1, ESV)

Reflection: Consider how your early family experiences have shaped your understanding of love. How might God be inviting you to experience His love in a new way today?

Day 3: God's Care for the Overlooked

The announcement of Jesus' birth to the shepherds highlights God's attentive love for the marginalized. Despite their lowly status, they were chosen to receive the divine message, demonstrating God's care for the overlooked and His desire to bring joy to all people. This narrative invites believers to recognize the value and dignity of every individual, regardless of societal status. It challenges them to reflect on how they can embody this attentive love in their own lives, reaching out to those who may feel marginalized or overlooked. [15:51]

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." (Luke 12:6-7, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your community might feel overlooked or marginalized? How can you extend God's attentive love to them this week?

Day 4: Practicing Gospel Joy

God's love brings "mega joy" to all people, offering hope and happiness even amidst life's challenges. This joy is not naive optimism but a deep-seated assurance of God's presence and work in our lives. It invites believers to practice gospel joy, a joy that transcends circumstances and is rooted in the assurance of God's love and faithfulness. This practice encourages a shift in perspective, allowing individuals to find joy in the midst of trials and to share that joy with others. [19:06]

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:17-18, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to find joy? How can you practice gospel joy in that area today?

Day 5: Embracing Self-Giving Love

God's love is self-giving, as demonstrated through Jesus' incarnation and sacrificial death. He entered the human experience to offer us life, embodying a love that is both glorious and humble. This love calls believers to reflect it in their relationships and embrace the messiness of life. It challenges them to consider how they can embody self-giving love in their interactions with others, offering grace and compassion even in difficult circumstances. [24:34]

"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." (1 John 3:16, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you demonstrate self-giving love in your relationships this week? What might it look like to embrace the messiness of life with grace and compassion?

Sermon Summary

Reflecting on the Advent season, we are reminded of the profound anticipation of Christ's birth, a time marked by themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. The church calendar, a tool for aligning our lives with the life of Jesus, invites us to ponder God's work in us. Advent, in particular, is a season of waiting, much like Mary's anticipation of Jesus' birth. This waiting is not passive but filled with reflection on the nature of God's love, which is often misunderstood due to our varied life experiences and family backgrounds.

Our understanding of love, and consequently God's love, is deeply influenced by our early attachments and family dynamics. These experiences shape our expectations of God, often unconsciously. However, God's love is not defined by our experiences but by His actions, as demonstrated through Jesus. The Apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, showing us that God's love is attentive, joyous, self-giving, and glorious.

The announcement of Jesus' birth to the shepherds, who were marginalized and overlooked, exemplifies God's attentive love. Despite their lowly status, they were chosen to receive the divine message, highlighting God's care for the overlooked. This love is also joyous, bringing "mega joy" to all people, as the angelic message proclaimed. It is a joy that transcends circumstances, offering hope and happiness even amidst life's challenges.

God's love is self-giving, as seen in Jesus' incarnation and sacrificial death. He entered the human experience, embracing its messiness and pain, to offer us life. This self-giving nature of God's love is a call to us to reflect it in our relationships. Finally, God's love is glorious, as He steps into the dirt of our world, bringing healing and restoration. This Advent season, we are invited to reflect on the breadth, length, height, and depth of God's love revealed through Jesus.

Key Takeaways

1. L_d521I&t=90s'>[01:30]
2. Understanding God's Love Through Our Attachments: Our early family experiences shape our understanding of love and, consequently, our perception of God's love. These attachments influence our expectations of God, often unconsciously. However, God's love transcends these experiences, offering a deeper, more profound connection.

3. God's Attentive Love for the Overlooked: The announcement of Jesus' birth to the shepherds highlights God's attentive love for the marginalized. Despite their lowly status, they were chosen to receive the divine message, demonstrating God's care for the overlooked and His desire to bring joy to all people.

4. The Joyous Nature of God's Love: God's love brings "mega joy" to all people, offering hope and happiness even amidst life's challenges. This joy is not naive optimism but a deep-seated assurance of God's presence and work in our lives, inviting us to practice gospel joy.

5. The Self-Giving and Glorious Love of God: God's love is self-giving, as demonstrated through Jesus' incarnation and sacrificial death. He entered the human experience to offer us life, embodying a love that is both glorious and humble. This love calls us to reflect it in our relationships and embrace the messiness of life.

** [01:30]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:30] - Understanding the Church Calendar
[02:23] - The Season of Advent
[03:26] - Defining Love
[04:34] - Family Influence on God's Love
[06:03] - The God of Our Gut
[07:32] - Emotional Data and God's Love
[08:26] - Jesus as the Image of God
[15:51] - The Shepherds' Divine Message
[16:49] - Good News of the Kingdom
[17:55] - Joy in God's Love
[19:06] - Practicing Gospel Joy
[20:17] - The Self-Giving Nature of God's Love
[21:20] - Jesus' Humanity
[24:34] - God's Love in Action
[25:40] - Glory in the Dirt
[28:45] - God's Love Defined
[30:13] - God is Love
[32:11] - Invitation to Reflect on God's Love

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What was the significance of the shepherds being the first to receive the announcement of Jesus' birth? [15:51]
How does the Apostle Paul describe Jesus in Colossians 1:15, and what does this reveal about God's nature? [08:26]
In Philippians 2:5-8, what actions of Jesus demonstrate the self-giving nature of God's love? [21:20]
How does the angel's message to the shepherds in Luke 2:10-11 reflect the joyous nature of God's love? [19:06]

Interpretation Questions

How might the shepherds' lowly status enhance our understanding of God's attentive love for the overlooked? [15:51]
What does it mean for Jesus to be the image of the invisible God, and how does this shape our understanding of God's love? [08:26]
How does Jesus' willingness to take on human form and experience suffering reflect the depth of God's love for humanity? [21:20]
In what ways does the joyous announcement of Jesus' birth challenge our understanding of joy in the midst of life's challenges? [19:06]

Application Questions

Reflect on your own family background. How has it shaped your understanding of love and your perception of God's love? How can you seek a deeper understanding of God's love beyond these influences? [07:32]
Consider a relationship in your life where you can reflect God's self-giving love. What specific actions can you take to demonstrate this love? [24:34]
In what ways can you practice gospel joy in your daily life, especially during challenging times? Identify one specific situation where you can choose joy this week. [19:06]
How can you be more attentive to the needs of those who are often overlooked or marginalized in your community? What practical steps can you take to show God's love to them? [15:51]
Reflect on the concept of God's glorious love entering the "dirt" of our world. How can you embrace the messiness of life while still reflecting God's glory in your actions? [25:40]
How can you align your life more closely with the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love during this Advent season? What changes might you need to make in your daily routine or mindset? [02:23]
Identify one area in your life where you struggle to trust God's love. What steps can you take to deepen your trust and experience His love more fully? [06:03]

Sermon Clips

"In the last three weeks or so, we have been walking through this Advent season. We've been awaiting the birth of Christ. We've been joining in the story with kind of bated breath, awaiting our expected King. But maybe you didn't grow up in a tradition that observed Advent. Maybe you didn't grow up around the church. So when we talk about Advent or we say something about the church calendar, you might find yourself like, yeah, that sounds great. You have no idea what's going on, but you nod along just to, you know, not betray too much." [00:00:00] (39 seconds)

"Patterns of interactions with our attachment figures get stored in our memory as gut level expectations of how close relationships work. These expectations get placed on our relationship with God, often without realizing it. This doesn't mean that our experiences and expectations of God can't change, but it does mean that the social context in which we are raised profoundly shapes the God of our gut." [00:05:44] (33 seconds)

"But at Christmas and in Jesus, God is working to define love on his terms so that we might come to know who he really is. It'd be the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossian church who writes that Jesus is the image of the invisible, God. If you hear nothing else, hear this. God has always looked like Jesus. There has never been a moment in which God did not look like Jesus." [00:08:26] (36 seconds)

"God's love is attentive enough to tend to the emotional state of hired hands. Consider that little detail for a moment there is a message to deliver there's a king to be announced there's a choir that is ready to sing and yet there is enough care and concern to say do not be afraid this is not only the most common instruction throughout the biblical narrative but it is also the most common instruction in the Christmas story do not be afraid Zachariah do not be afraid Mary to the shepherds do not be afraid every time God's messenger shows up this attention is given to the hearers fears." [00:15:51] (51 seconds)

"God's love is like a gaggle of kiddos stumbling their way through a go -tell -it on a mountain. His love produces glee, delight, and happiness. God's love, in the words of Christopher and Zima, should light up our nervous system, producing a sense of joy in our minds, our bodies, and our emotions. Now, I want to be clear when I mention joy because I recognize that in the Christmas season in particular, there's a whole spectrum of emotions being experienced at this one time." [00:17:55] (39 seconds)

"Paul will write in Philippians 2 that though Jesus was equal with God, that Jesus was God, that he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant and being born in the likeness of men. God's love is incarnational. In that he became flesh and bones. Now I've walked with Jesus for several decades. I know I don't look it, but several decades. Believing Jesus is God is actually the easy part." [00:21:20] (36 seconds)

"Love that bore all things and endured all things even to the cross so that we might be restored to him and to one another. For those of us who have nothing to give, nothing to offer, God's love is self -giving. He gives all of himself that we might have life. For God's love is self -giving. His love is attentive. His love is joyous. And his love is glorious." [00:25:40] (33 seconds)

"This idea of glory is honor. It's majesty. It's beauty. It's splendor. All descriptions that rightfully belong to our God. And yet God's love is displayed as he heals the world by getting his hands dirty. He enters into the muck mire. And mess of life on planet earth. The glory of the Lord in the dirt of planet earth. What does it mean that God of heaven became flesh? That he took up residence among us? That he dared to be seen? Dared to be touched? Dared to be carried? Dared to be held? To be struck? To be hated?" [00:27:45] (41 seconds)

"The invitation, not just at Christmas, but every day of the year is to come to know the breadth, the length, the height, and the depth of God's love in Christ. For love is not an abstract concept. It is a person reaching out. Worship team, if you would join me. I'll wrap it up. I know you're already thinking about lunch. I saw it. Love is not abstract. It's not sentimental. It's not just a concept. Love is a person." [00:30:13] (41 seconds)

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