Finding Peace and Purpose This Christmas Season

Devotional

Day 1: Reflecting on God's Narrative

As the Christmas season unfolds, it's a time to slow down and see where one's personal journey intersects with the divine story. This period is an invitation to reflect on the transformative power of Jesus' birth and life, paralleled in the stories of Christmas films. [05:03]

Luke 2:19 - "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."
Reflection: How can you see your own life story as part of God's greater narrative this Christmas season?

Day 2: Living as Ambassadors of Christ

The prophecies of Isaiah remind us that God's plans encompass both the present and the eternal. While awaiting the ultimate peace and restoration, there is a call to actively share Christ's message and embody the values of His kingdom today. [44:40]

Colossians 4:5-6 - "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."
Reflection: What are some ways you can live out the values of Christ's kingdom in your daily interactions?

Day 3: Surrendering to the Prince of Peace

Understanding Jesus as the Prince of Peace involves relinquishing control and viewing life's challenges through the lens of God's promises. The greatest achievements pale in comparison to the blessings God has prepared for those who trust in Him. [36:54]

Isaiah 26:3 - "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to surrender control to experience God's peace?

Day 4: Embracing Inner Tranquility

True peace is an inner tranquility that surpasses understanding, rooted in the promises of God. This peace is independent of external circumstances and is a state of being that can be carried within, through all of life's challenges. [24:50]

Philippians 4:7 - "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Reflection: How can you cultivate a sense of God's peace within you, even when external circumstances are tumultuous?

Day 5: Being Proactive in Peace

The Advent season calls believers to be proactive in embodying God's peace. This involves supporting those in need, praying for peace in relationships, and demonstrating God's peace in all aspects of life, as a reflection of the kingdom of heaven. [47:37]

Hebrews 12:14 - "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."
Reflection: What is one specific action you can take this week to be a peacemaker in your community or in a relationship?

Sermon Summary

The sermon series "Christmas at the Movies" at Menlo Church, led by the pastor, focuses on drawing parallels between Christmas movies and biblical stories, using the film "It's a Wonderful Life" as a reference point. The pastor emphasizes the Christmas season as a time for reflection and an opportunity to consider God's work in our lives. The series aims to tell the greatest story through the lens of popular Christmas films.

The pastor discusses the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecies, which had immediate implications for Israel and surrounding nations, as well as a far-reaching fulfillment in Jesus' ministry and the ultimate restoration of creation. The delay in this ultimate fulfillment is attributed to God's patience and desire for all to come to know Him. The holiday season is presented as a chance to share Jesus' message and live as His followers in a world that may not understand.

Reflecting on a scene from "It's a Wonderful Life," the pastor challenges the congregation to see themselves in the character of Mr. Gower, who mistreats George, drawing a parallel to how we may unknowingly mistreat Jesus. The pastor urges surrendering control to see Jesus as the Prince of Peace and to overcome our "greatest hits" to receive what God has for us.

The pastor expresses gratitude for moments of rest and reflection during the season and encourages the congregation to savor these moments and let them fuel their walk with God. The audience is invited to engage in church activities during Advent and to surrender their lives to God's reign and rule.

Addressing feelings of restlessness, the pastor points to God's promise of peace that transcends external circumstances, focusing on inner tranquility. The sermon highlights the messianic prophecy from the Hebrew Scriptures, which points to Jesus as the fulfillment of God's promise of peace.

The pastor shares a personal story about gift-giving with his wife's family, using it to illustrate the importance of savoring moments and appreciating the season. The sermon discusses the veneration of King David in Israel and the biblical prophecy of a future kingdom led by Jesus, offering peace, justice, righteousness, and equality.

The pastor discusses Isaiah's description of the Messiah's kingdom, emphasizing the continuity and never-ending peace that contrasts with Israel's historical experience of unfaithfulness and judgment. The sermon relates this to personal experiences of having favorites and the difficulty of accepting something new and different.

The importance of responsibility and accountability during Christmas is highlighted, with the pastor asking how individuals will respond to God's call to be the answer to others' prayers for peace and provision. The sermon reminds the congregation of Jesus' promise of peace and the invitation to experience true peace and address cosmic hostility with the creator of the universe.

The term "Prince of Peace" is explored, with the pastor emphasizing that Isaiah's message was about a kingdom without end and a peace that goes beyond a mere feeling. The sermon encourages listeners to find eternal hope in God's promises and the peace that comes from harmony with God.

The pastor invites the congregation to pray for meaningful religious rituals and to find deep peace in classic Christmas movies. The sermon introduces "It's a Wonderful Life" and the character George Bailey, who faces adversity but is helped by an angel named Clarence.

Finally, the pastor discusses the significance of Isaiah's pronouncement of a royal childbirth and the compound names used to describe the Messiah, urging the congregation to seek God and His promises during the Advent season.

Key Takeaways

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Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What are the compound names used to describe the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6, and what do they signify about His character and role? [30:26]
How does the pastor relate the character of Mr. Gower in "It's a Wonderful Life" to our relationship with Jesus? [36:54]
What does the pastor mean when he says that the Christmas season is a time to reflect on our lives and consider how God's narrative intersects with our own? [05:03]
According to the sermon, what is the significance of the term "Prince of Peace" as used by Isaiah? [33:46]

Interpretation Questions

How does understanding Jesus as the "Prince of Peace" change the way believers should view their personal struggles and challenges? [24:50]
In what ways does the pastor suggest that the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecies has both immediate and eternal implications? [44:40]
How does the pastor's personal story about gift-giving illustrate the importance of savoring moments and appreciating the season? [41:23]
What does the pastor mean by saying that we need to surrender control to see Jesus as the Prince of Peace in our lives? [36:54]

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you felt restless or discouraged. How can the promise of Jesus as the Prince of Peace help you find inner tranquility in similar situations? [24:50]
The pastor challenges us to see ourselves in the character of Mr. Gower. Can you identify a moment when you might have unknowingly mistreated Jesus through your actions or attitudes? How can you change this behavior? [36:54]
How can you use this Advent season to slow down and reflect on God's work in your life? What specific steps can you take to invite others to experience the transformative story of Jesus? [05:03]
The pastor emphasizes the importance of living as ambassadors of Christ. What are some practical ways you can share Jesus' message and live out the values of His kingdom in your daily life? [44:40]
Think about a "greatest hit" in your life that you might be holding onto. How can you surrender this to God and open yourself to what He has in store for you? [36:54]
The pastor talks about the importance of responsibility and accountability during Christmas. How can you be the answer to someone else's prayer for peace and provision this season? [47:03]
How can you model the peace of God in your interactions with others during this holiday season, especially in stressful or challenging situations? [48:51]

Sermon Clips

"Even more significant, he actually brings peace, eternal peace. Not a temporary peace or a removal of negative circumstances in your life, but permanent and perfect peace beyond what's going on around us to what's happening within us." [25:23]

"We find peace when we see our problems through God's promises. Now, we all have problems in our life, even if other people don't know them, and when we solely let them rest on our shoulders, what we all discover time and time again and yet we let it happen over and over again is that they are much heavier than we can handle by ourselves." [26:33]

"But I wonder for a moment, if we were honest, if we would actually more relate to Mr. Gower, if in the scene actually George would look more like Jesus, and without realizing the good that Jesus has done and is doing in our life, we over and over again, with our words, with our life, and with our attitudes, abuse him." [36:54]

"We have to get off the throne or the director's chair of our lives. We have to surrender control. That's what it means to discover that we find peace when we see our problems through God's promises. It's not our problems that dictate our attitude. It's knowing what God has already done for us." [37:29]

"Celebrating the Advent season, it reminds us that you and I have been given an invitation to experience true peace. The idea of cosmic hostility with the creator of the universe being addressed." [48:51]

"You carry the kingdom of heaven with you. You bring the peace of God with you. So what will you do with this Christmas? How will you model this kind of peace in all the spaces and places that God has put you?" [49:37]

"The idea of a government and peace that only increases and never ends was the complete opposite of what Israel had come to expect in their experience." [39:30]

"Our family takes time. We experience it one at a time. See, not only is it a way to savor our Savior and the moment that we have together more, I think it's also a way to appreciate the thoughtfulness and generosity of the giver and the season that we're in." [42:24]

"Most biblical prophecies, they function like a telescope. When we read them, they're flat. But if we were to look at them across a timeline of human history, there is a near fulfillment, a far fulfillment, and an ultimate fulfillment for all of eternity." [44:02]

"Christmas actually can give us the chance, if we let it, to slow down, to focus and consider what God might do in our life because of that." [21:10]

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