Beginners guide to advent

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Series: A Beginners guide to advent.

ad 3Here in Canada once Halloween (October 31) is over, literally the next day the commercial side of Christmas is kicking off. Growing up I always enjoyed the Christmas season. One of the traditions we took part in was something called advent. However for me, advent was more about watching someone light a candle on Sunday morning and getting an advent calendar filled with chocolate.

It was not until my 30’s that I started to see the good potential of advent, beyond just eating gross chocolate out of a cardboard calendar.

Have you ever wondered, what is advent all about?

Where did advent come from?

Why does the church practise something that Christ did not say to?

Where did the advent wreath and traditions come from?

My hope is to write a series of posts that can serve as a beginner’s guide to advent, in order to help you get the most out of the season.

Advent is not so much an event as it is a preparing season to position ourselves to meet with God. It is the beginning of the church year calendar. It is not something that we have to take part in, but it helps to create a good rhythm to realign ourselves.

Some will jump on the idea not to celebrate advent or Christmas, stating that its origins are not Christian. Yes, some of its components originated outside of the community of Jesus followers, however, we need to remember that Jesus followers are in the business of renewal. Often historically the church has redeemed practises for the glory of Christ. If you are a Jesus follower all you have to do is look in the mirror to be reminded about that. Jesus took something that was unholy and made it holy.

At its core I have come to see advent as a great tool amongst the community of followers of Jesus to be used for discipleship and alignment with Christ. It is not just a individualized practise, but can be a community building experience.

What questions do you have about advent?

Fill out the survey below and help me develop this series.

Advent Can help Grow your Faith

Posted on by Matthew Laker

0e1851833_series-4gsheaderThere is so much noise in life, and with the daily grind of life day in and day out, we can get a little lost.  Our culture can seem so dark at times, with so many running here and there.  Advent is about hope coming, and waiting on the Lord.

Advent is a season about waiting for the Lord.  It is season of seeking Jesus.  Advent is like the stones the Israelites used  when they set up a stone monument after crossing the river.   God did not tell the church to create advent, but perhaps the Holy Spirit secretly did.  We may never know, but Advent can be like those stones; A tool to remember who God is and what he has done.  Advent can be a reminder of our need, where we have come from, and where we are going.  When we understand who God is and what he has done, we find direction on who we are.

There is a place for the advent lighting in the larger community, but what will you practice in a smaller community and in your home.  How will you use this season to teach others about who God is?  How will you use this season to climb a mountain and meet with God? Then, celebrate on the 25th of December,  come back down and engage in mission work.

Advent challenges our daily grind, all is not lost.  Advent reminds us that God has not left us and hope is on its way. What will you seek the Lord for this advent season?

During the advent season what might you do differently to meet with God?

How will you search the Scriptures and everyday life to find Jesus?

What advent resources have you used to help journey in this season?

 

Here is a resource:

Advent devotional reading – pdf

Understanding the Second Coming of Jesus – Matthew 24

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Jesus said that he would come back.  What did Jesus teach about this coming and what we call the “end of time”?  There have been so many predictions and timeline-building, but what did Jesus actually teach?jesuscoming

In my life I have gotten caught up in end time frenzy of books and conversation,. only to become confused,  full of questions.  There are many passages in scripture that speak about an end time.  Quite honestly, they are confusing and I am convinced not as easy to understand as some have come to believe.

As a follower of Jesus, I understand that our faith is about salvation of past sins and eternal life.  However, it is not just about an end destination.  Even in the midst of talking about end times, Jesus was very concerned how we were living now. There is a danger in Christianity of just living for heaven, or as I got my ticket, and missing out on much that Jesus taught about life.

This series of posts is going to provide short reflections on the Second Coming of Jesus, and the end times.  To help narrow the conversation for better refection, the posts will be based on Jesus’ conversation in Matthew 24. The Second Coming conversation is one that has frustrated me, and exited me at moments.

What questions do you have around this passage or topic?

 

Series: The Second coming according to Matthew 24

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 

Help to Get more out of your Christmas Season

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Christmas for many can feel like a burden, lonely, and be a stressed-filled season.  In the West, there is great pressure to live up to an image that, let’s face it, no one can.  The author “Ann” of “aholyexperience.com” shares, “Whenever Christmas begins to burden, it’s a sign that I’ve take on something of the world and not of Christ. ”

This is why I have come to appreciate the value of the Advent season.  This tradition over the years has been practiced in different ways with different purposes, but similar purposes. However, at its core has always been a call back to spiritual disciplines and reflection upon Jesus.  It does not matter if it was a 40 day experience or a 4 week experience, it has been about preparing, pausing, reflecting and seeking Jesus.

This is an opportunity to develop a different spiritual discipline in order to understand God more deeply.  It is a season to let go of the world and grab Jesus.  In the world of weight lifting, if you are going to grow you muscles you need to stress and relax the muscle.  You lift heavy weights then give them rest.  Advent is a season to lift some weights to grow your spiritual muscle.

Help To get more out of the Season of Christmas

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1. Make a choice to lift weights.

ok not physical weights, though that may help with the extra eating we do at this time of year. But choose to practice some extra or different spiritual disciplines over this season.

2. Find a community to do this with.

This could be Christian friends, small group or family. Having people to do this with will only increase your opportunity to grow and God will use others to help shape your spiritual formation.

3. Bible meditation, Pray, Fast, Serve

Perhaps you are already doing some of this, but change it up this month.  In my local church setting we try to provide a bible reading plan for the current advent season.  If you would like the current one, email matthew@matthewlaker.com.  You could meet with a group this season to read scripture and talk about it.

Continue to develop your prayer life, perhaps add a prayer walk or community prayer time.  Perhaps, find an advent devotional to guide this process.

I would encourage you in the midst of a season full of food in the west. Consider fasting as a way to be reminded of the Lordship of Jesus and your need for him.

Serving is increased in our Canadian culture at this time of year, but consider how you may impact one person or a group of persons this advent season.  You just may find Jesus there.

Ok, so you are saying is this not what we are already called to do as followers of Jesus?  Yes, many of us struggle to do it, so this is a great time to refocus.  In my own life I practice most of the basic spiritual disciplines.  However, this time of year I try to add a few extra or change in order to seek him more.  It is a set time to be still and know God.

Things in my house we do or have done.

a. We light a candle each night that has a count-down to Christmas day on it.As part of that time we have prayers.

b. We watch a movie about the first coming of Jesus, and then my wife and I often sit and talk about it.

c. Join in with church advent traditions.  This often includes lighting of candles, extra reading, Christmas Eve service.

d. Personally I often pick up an extra advent/Christmas devotional to read.

e. Engage in spiritual conversation with others over a meal .  The last number of years this is often with our kids, as we talk about what is Christmas all about.

f. We try to find ways to invite people into our life to share the experience.  For example, host an evening with people who do not know Jesus in your house.  Serve dessert and drinks and be intentional about hearing their stories about this time of year.  You will have opportunity to shares yours.

g.  When my wife was growing up, each week they used to put out a new person to the nativity scene that would end with Jesus on Christmas morning.  We have not done this yet but keep talking about it each year.

This season take on Jesus and not the burden of the world.    What traditions do you have?