Christmas – The day after the Celebration

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Series Christmas 2015 – part 6 Series Christmas 2015 – part 6

How now do we live in light of the great coming of Jesus?

 

For many there is a great build up to Christmas and then it is over.  We must now come down off the mountain, and journey along the road of life.

 

We need the mountain top experiences of seeking Jesus, but life is lived down below.  We meet Jesus at the top of the mountain and also in the regular rhythms of life.  Jesus came to transform your  life. Jesus, taught in such a way that he believed it would have an impact on the daily rhythms of life.

 

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 says, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ” (NLT).

 

As you look ahead to the new year and following Jesus. What do need to you let go of from the storm?

To live in the new life ahead, what do you need to let go of from the past?

 

When we follow Jesus it does not mean all our storms go away. The storm may still be around, but how do you engage, enter, and experience the full life that Jesus came to give?

It starts with him as your center.

 

John 10:10 New Living Translation (NLT)

10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich

and satisfying life.

 

Christmas is just the beginning of the Christian calendar year.  I encourage you to find a reading plan to take you through the gospels and discover Christ with fresh eyes.

This new year how will you intentionally use the resources God has given you to impact and spread the word of God.

 

Let me leave you with two resources.

 

One, is to sign up to receive weekly post from my blog.  Most weeks you will receive 2-3 post directly to your email.

Sign Up herehelp you grow b

The second, is to consider getting a life coach. A life coach can help bring clarity to where you are and want to go, then help develop a plan to get there.

This year do not sit in the back seat, but grab the steering wheel and enter, experience and engage the life God is calling you to.

 

May you have a great year and God be with you.

Christmas Week Reflection 2015

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Christmas week devotional starts next week. Over the Christmas week, the regular 2-3 posts a week is going to be paused.

Instead, I will offer daily reflections from December 21- 26.

 

 

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Here is what you need to know:

  • To receive the Christmas week reflections, you must sign up here or below.
  • The regular posting schedule is on hold.
  • After Christmas, the 2-3 post a week schedule will come back.

The Christmas devotionals will reflect on four topics:

Dec. 21- God’s immanence – Luke 21:25-36

Dec. 22 – God’s guidance – Luke 1:69-79

Dec 23 – God’s provision – Isaiah 12:1-6

Dec. 24 – God’s Arrival – Micah 5:2-5a

Dec. 25 – Christmas day reflection and prayer

Dec. 26 – The day after the celebration

The good news is, no matter what our storm looks like, God has not left us. He is coming; he is here. During the Christmas week take intentional time to pause and seek Jesus. When you do that you will enter, engage, and experience the life you were created for (John 10:10).

 

Series: Christmas week reflection 2015

Beginners guide to advent:Advent as a discipleship tool

Posted on by Matthew Laker

“The church year was developed centuries ago as a teaching tool. From four Sundays before Christmas to the celebration of the ascension of Jesus, it tells the story of the Christian faith. Advent is the story of the sinful world yearning for a savior. It focuses on Old Testament prophecy related to the coming Messiah”( Rev. Roland McGregor).

The church calendar contains different seasons of the story of Jesus. Each season helps us to get into the flow of the Christian story. In each season, we take the time to learn, experience and live in the story of Jesus and let his story enter our story.

Advent is part of a larger system of discipleship to teach people who Jesus is, who they are in Christ and what we are to do. During advent, we can hit upon the two major themes of Christ’s first coming and his second coming.

If one follows the church year, which starts with the advent, when it comes full circle they will have journeyed through the life of Christ.

We may see advent as a time to just light candles and sing some Christmas songs, but traditionally it is a call to learn and enter the story of Jesus. Advent is not just a tradition, for tradition sake, but a call to obey the commands of Jesus. It is as we embrace Jesus that we enter, engage and experience the life we were created for.

On a Personal level in my home, we use advent as a way to disciple our children. One year we even used a type of advent calendar that had a scripture reading that we read each day. Each night we light a candle, which provides a moment to call them to Jesus, to enter the story of Jesus and talk about the story of Jesus.

Some may say, “but do we not do this throughout the year?” The reality is many have not thought through or have any system in place to make disciples. How are we going to teach people to follow Jesus? Advent can be a tool to help.

Advent can serve as part of a larger system to teach about Jesus. I am not convinced that we have to be legalistic about it. I do believe for the corporate body it can help larger teaching and guiding of the community to cultivate and foster faith in Jesus. In a smaller community, like my family, it provides times for specific conversation.

How have you used advent to teach the young, or old, and or searching in the faith about the story of Jesus?

Beginner guide to advent: Symbols of Advent

Posted on by Matthew Laker

The Advent season is one filled with many symbols, but two core symbols dominate.  

The first is the wreath and the second are the candles.  During the Advent/Christmas season, there are many surrounding symbols that have been added.  Often the symbols have been adopted and redeemed for Christ.  Tension comes from adopting for some, but Jesus is in the business of taking something old and making it new.

In churches and some homes, the wreath is one of the most well-known symbols.  It comes from northern Europe and does not have its origins with Jesus followers.  It has been adapted to point us to Jesus.  Evergreen leaves are placed in a circle to remind us of life and God’s never ending love.

Candles are the biggest symbols we see in many churches and homes.  Often candles are placed inside the wreath.  Many churches will light one candle each Sunday service of advent until all four candles are lit  Christmas eve or Christmas day.  

Three of the candles are purple representing kingship or even  repentance.  One candle is often pink and represents Joy, reminding us of the need to rejoice in this season. Some will put a white candle in the middle and light that candle at the Christmas eve service or on Christmas day.  The focus is not so much the colour, but the light.  Today you sometimes see people using just plain white candles.  

Purple is often the colour of advent.  It represents repentance, fasting and royalty as we welcome the king.  Often we do not think of advent as a time for fasting, etc., however, we must not forget its connection to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus came in the flesh to reveal God’s grace through his life, his teaching, death and resurrection.  For this reason we see some shared colours between the season of advent and the season of lent. 

There are other symbols that are connected to the Christmas story such as the star and the manager.  The Christmas tree has also become a staple in many churches and homes here in the West.  Again this is an example of a symbol that has been claimed and transformed to point us to Christ.  Later, decorations with Christian symbols would be used to decorate the tree. 

There is also a tradition called the Jesse tree.  It seems to have its origin from the medieval times and is used to tell the story of the bible from creation to the birth of Christ.  The name comes from Jesse who was the Father of King David in the old Testament.  Isaiah 1:1-4 is the root of this symbolism speaking of a branch that shoots up from the stump of Jesse. Like many other symbols, trees have been used to help teach people who can not read or write learn the stories from creation to the birth of Christ.  Today it is used more often as an advent Calendar.  Here is a great online resource to learn more.  Read the intro here: http://www.loyolapress.com/the-jesse-tree.htm

You can use a normal tree and each day of advent, or just on the Four Sundays of advent, hang a special decoration or ornament that tells a story from the bible on the tree.  

The symbols of advent are used to help us focus on both the past and the future.  They speak and serve as a signpost on the spiritual journey as the followers of Jesus affirm that Christ has come, that he is present, and that he will come again. 

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