God’s immanence – Luke 21:25-36

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Series: Series: Christmas week reflection 2015 – Part 1

In the midst of the storm God’s people know God is near.

As Christmas day comes we stand and watch.  During advent and Christmas, we so often forget that God is with us and is coming.  When we look over our life or the world, the brokenness is everywhere.  The nations seem like they are in an uproar and let’s face it, for some this season your life or community or family seems in an uproar.  Your heart has become weighted down by the anxieties of life (v. 34).

In Luke 21:25-36 Jesus speaks about a great storm coming.  It comes fast, and for some unexpected.  In the passage, we find a framework or mindset for followers of Jesus as we journey in this life.

1. When the storm says you are alone, God is near (v. 25-28)

When all those around you are in anguish and are perplex at the storm around, Jesus followers know that He is near.  Yes, the passage is speaking of circumstances around the seconded coming, but it is a reminder that God has not left us.

2. In the storm, God’s people look for Jesus (V. 28)

Our watching and waiting is active and intentional.  We need to stay awake. Sometimes in life we fall asleep to the presence and coming of Jesus in our lives.  The dozing times are when we get distracted, or our focus turns inward to the crises and concerns of our life and we lose sight of the bigger picture of who God is.

3.  Life may have storms, but Jesus followers put their trust in Jesus.

Sadness and storms can colour everything in our life.  In the midst of the storm, some will struggle and “do not trust- at a deeply emotional level- that God really is good.  We do not trust- with our heart as much as our head- that God really loves us.  We do not trust- with our gut-that God has a purpose for his world, for our children, for us.  We doubt that every story participates in God’s grand purposes and that his interest in everyone’s story is good, loving and meaningful.”[1]

The lack of trust stops us from living in the joy of the present and we miss seeing God.

The good news of the gospel is that though the world is broken and filled with pain,  though I am wounded and sinful, the good news is that God places me, you, we, at the center of his love and purpose. The good news is, no matter what our storm looks like, God has not left us.  He is coming, he is here.

In the midst of the storm God’s people know God is near.

—————-

[1] http://mattdabbs.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/meetinggodattheshack-hicks.pdf

7 Tips to get the most out of Christmas

Posted on by Matthew Laker

7 tips (1)1. Community

Make time for real relationships.  For many there are lots of opportunities, but what relationship should you focus on? The tension this time of year could be having too many opportunities. Which ones will help you live in who God has called you to be? For some, you may want to pull away, but also make it a point to connect with people.  

It does not always have to be expensive or elaborate, but keep it simple. We were made for relationships. A relationship can enrich our life, so this Christmas be intentional with your community.

2. Pick up a Spiritual Discipline

This is a great time to try or pick up a Spiritual discipline for a season.  The role of the spiritual discipline is intentional development of our relationship and intimacy with Jesus.  It is a deliberate self-imposed habit to foster spiritual growth in one’s life and community.  

Consider a Discipline of Abstinence such as solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, or sacrifice.

3. Specific Serving

Jesus is the neighbour who came to serve.  Many this time of year jump on the bandwagon of serving in organizations. That is important, but consider being specific in your serving this year. It is as we serve others that we become more like Christ.  

Instead of just giving money to an organization, which you should still do,  consider a single adult or family that you could invest in personally.  Find ways to bless them over the four weeks of advent and week of Christmas.  

4. Find a devotional to lead you through the advent themes in scripture

Staying in God’s word always has a great impact in fostering our walk with Jesus and helping us enter, engage and experience the life  we were created for.  It helps us know who God is, which can help us know who we are and what we are to do.

5. Check your expectations.

What we focus on matters as it sets our direction.   During the Christmas season, we need to check our expectations.  Many have an expectation of themselves and each other that are not realistic.  Choose to be simple and enjoy the little things. 

6. Take rest

Be sure to take the time to rest.  There are three elements to this rest.  First it is breaking from the normal routine of life, second is finding things that are restorative, and third, get physical sleep.

7. Spend less

Here in Canada, it is so easy to think you need to spend money to enjoy Christmas.  There is a place for money, but make a budget and stay within it.  Money can be a stresser for many,  so remember that Christmas is about more than how much you spend.  

What would you add to the list?

Beginner’s guide to Advent: What is advent?

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Series: Beginner’s guide to Advent

Growing up every year, my mom would buy us advent calendars filled with chocolate. For me, advent was not spiritual, but a Christmas tradition that counted down to Christmas day.

I grew up in a church that practiced lighting advent candles and had parents that did their best to teach their kids about the purpose of this tradition. However, it was not until my adult years I really started asking what the role of advent was. I wondered just what was commercial and what was tradition in the church? Was there any connection to Jesus, or was this a tradition developed by man?

To understand advent I first must make mention of the church calendar. One writer comments on the use of the calendar as “time itself could be an entree into worship, a retelling of the Christ story”(http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2014/december/our-own-kind-of-time.html).

 

The church calendar takes the 365 days in a year and coordinates with the solar calendar and the life of Christ. There are the major holidays which many know, like Christmas, Good Friday and Easter, as well as Pentecost. Then there are other special days or seasons that fit around these days.

 

One challenge is there is not one universally accepted calendar for the church year. However, the idea of the church calendar can have benefits to discipleship and spiritual growth of people.

 

Advent is the beginning of the church year. The word “advent” means “the coming.” It starts four Sundays prior to Christmas day. The length will vary depending on the date of the first Sunday. It is about a time to prepare to be worthy to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord’s coming into the world – his incarnation. It is not so much an event as it is a preparing season to position to meet with God.

 

Those who have gone before us have chosen Scripture for this journey that speaks to three aspects of advent.

1. The advent of Christ coming into our own lives.

2. The advent of Christ’s physical birth in Bethlehem.

3. The advent of his second coming at the end of history.

 

In most traditions there are four themes, one for each week of advent. The common ones are hope, peace, joy, and love.

Hope (Isaiah 9:2);

Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7; John 14:27);

Joy (Isaiah 65:18; Galatians 5:22-25);

Love (Deuteronomy 10:17-19a; John 13:34-35)

 

There seems to be no fast rule about this. As one can find many themes, here is another example.

Waiting (Isaiah 52:7-10);

Accepting (Luke 1:26-38);

Journeying (Isaiah 55:6-13);

Birthing (Luke 2:1-7)

 

There is a place in our journey for a longer season of reflection so that we may be what God has called us to.

It’s during advent that as the world speeds around, advent calls us to slow down and mourn, hope and prepare.

It is a time to face the brokenness of our world and in ourselves and embrace healing in Jesus.

It is a time to be reminded we are an alternative kingdom.

 

It is a time to reflect upon how the Jesus follower uses time, power, money, our bodies, possessions, work, how we understand race, injustice, relationships, God, forgiveness and how they can be at odds with our culture’s way of doing life.

Advent is a call to realign our life with Jesus.

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.

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

ch02-bb-08

 

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?