The Beginning of Advent...

Sunday, December 1, began the Advent Season.  While the retail world has been preparing their store displays for Christmas for several weeks now, pretty much since before Halloween, and they saw it begin with earnest on Black Friday, we see the Christmas Season as officially beginning Sunday, December 1, the first Sunday in Advent.  And as they see it as a chance to dramatically increase sales before the year-end, we see it as a chance to prepare ourselves again for the second coming of our Messiah. 

I love Advent.  It is a holy time of year for me.  A chance to reflect on God Himself becoming human, being born in the most unholy of circumstances.  Truly becoming one of us, even one of the least of us.  Yet inside, He was still fully God.  Living on the outside just as you or I might have, yet, pure and holy.  Our divine Lord. 

But not only do have the promise that He was coming, we have the promise that He is coming again.  And Advent reminds us of that.  And it gives us an opportunity to make ourselves ready.  Three quick ways to do this:  first, we identify with Christ by getting baptized and becoming a member of his church.  This shows that we are a part of His body, the church family.  We need to commit to him, and to his family. 

Second, we live by the qualities Jesus lived by while he was here on earth; these are love, humility, truth, and service to others.  In other words, we sort of role-play what Jesus would do if He were in our situation.  We try to become imitators of Christ, regularly asking ourselves, “What Would Jesus Do?” 

And thirdly, we watch ourselves carefully, so we don’t fall into any sin.  We work on our discipline, we become more self-controlled, we stand up to sin – we don’t give in.  We need to monitor this carefully, because sin starts with a tiny temptation.  We need to make sure we avoid any little thing that might open the door to sin.  When we work on these three things, we will be ready for his return.

William Coffin once said, “We have learned to soar through the air like birds, to swim through the seas like fish, to soar through space like comets. Now it is high time we learned to walk the earth as the children of our God.”  This advent season, make sure you’re ready for his return.  Make sure you’re walking as one of his children.  

How Big Our God Is...

“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.  I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends to the earth.”

Isaiah 49:6

It sometimes amazes me to think of how big our God is.

I know that He wants to use me, to work through me, and perhaps sometimes I allow that to limit Him.  If God were to work through me, then maybe God can be no bigger than me.  When God works through you, maybe He is limited to how big you are.

But then this verse changes that.  God is speaking to Isaiah, and in verse 5, it says, “And now the Lord says – He who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself…”  Isaiah knew God formed him in the womb, he was destined since birth, he was born for this – to bring the nation of Israel back to God. 

To me, that sounds like a big thing.  How can just one man turn an entire nation?  I’m sure Isaiah thought it to be a big thing.  But then, here in verse 6, we see what God thinks.  “It is too small a thing…”  God wasn’t limited by Isaiah. 

It wasn’t enough for Isaiah to be God’s servant.  It’s wasn’t enough to bring back the entire tribe of Jacob.  It wasn’t even enough restore the entire nation of Israel.  God was way bigger and way more powerful than Isaiah.  And for God, the entire world was always the plan.  That through Isaiah, Israel would become a light for the Gentiles, that salvation might come to the ends of the earth.

As Christian’s today, we have a similar mission, to go and “make disciples of all nations, baptizing tem in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”  (Matthew 28:19).  To be Jesus’ “witnesses in Jerusalem, and all in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Before you start thinking that’s too big a thing, remember Isaiah.  And remember how big God is.  And remember that God is not limited by you.  Rather, through you, He can do amazingly big things.

Invite Someone...

It is all a bit anticlimactic really. 

In Matthew chapter 3 Jesus is baptized, and then in chapter 4 he is tested in the desert.  Chapter 4 ends with a quote from Isaiah about the bar of the oppressor being broken and captives rejoicing as at the harvest.  Isaiah says that people will no longer stumble in darkness but will walk in light, and the “chosen one of God” will accomplish all of this.  Jesus is standing in the very place Isaiah mentions, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.  It dawns on us that Jesus is going to make all this happen.  He is the chosen one of God

.

We can almost hear Beethoven’s 5^th building in the background as the story rushes headlong to its climax.  We might expect a flurry of miracles, some thunder and lightening, at least cheering crowds swelling behind him as he travels.  We know this is the inauguration of grand things.

So what follows this auspicious beginning?  Jesus takes a solitary walk along the Sea of Galilee and strikes up some conversations with a few fishermen who are toiling to earn a living to feed their families.  It is a bit anticlimactic. We were expecting, perhaps, something a bit more dramatic.

There is, however, something to be learned by this rather low-key initiation of the ministry of Jesus.  He simply, as the British might say, chats up a few folks and invites them to travel with him.  It is not a grandiose beginning, but it is one that bears fruit a bit later in the story.  These guys become 4 of the original 12 apostles, one of them being Peter.  All that follows begins with a simple, personal invitation.

This coming Sunday, September 15^th, is National Back-to-Church Sunday.  People all over the nation are going to invite someone to go with them to church on that Sunday.  Are you willing to do that?  Think about your family, your friends, your coworkers, and your neighbors.  Is there someone whom you could invite to go to church with you?  You could say:  “You know, I enjoy going to my church.  It helps me as I try to live my life and make good decisions.  Would you like to go with me this Sunday?  I think you might like it.” 

This is how Jesus began there by the Sea of Galilee.  There were no slick brochures, no Internet training modules, no football or movie stars spokespersons, no national film or book promotions, no funny U-tube videos of cats playing the piano, and no free gifts.  It was just one person inviting another person to journey with them to a new way of life.  Give it a try and see what happens.  Who knows what fruit that simple conversation might bear?  Let me know how it goes.

Blessings,

Jim Kelsey

Executive Minister
American Baptist Churches of New York State 

This week's message is now online...

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn - September 8, 2013

This week we’re continuing our series on the Beatitudes.  And we’re going to look at the second of those beatitudes, found in verse 4, which reads, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”  We saw last week that to be poor in spirit was to be humble, and specifically humbled by a vision of your own sinfulness before God.  So what is it to mourn?  What attitude is Jesus specifically referring to?

Blessed are You...

On Sunday, we started a new sermon series titled, Blessed Are You.  The first message in that series shares the name.  It's been posted to the Almond Union of Churches website, and can be seen by clicking the link below...

Blessed Are You...  August 25, 2013

A Short Film on the topic of envy...

On Tuesday night, we finished our Book Study on Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life.

As I had stated when we started, the book has been re-released under the title, What On Earth Am I Here For?" and now includes two new chapters, one on envy, and one on people pleasing.  Both are excellent chapters, and we spent a lot of time discussing both of them.

That was a rather long lead in to a fairly short video that I think really drives home the point...  Notice when the boy with old, worn out shoes cries out, "It isn't fair, I wish I could be like him..."



We've all struggled with envy.  But remember that we have no idea how much the other person has sacrificed to get what they have.  Maybe we aren't willing to sacrifice that much...

Made For a Mission...

Sunday's message has been posted on line.  This was the last of Rick Warren's five purposes for our creation.  We were made for a purpose.  Check out this week's message below:

8-11 Made For a Mission

There's even an audio link if you would like to listen.