A Journey of Faith

Deut 16:16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.”

Ascending the Hill - Psalm 122

Gladness - closeness to God and to each other; discovering

Worship - Together, Learning from one another, Sharing and Singing

Peace - in spite of the journey, or the circumstances back home, to be sought and experienced on this journey

The Mountain of the Lord - Isaiah 2:1-5

Prophecy - a foundation of comfort, and a direction to follow

Initial Fulfillment - Israel was established at Mt Sinai; The New Testament Church was established by Christ Himself with the Apostles

Ephesians 2:19-20 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,”

Final Fulfillment - pointing to the Consummation and fullness of The Kingdom

Revelation 21:1-3 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

We are closer now - Romans 13:11-14

Wake Up! - as going on a journey

Gather what you need; get appropriately dressed, and GET MOVING!

Walk Properly - The end is in sight! Don’t still be caught in the quarrels and other foolishness and be distracted!

You will miss the beauty of the journey, and won’t be ready for the destination

No one knows - Matthew 24:36-44

Stay Awake - Don’t give up when we are nearly there

Be Ready - Have your shoes on

Ephesians 6:15 “and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”

The Lord is Coming! - Jesus is coming back, just as He said He would!

Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””

Acts 3:22 “Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.”

Luke 2:25-26 “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

Church Family, my prayer for us is much more than just for this current season, but perhaps this season of Advent can serve as a model and reminder for us to continue this journey of discovery, of faith, and of worship as we not only look forward to celebrating the Nativity, but we journey forward in faith awaiting the return of King Jesus!