Week 1: Hope (2)

Intro:

What was something special to you as a child concerning the Christmas season you

Catalogs

Santa’s Workshop

Christmas stocking from church

special time for family —loved giving gifts to my family growing up

*Pop’s jean jacket

People were always nice at that time of year

Anticipation—looking forward

Looking—for what?

Christmas begins what Easter celebrates.

Scirptures:

Psalm 80:1–7 NLT

1 Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph’s descendants like a flock. O God, enthroned above the cherubim, display your radiant glory 2 to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Show us your mighty power. Come to rescue us! 3 Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. 4 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, how long will you be angry with our prayers? 5 You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful. 6 You have made us the scorn of neighboring nations. Our enemies treat us as a joke. 7 Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.

Psalm 80:17–19 NLT

17 Strengthen the man you love, the son of your choice. 18 Then we will never abandon you again. Revive us so we can call on your name once more. 19 Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.

Let your face SHINE — that we might be saved

Isaiah 2:1–5 NLT

1 This is a vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. 3 People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. 5 Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Walk in the LIGHT of the Lord

Romans 13:11–14 NLT

11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

Put on armor of LIGHT

Mark 13:24–27 NLT

24 “At that time, after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

Keep alert

which one of these directives from Scripture resonates with you right now?

Why?

What is the answer to darkness? Light

What is the answer to danger? Rescue

What is the answer to lethargy? vitality

Exhaustion? Rest

Which of these do you think you will need most in the days and weeks ahead?

If Jesus is to reign in your life this weeks before Christmas and in Christmas, what are some situations/relationships you will need to lay down your arms? OR

How might you exchange your weapons for the armor of light?

Anticipation:

Hope fills us with anticipation-

When you knew/or know company is coming for holidays, what do you do?

Christmas—the King is coming and we want to be prepared to receive Him

If you knew Jesus was coming tomorrow, what would you do today?

How would you prepare physically?

Relationally ?

Emotionally?

Financially?

Spiritually?

Hospitality

Luke 7:44–46 NLT

44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

These gestures made guests feel welcomed and refreshed BUT also genuinely wanted and appreciated

What comes to mind when you consider welcoming Jesus in a way that would make Him feel not just respected or worshipped but genuinely wanted and appreciated?

In what ways—if any—would it change your preparations?

Practice

Review your answers to question—and follow through