Fourth Sunday of Advent
The fourth Sunday of Advent we meditate on the peace that Jesus brings our hearts and our world. Scripture is the place we can find the promises of God.
The fourth and final Sunday of Advent in 2022 will be on Sunday, December 18th. Advent is the season in which believers eagerly anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth. Reading, prayer, and reflection are ways we can cultivate a sense of holy anticipation this Advent. The fourth Sunday of Advent we meditate on the peace that Jesus brings our hearts and our world. Scripture is the place we can find the promises of God. Let us meditate on these truths and allow them to comfort our hearts this Advent season!
2 Thessalonians 3:16 says, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”
This week we focus our hearts on the “Lord of peace” who came down from heaven in the form of a baby. God knows that we are in a constant battle against fear! Fear wants to cripple us, to push us to react rather than carefully respond, and fear steals our joy. God has given us the gift of peace so we can live joy-filled lives!
Over this Advent, would you pray that God’s unexplainable peace would be evident in your heart and home. This year we all have faced so much chaos and uncertainty. God’s peace is something we need to grab tightly onto more than ever. May God’s spirit transform the days leading up to Christmas into a time to joyfully await our King!
Written by: Amanda Idleman
Source: crosswalk.com
Third Sunday of Advent
The third Sunday of Advent we are invited to reflect on the joy we have access to because of our faith in Jesus. One of the defining characteristics of Christ-followers is their joyful demeanor.
The third Sunday of Advent in 2022 will be on Sunday, December 11th. There is so much comfort to be found in the practice of pausing to read, pray, and reflect over the course of the Advent season in which believers eagerly anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth. The third Sunday of Advent gives us the opportunity to prepare in our hearts a sense of holy anticipation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus as well as for his promised second coming. We can study the Scriptures as a reminder of the ways God has been faithful to us through the fulfillment of prophecy—and find hope in the promises of God that are laid out in his Word.
The third Sunday of Advent we are invited to reflect on the joy we have access to because of our faith in Jesus. One of the defining characteristics of Christ-followers is their joyful demeanor. Let’s not allow the struggles of this year steal from the great joy we have because of Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-5 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
Over this Advent, would you pray that the joy of the Lord would be evident in your heart and home? May God’s spirit transform the days leading up to Christmas into a time of holy anticipation; preparing our hearts, as we joyfully await the chance to celebrate the arrival of our king.
Written By: Amanda Idleman
Source: Crosswalk.com
Second Sunday of Advent
The second Sunday of Advent gives us the opportunity to prepare our hearts in faithful waiting, celebrate the birth of Jesus, and ready ourselves for his second coming.
The second Sunday of Advent in 2022 will be Sunday, December 4th. After a chaotic year, there is comfort to be found when we pause to read, pray, and reflect over the course of the Advent season...a time when believers eagerly anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth.
The second Sunday of Advent gives us the opportunity to prepare our hearts in faithful waiting, celebrate the birth of Jesus, and ready ourselves for his second coming.
It's a beautiful chance to reflect on the ways prophecy has been fulfilled and to ponder what the future (promised to us through prophecies) will bring.
Psalm 46:10-11 says:
...Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
This week, we pause to remember who God is and what He has done for us. When our lives are hurried, we only have the chance to focus on our to-do lists. Making space in our schedules for prayer and meditation helps us to better see God at work in our lives and in our world.
As we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ arrival as a gift to all humanity, let’s stir up in our hearts and homes a sense of anticipation. May God’s spirit transform the days leading up to Christmas into a time of holy anticipation; preparing our hearts, as we faithfully await the chance to celebrate the arrival of our king.
Written By: Amanda Idleman
Source: Crosswalk.com
First Sunday of Advent
After a tumultuous year, there is comfort to be found when we pause to read, pray, and reflect over the course of the Advent season in which believers eagerly anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth.
The first Sunday of Advent in 2022 will be Sunday, November 27th. After a tumultuous year, there is comfort to be found when we pause to read, pray, and reflect over the course of the Advent season in which believers eagerly anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth.
The first Sunday of Advent gives us the opportunity to center our thoughts on hope.
It's a beautiful chance to remember the hope God offers to our lost and dying world, and that He's given us through Jesus.
Galatians 4:4-8 says:
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
Paul, the writer of Galatians, articulates so perfectly the great hope we celebrate at Christmas! Without God’s intervention, we were all slaves...bound up by our sin nature and hopelessly headed to the grave. Because of God's great love for us, He came down and rescued humanity by sending his Son as a sacrifice for our sin—so we could be free from the chains of sin and become fully part of God’s glorious eternal family.
On this first Sunday of Advent, as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus’ arrival as a gift to all humanity; let’s stir up in our hearts and homes a sense of anticipation. Over this Advent, we pray that hope would rise up in our spirits in a tangible and life-giving way.
Source: Crosswalk
Written By: Amanda Idleman
I Will Be Joyful In God My Savior
An attitude of radical gratitude is God’s will for you because it develops your faith.
“Sink your roots in him and build on him. Be strengthened by the faith that you were taught, and overflow with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:7 (GW)
An attitude of radical gratitude is God’s will for you because it develops your faith.
How does gratitude develop your faith? It happens when times are tough—when things don’t make sense, when you can’t figure it out, when your prayers are unanswered, when everything is going the way you didn’t want it to go. It happens when you can say in those circumstances, “God, I know you’re in control. I know you love me, and I know you can bring good out of this. I’m thankful that you’re bigger than my problem.”
Anybody can thank God for good things. But if you can thank God even in the bad times, your faith will grow stronger as your roots go deeper.
Habakkuk was going through tough times. He said, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV).
In the midst of all the bad things that went wrong, Habakkuk rejoiced. What caused his gratitude? He decided to find joy in God: “I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
When everything else stinks in life, you can be grateful because the Lord is your Savior. He will pull you out. You are not alone. He hasn’t abandoned you. Give thanks to God!
By: Rick Warren