Is it me or are the Advent Calendars becoming more popular in the stores this year?  When our children were younger there would be little pieces of candy behind the doors but now I am seeing whiskey, cosmetics, gift cards, first class tickets to resorts.  Maybe we lost sight of advent at some point?  Especially when we are still finishing up our series in Inescapable and talking about adultery and lust on December 3rd!

Let’s start with a definition:  What is Advent?  The word “advent” means COMING, therefore, God taking on flesh as an infant is the purpose for us using the word “advent.”  The purpose of Advent is to direct our attention toward the celebration of God taking on flesh.  Advent lifts our eyes upward and outward.  Advent moves us to look back and look ahead to the day Jesus will return to make all things new. 

Therefore, during this time of the year we’re not just running from holiday event to holiday event or shopping trip to shopping trip but we want to actively and intentionally lift our eyes to the ultimate truth of what we are celebrating.  How does this happen practically?

1. Where’s your emotional meter? The sun sets earlier with daylight savings.  The nights are getting colder.  The holidays are here.  Our minds are winding down for the end of the year.  Leaves are falling from the branches.  It’s normal this time of year to feel a little less pep in our step.  That’s okay.  It’s good to rest.  It’s godly to slow down.  It’s glorious to take naps.  No need to beat ourselves up if we sense our emotional meter is running low.  Instead, invite the Lord into those moments of lull and rejoice at His provision and protection in your life.  
2. Where’s your mental meter? Is it just me or do you also find it easier to become nostalgic this time of year.  There are some pretty big mile markers in our year during the fall.  It makes sense that pivotal events around this time of the year would stick in our memory.  Memories are a measure of God’s grace at His provision but memories can also spiral into unproductive thoughts around despair and discouragement.  It’s easy to wallow in unrepentant sin or ideate over areas of life where we are discontent.  Instead, invite the Lord into our thought life.  Invite the Lord into our memories.  Ask the Lord to remove those bad memories and make new memories in Him and for Him!
3. Where’s your heart meter?  Are you overwhelmed at the injustice of the world?  Right now our media companies are working overtime to make sure we know about every flaw, fault and fear in the world.  It’s overwhelming.  It would be easy to give ourselves over to cynicism.  It would be easy to scroll past another horrible event in the world and not even blink an eye.  Instead, invite the Lord into those moments.  In fact, rejoice every time we think to invite the Lord into those moments with short prayers of “Lord, this is horrible.  We know this isn’t what you want.  We know it won’t be like this forever.  Help us to put our trust in You!”  
4. Where’s your faith meter? Maybe we should have started with this one, right?  Are there doubts creeping into your faith?  Is anxiety and worry crowding out our joy?  Are there challenges in your life that feel bigger than what the Lord can do in your life?  Instead, Advent helps us to remember that people walk in darkness and by His grace are greeted in the Light.  It’s the glory of His birth.  We might be in a dark place right now but the Lord is present, you are seen and you are loved, now into eternity.  

Either way, taking a little bit of time each day to reflect on the celebration of God taking on flesh is what is most important.  It can be the questions listed above.  It can be a song we listen to throughout the week.  It can be the conversation around the dinner table with friends and family.  It doesn’t matter how it happens but give yourself a gift this year of reflecting on the greatest news to ever into human history.  God became flesh!  If he came before, He will come again!

You know those voices in our head, “Am I doing too much?  Am I not doing enough?”  It can take place with work, relationships, friendships, family and our faith in Jesus.  

Throughout God’s Word we see God’s Word call us to “do.”  Matthew 28, “Go and make disciples!”  James calls us not only to be hearers of the word but doers of the Word.  But God’s Word teaches us that our “doing” comes out of our “being.”  

It’s why Jesus invites us to abide with Him (John 15).  And we will bear much fruit.  The challenge is that our culture naturally pushes us toward “doing.”  (Example, “What do you do for work?”)  Doing is tied to our salary, identity, awards and “doing” is so ingrained in our culture that sometimes we don’t feel close to God unless we are “doing” something for Him.  So what’s “being“? Here’s a chart to help us distinguish:

Am I Doing Too Much?

Being

• Interior
• Abiding
• Solitude
• Intimacy
• Invisible
• Rest
• Real life

Doing

• Exterior
• Serving
• Engagement
• Activity
• Visible
• Work

It doesn’t take much to put lots of emphasis on our “doing.”  Our accomplishments and achievements feed our insecurity and significance and sometimes this can carry over into our ministry.  However, the reality is that life in Jesus (being) is countercultural. Rest, solitude, dependence on God – these are things that make little sense from a worldly perspective but from a kingdom perspective however, they breed life. 

The Bible clearly advocates for doing. (James 1:23-25, John 2:18, James 1:22) Both being and doing are scriptural and interrelated but the biblical order is critical: what we do should flow out of who we are, not the other way around.  Otherwise, our worth and identity are determined by our achievements and accomplishments and when we stop performing we might conclude that we cease to be valuable.  But that’s not the gospel!  Jesus loved us while we were yet sinners.  Jesus loves us while we are sleeping.  Jesus loves us when we don’t do anything for Him!  It doesn’t mean we should stay in that place but we should definitely glory in that truth and remind ourselves of that truth often.  

Here are a few questions to further this conversation through prayer with the Lord:

1. What’s your motivation for serving others?
2. Are you expecting the Lord to show you favor because you serve others?
3. Do you hold your “acts of service” with white knuckles because this is “your” area of serving?
4. Are you trying to fulfill every need and request in order to please people and meet their expectations?
5. Are you de-energized, tired and frustrated with serving and caring for people? 

These are all great questions to process with the Lord through prayer or with someone in your group, so that we can increase our prayers for one another.   

It’s easy to feel busy living in Austin! Mo-Pac; am I right? In addition, we have access to more things than we can imagine (Smart phones, task management, hobbies, online, educational, entertainment, etc.).

Then, if you add a career, school, spouse, kids, house it becomes an endless list of things to do on our list. And that doesn’t include being involved in a local church in Austin and a growing relationship with Jesus.

Challenge: Let’s be honest. Being busy makes us feel important. Being busy makes us feel accomplished. Those things aren’t wrong in and of themselves but those are things that can feel exhausting. Here are some things I have found helpful to overcome busyness:

• You’re Not Alone.  By God’s grace the Lord has blessed us with many resources and many opportunities, which means we have a lot of responsibility and a lot of things in life trying to distract us from the responsibilities. 
• Write It Down: Have you ever written down all those responsibilities in life? Try it. Go through your week, Monday to Sunday and write down everything you are responsible for in a given week. This exercise can result in three things: First, you will see all the good and precious gifts the Lord has given you. Second, writing it down helps us not to fixate and worry about those things. Third, it’s possible things in our head seem bigger and scarier in our head. Simply writing them down can help some areas of life feel more manageable. Here’s an example:
  • Shower.
  • Breakfast.
  • Hygiene. (It all takes time!)
  • Devotional.
  • Getting children ready (If applicable.)
  • Commute.
  • Work.
  • Lunch. (Did you have to prepare it at home?)
  • Work.
  • Pick up kids (If applicable.)
  • Commute.
  • Exercise.
  • Dinner.
  • Meeting.
  • Kids ready for bed (If applicable)
  • Hygiene.
  • Sleep
• Create A Schedule: Open up an excel document in Google drive, write down days of the week and times of the day and start filling in your areas of responsibility. We schedule things that are important. Our areas of life are important. Why not do this simple exercise to see if our areas of life “fit” into our week?
• Rule of 8: I don’t know if that is a rule. I just made it up but doesn’t it sound good? There are 24 hours in a day; 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work and 8 hours of discretionary time. In those 8 hours we need to shower, eat, hygiene, commute, devotional time, meetings, exercise, relationships, doctors, etc. How are we going to use those precious 8 hours? Are we using those 8 hours intentionally? Are we using those 8 hours creatively? Could we double up on some things? If we double up, are we watering down? These are all great questions but helpful to consider when we are thinking about those specific 8 hours?
• Cutting Corners: You want to hear a dirty little secret? We all try to cut corners on those other 16 hours (sleep and work.). It’s okay, you can admit it. We wake up earlier. We stay up later. We sometimes cheat work hours but most of the time we end up working longer and cut into those precious 8 discretionary hours. We need to be honest with ourselves. Maybe we need to ask for help? But either way, make sure your real schedule shows up on your “create a schedule.”
• Work As A Team: If you are married, make sure you go through this exercise with your spouse. There are some areas where spouses can serve one another and bless one another but if we never talk about those areas with our spouse we will miss out on those opportunities.
• Build In Rest / Fun: When you create a schedule, build in rest, fun and renewal. Sometimes we don’t know how to rest, have fun and renew. Then, start having fun by learning what you like to do for fun. God’s Word is clear, life is hard. Creation was made perfect in Genesis 1-2, creation ends perfect in Revelation 21-22 and everything in the middle is a rollercoaster of hardship, so schedule in rest, fun and renewal every week. 
  • What Has God Called Me to In Life?: This might be the most important point. We can have a lot of plates to spin in life but are we spinning the plates the Lord has given us responsibility to spin? How do you know God’s calling on your life?
  • Pray. Ask Him to show you!
  • We’re all called in Christ to live for His glory. Therefore, look at the areas of life you have been entrusted and prayerfully ask, “How can I honor the Lord in these areas of my life?”
  • Where are we gifted? Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we are given spiritual gifts, therefore, we want to align our gifts with His glory and our calendar. 

These are just a few helpful tips but the good news is that we could never “do” enough to validate our existence. There are no titles, circles of friends, trophies, or financial standing that is going to satisfy our inner desire of significance. In fact, we will likely destroy our lives in the process of trying to build up that significance. This is the good news of the gospel!

Jesus comes to call us His. Jesus comes to give us His righteousness, His eternal significance as sons and daughters of the Most High. Therefore, under the umbrella of His peace, let us consider how we are gifted, areas where we have been blessed, so that we might stumble forward and live for His glory. 

Our church family is going through a sermon series that covers some of the most common questions in our culture today. Here is a brief response from some of the people in our church family.

Do you know about our new devotional? We plan out our sermons over the next year, and then we package them as a devotional through Amazon Publishing for a little over $4.00. They are awesome!

If you want one, just let us know, and Amazon will even help us ship one to you!

In 1921 George Mallory was a part of a team of 9 people trying to be the first to scale Mt. Everest.  The first attempt ended in failure when high winds turned the team around.

The second attempt, 1922, which included the new innovation of bottled oxygen allowed the team to reach a height of 27,000 feet in elevation, but an avalanche killed several people.

But, in 1924, despite high winds and deep snows, the team set out again to scale Mt. Everest, and it is said that George Mallory was asked, “Why?  Why would you try to climb this mountain over and over?”  Mallory responded, “Because it’s there.”

In a similar way, in 1 Thessalonians 5 we see a similar charge by the Apostle Paul exhorting the Thessalonians to respond like the people pictured, heading toward a summit, the Day of the Lord, Jesus’ return, but there is one significant difference between the Thessalonians and the people in this photograph.

The people in this photograph are friends, but the Thessalonians are family in Christ.  In chapter 1 we see the illustration of a mother.  In chapter 2 we see the illustration of a father, and throughout 1 Thessalonians we see the address “brothers and sisters in Christ” used 16 times, and this familial distinction gives us a tethering that is unlike any other as we make this journey together. 

When you read the passage on your own there are really about 17 characteristics to draw out, but for the sake of time we are going to focus on one; He Is Faithful.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-28, “23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will do it. 25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us.26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. 27 I put you under oath by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.  28 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

As we examine Pastoral Authority, Church Community, and Personal Growth it would be easy to feel this weight resting on our shoulders like it is up to us to climb that mount, overcome challenges, and do the work, but look at verse 24, “Faithful is He who calls you.”

In 1921 George Mallory was a part of a team of 9 people trying to be the first to scale Mt. Everest.  The first attempt ended in failure when high winds turned the team around.

The second attempt, 1922, which included the new innovation of bottled oxygen allowed the team to reach a height of 27,000 feet in elevation, but an avalanche killed several people.

But, in 1924, despite high winds and deep snows, the team set out again to scale Mt. Everest, and it is said that George Mallory was asked, “Why?  Why would you try to climb this mountain over and over?”  Mallory responded, “Because it’s there.”

In a similar way, in 1 Thessalonians 5 we see a similar charge by the Apostle Paul exhorting the Thessalonians to respond like the people pictured, heading toward a summit, the Day of the Lord, Jesus’ return, but there is one significant difference between the Thessalonians and the people in this photograph.

The people in this photograph are friends, but the Thessalonians are family in Christ.  In chapter 1 we see the illustration of a mother.  In chapter 2 we see the illustration of a father, and throughout 1 Thessalonians we see the address “brothers and sisters in Christ” used 16 times, and this familial distinction gives us a tethering that is unlike any other as we make this journey together. 

When you read the passage on your own there are really about 17 characteristics to draw out, but for the sake of time we are going to focus on one; Personal Growth

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22, “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit, 20 do not utterly reject prophecies, 21 but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good, 22 abstain from every form of evil.”

Remember our goals.  Look at these people.  Hair is going everywhere.  No showers.  Poor sleep.  This is a rough and tumble crew that is trying to climb the highest mountain they could imagine.

In a similar way, when I look at our church family I see a scrappy group of people!  During the pandemic we moved to video worship, 4pm worship, meeting in a condemned building-okay, sacrificial giving in a pandemic-okay!  You can’t stop us!

In 1921 George Mallory was a part of a team of 9 people trying to be the first to scale Mt. Everest.  The first attempt ended in failure when high winds turned the team around.

The second attempt, 1922, which included the new innovation of bottled oxygen allowed the team to reach a height of 27,000 feet in elevation, but an avalanche killed several people.

But, in 1924, despite high winds and deep snows, the team set out again to scale Mt. Everest, and it is said that George Mallory was asked, “Why?  Why would you try to climb this mountain over and over?”  Mallory responded, “Because it’s there.”

In a similar way, in 1 Thessalonians 5 we see a similar charge by the Apostle Paul exhorting the Thessalonians to respond like the people pictured, heading toward a summit, the Day of the Lord, Jesus’ return, but there is one significant difference between the Thessalonians and the people in this photograph.

The people in this photograph are friends, but the Thessalonians are family in Christ.  In chapter 1 we see the illustration of a mother.  In chapter 2 we see the illustration of a father, and throughout 1 Thessalonians we see the address “brothers and sisters in Christ” used 16 times, and this familial distinction gives us a tethering that is unlike any other as we make this journey together. 

When you read the passage on your own there are really about 17 characteristics to draw out, but for the sake of time we are going to focus on one; Church Community.

1 Thessalonians 5:13-15, “13 Live in peace with one another. 14 We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek what is good for one another and for all people.”

In verses 14-15 we see the importance of our relationships with one another.  The local church isn’t just “pastoral authority.”  We don’t want to be on an expedition where we just engage the leaders of the journey, but we must also work toward healthy relationships with the team as a whole. 

That’s why in verse 14 Paul writes, “We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly.”  The word “unruly” means insubordination, and insubordination isn’t just with pastoral authority, but also we can be insubordinate to one another, so that it leads to division, in fighting, gossip, slander, and this is a huge distraction to our journey together.

This is why in our church family we have our Yearly Focus that we rotate through each year, and one of them is pursuing healthy relationships with one another, because it is so easy to have unhealthy relationships in a local church family. 

Listen to me, I am confident that these last 12-months have created opportunity for offense, conflict, and frustrations with one another.  I am confident there have been posts on Facebook that have rubbed us the wrong way, I am sure comments from me on a Sunday morning have been annoying, we know isolation and separation is only going to increase misunderstanding.

And as a result we see confusion, isolation, offense, and then we start having thoughts like, “I am not sure if I belong with these people.” And the cohesion of our team begins to break down.  

Therefore, God’s Word charges us in verse 13, “Live in peace with one another, encourage one another, help the weak, be patient with everyone, and seek what is good.”

Each of us would do well to consider the relational health of our team, friends, family, and church family, and ask the Lord to help us take steps toward healthy relationships with one another.

In 1921 George Mallory was a part of a team of 9 people trying to be the first to scale Mt. Everest.  The first attempt ended in failure when high winds turned the team around.

The second attempt, 1922, which included the new innovation of bottled oxygen allowed the team to reach a height of 27,000 feet in elevation, but an avalanche killed several people.

But, in 1924, despite high winds and deep snows, the team set out again to scale Mt. Everest, and it is said that George Mallory was asked, “Why?  Why would you try to climb this mountain over and over?”  Mallory responded, “Because it’s there.”

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, “1 Now as to the periods and times, brothers and sisters, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

Look at the phrase “Day of the Lord.”  When we talk about the “Day of the Lord” we’re not talking about a “day” like a 24-hour period, but more so the phrase “Day of the Lord” is language to describe a point in history. 

It might be similar to phrases like the last 12-months being described as the “Days of Covid” but the “Day of the Lord” is talking about a period of time when Jesus’ rule and glory are clearly seen to all people. 

If the last 12 months of global pandemic, social unrest, and blizzards has taught us nothing else in life, it has taught us that we need people. 

Our culture likes to pitch this message that we are independent, we are strong, we can march to the beat of our own drum, we can declare our truth at the expense of others, and it is absolutely foolish.  We need people. 

1 Thessalonians 3:1-3, “1 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it best to be left behind, alone at Athens, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you for the benefit of your faith, 3 so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. 4 For even when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it happened, as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be for nothing.”

In the context of chapter 3 we see the Apostle Paul is deeply discouraged.  Thessalonica comes under attack, Paul is forced out of Thessalonica, you can read about this in Acts 17, and Paul is deeply concerned that the Thessalonians’s faith has wilted from the trails and challenges. 

In verse 1 and verse 5 Paul writes, “When I could endure it no longer” because Paul is metaphorically pacing back and forth, wondering, “How are the Thessalonians doing?”

Therefore, when the Apostle Paul could endure it no longer he sends his faithful friend Timothy to bring strength and encouragement to the Thessalonians.  Do you see that in verse 2?

Timothy was a faithful friend to Paul, and Timothy would have definitely been needed in these other cities with these new churches, but Paul sends Timothy back to the Thessalonians, because we need people.       

One author made the observation that when Paul responds to false teaching in new churches he sends a letter, but when Paul hears about trails and challenges he sends a person.  He sends Timothy. 

• What does the screenshot communicate?  

• How are women generalized in the interview?

• What role does economics play in movies?

• How is beauty discussed in the interview?

• Who is the authority in the discussion?  Who has “special insight?”

• How are the elderly portrayed in the video?

• How are people of color discussed?

• How would a person feel that had differing views than the actors?

• How are the views discussed different than Scripture and supporting of Scripture?

• Who has the position of power between the two actors?  How does she withhold / share her power?  

1 Thessalonians 2:13, “13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe.

The phrase “for this reason” is a literary reminder to throw our attention up to the previous passage where the Apostle Paul makes reference for how the Thessalonians are bearing fruit in the midst of trials and challenges, and in verse 13 the Apostle Paul attributes the bearing of fruit to what… the Thessalonians “receiving the word of God (do you see it), not as the word of mere men, but as the word of God.”

This is so important.  What we hold in our hands is not just pieces of paper bound into a book, or lit up on our phone, but we are holding God’s Words!

In 1 Thessalonians 2 the Apostle Paul is going to clarify God’s call on our life isn’t going to be easy, and there are going to be times that we doubt everything the Lord is doing in our life. 

Maybe you’re in that place right now? Surely we are doubting the stability of our country right now.  Maybe we are doubting the strength of our marriage?  Maybe we are doubting some steps in our career?  Maybe we are seeing some questions of doubt in our faith?

I know over the last 10 years there have been many times that I have doubted what the Lord is doing in North Village Church, and endurance has played a key role.