December 8, 2017 - Preparing for the Lord's Day
December 12, 2017Preparing for the Lord's Day
Peace is a strange word to associate with the holiday season. How are you to have peace with all the traffic? How are you to have peace when you have added fifteen Christmas parties/events to your calendar? What is peaceful about Walmart in December? What is peaceful about children hyped-up on the excitement of presents and the rush of sugar? What is so peaceful about spending time with family members who have very different religious, political, or cultural views than you? We see signs in the mall as we run from store to store that say, “Peace!” Ironically, our overpriced caffeine boost is poured into a cup which has the word “Peace” written on the outside.
The question becomes then how can you regain the peace of Christmas in a world that is filled with too many obligations and not enough time? Too many expenses and not enough money? How can you have peace in a world where expectations rarely meet reality? Where being alone makes you feel depressed and being with others makes you feel overwhelmed? How can you have peace in a world filled with so much chaos? This Sunday we will continue our advent series by going to Isaiah 66:7-14. Here, we will see that to experience peace in the midst of the chaos of this world we must find our peace in Christ alone. To come prepared for the sermon take time this week to read and to meditate upon Isaiah 66:1-14, Colossians 1:20, and Revelation 21:1-4.
As we gather this second Sunday of Advent, we will join our hearts in song, singing the Hymn of Praise “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus”, the Acclamation of Praise “Good Christian Men, Rejoice”, and the Hymn of Response “Comfort, Comfort Ye My People”. Let us come to worship this Sunday prepared to hear God’s Word, to receive it in faith, to love and treasure it in our hearts, and to practice it in our lives that we may continue to glorify and enjoy Him!
If you’re going to be out of town on the Lord’s Day, let me encourage you to listen to the sermon online (usually posted by Sunday afternoon) or you can download the REPC podcast, which will be delivered to your mobile device.