{"id":1449,"date":"2015-11-29T17:00:54","date_gmt":"2015-11-29T23:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/?p=1449"},"modified":"2015-11-29T15:45:49","modified_gmt":"2015-11-29T21:45:49","slug":"keep-the-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/11\/29\/keep-the-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep the Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y3IgkbpnO4w?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/sermons\/?sermon_id=75\">Audio Version<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sunday, November 29, 2015<br \/>\nAdvent<br \/>\n<strong>First Sunday of Advent<\/strong><br \/>\nYear C<\/p>\n<p>Jeremiah 33:14-16<br \/>\n1 Thessalonians 3:9-13<br \/>\nLuke 21:25-36<\/p>\n<p>Isn\u2019t it interesting that our Gospel for today, during the first Sunday of Advent, when we wait for the Messiah, the Son of God, to be born, has the Son, telling of His coming.\u00a0 Mind you, not His birth but of his coming in a cloud.\u00a0 Don\u2019t think for a minute that this was NOT intentional on the part of the church, when the lectionary was put together.<\/p>\n<p>None the less, Jesus is telling the disciples that He will come again but the connection is not between the birth and His coming again.\u00a0 The connection is in the anticipation, the waiting, the watching, waiting and being faithful.\u00a0 Step back for a moment if you can.\u00a0 Put yourselves in the shoes of the Jews in biblical times.<\/p>\n<p>Let me help set that stage for you to step back in time, which has been a long Advent for the Jews and what we only experience in less than a month.\u00a0 It is the time of waiting to be delivered out of our exiles, to be freed by a savior who will conquer or oppressors.\u00a0 For the Jews, the Babylonian Exile was 500 years prior but still fresh in the memory of history.\u00a0 The Jews were consistently being conquered and oppressed in some way.\u00a0 Even though they were free from the Exile they were now oppressed and conquered by the Romans.<\/p>\n<p>The messiah would free them from all the oppressions that have kept them down.\u00a0 This would include external sources, governments and people. This would also be someone who would be one of their own, a person of the Law.\u00a0 As we know now, the law reveals the sin of the people.\u00a0 The messiah would free them from ways of preventing them to fully living out the covenant of the Law with God.<\/p>\n<p>The people were waiting for something miraculous to happen to free them.\u00a0 We too wait in that anticipation.\u00a0 Even though Jesus was born over 2,000 years ago, we to walk in our own exiles.\u00a0 We are at times oppressed by external forces and our own internal forces.\u00a0 This time of Advent is a time to wait, keeping faith that the birth of a Messiah is immanent.<\/p>\n<p>Think about the times we are in, all the happenings around the world.\u00a0 It does not seem all that pretty sometimes.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong, there are good times and we have hope in Jesus.\u00a0 Advent helps us focus upon who frees us.\u00a0 Now hear again from our scripture text today:<\/p>\n<p><sup>25\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cThere will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\"><sup><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 <sup>33\u00a0<\/sup>Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. <a href=\"#_ftn2\" name=\"_ftnref2\"><sup><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 <sup>26\u00a0<\/sup>People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.<a href=\"#_ftn3\" name=\"_ftnref3\"><sup><sup>[3]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now hear the words of comfort that Jesus gives us Christians, as we wait, keeping faith in His coming.\u00a0 <sup>34\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cBe on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, <sup>35\u00a0<\/sup>like a trap.<a href=\"#_ftn4\" name=\"_ftnref4\"><sup><sup>[4]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 <sup>36\u00a0<\/sup>Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn5\" name=\"_ftnref5\"><sup><sup>[5]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Jesus will be born on Christmas morn.\u00a0 The Son of God, will take upon Himself human flesh.\u00a0 Not for need of Himself but for us.\u00a0 The babe born on Christmas that we wait in anticipation of, will be the hidden God revealed.\u00a0 Jesus will be both God and man, so what He does for us, is for us and not for Him.<\/p>\n<p>We are told to be on guard, waiting for the Son to come, but with caution not to be fooled in such a way to be damage by the disappointments and worries of life.\u00a0 Keep our faith, do not get caught unexpectedly in a trap.\u00a0 A trap made by others, a trap made by ourselves or the devil.\u00a0 No matter what, wait in faith that Jesus will come and deliver us.<\/p>\n<p>We must live in this world and this world has traps enough. Keep faith so as not to create your own traps.\u00a0 God will send God\u2019s Son to God\u2019s people.\u00a0 Even though things may seem bad, may seem hopeless, the Son in the flesh, Jesus is coming to us from the Father.\u00a0 The messiah will fulfill the scriptures and rescue us from all that oppresses us, even our own sins.<\/p>\n<p><sup>36\u00a0<\/sup>Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn6\" name=\"_ftnref6\"><sup><sup>[6]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peace and blessing to you.\u00a0 Keep the faith, during your wait in this Advent season.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\"><sup><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> <em>The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/em> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Lk 21:25.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\"><sup><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> <em>The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/em> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Lk 21:33.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref3\" name=\"_ftn3\"><sup><sup>[3]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> <em>The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/em> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Lk 21:26.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref4\" name=\"_ftn4\"><sup><sup>[4]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> <em>The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/em> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Lk 21:34\u201335.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref5\" name=\"_ftn5\"><sup><sup>[5]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> <em>The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/em> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Lk 21:36.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref6\" name=\"_ftn6\"><sup><sup>[6]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> <em>The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/em> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Lk 21:36.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Audio Version Sunday, November 29, 2015 Advent First Sunday of Advent Year C Jeremiah 33:14-16 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-36 Isn\u2019t it interesting that our Gospel for today, during the first Sunday of Advent, when we wait for the Messiah, the Son of God, to be born, has the Son, telling of His coming.\u00a0 &#8230; <span class=\"more\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/11\/29\/keep-the-faith\/\">[Read more&#8230;]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[89,71,87,21,41,68,10,51,82,36,83,39,35],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"post-1449","6":"format-standard","7":"category-advent","8":"category-attitude","9":"category-christ","10":"category-faith","11":"category-fear","12":"category-hope","13":"category-jesus","14":"category-peace","15":"category-preparedness","16":"category-promise","17":"category-sermon","18":"category-sin-2","19":"category-trust"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2m6h5-nn","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1453,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/12\/10\/advent-precursor-to-change\/","url_meta":{"origin":1449,"position":0},"title":"Advent, Precursor to Change","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"December 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 https:\/\/youtu.be\/gW-ls5LoXoE Audio Version Sunday, December 6, 2015 Second Sunday of Advent Year C Old Testament Malachi 3:1\u20134 New Testament Philippians 1:3\u201311 Gospel Luke 3:1\u20136 Welcome to the second Sunday of Advent.\u00a0 Yet another week of waiting for the Lord.\u00a0 Like the Israelites, we wait in anticipation of what God\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Advent&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Advent","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/advent\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/gW-ls5LoXoE\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1970,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2017\/12\/24\/god-does-and-comes-to-us-in-all-circumstances\/","url_meta":{"origin":1449,"position":1},"title":"God does and comes to us, in all circumstances","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"December 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Sunday, December 24, 2017 | Advent Fourth Sunday of Advent Year B On the same date: Nativity of the Lord, Christmas Eve Old Testament 2 Samuel 7:1\u201311, 16 Luke 1:46b\u201355 New Testament Romans 16:25\u201327 Gospel Luke 1:26\u201338 \u00a0 https:\/\/youtu.be\/BVbl-DOgRXk God comes to us even from the very beginning. 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