{"id":1453,"date":"2015-12-10T13:54:39","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T19:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/?p=1453"},"modified":"2015-12-10T15:46:31","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T21:46:31","slug":"advent-precursor-to-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/12\/10\/advent-precursor-to-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Advent, Precursor to Change"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<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\/gW-ls5LoXoE?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><a href=\"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/sermons\/?sermon_id=76\">Audio Version<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sunday, December 6, 2015<br \/>\nSecond Sunday of Advent<br \/>\nYear C<\/p>\n<p>Old Testament Malachi 3:1\u20134<br \/>\nNew Testament Philippians 1:3\u201311<br \/>\nGospel Luke 3:1\u20136<\/p>\n<p>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 will do for us.\u00a0 We look for someone to be sent by God, to change things for us.\u00a0 For the Israelites, it was about a conqueror who would free them from their oppressions.<\/p>\n<p>What is it that you are waiting on God for?\u00a0 Is it for a Job?\u00a0 Maybe for healing from an illness?\u00a0 Maybe you are waiting for emotional healing.\u00a0 There are all sorts of things that we wait for at this time.\u00a0 Not only do we wait, but the rest of the world waits as well.<\/p>\n<p>This is the time when we will most likely see people come to church, that we have not seen in a long time.\u00a0 Some come, because that is what they do, come on Christmas and Easter.\u00a0 Others come because they are looking for a change and seeking God in that change.\u00a0 For whatever reason, when people come, it is an opportunity to cry out in this wilderness, cry out the good news of the coming of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<p>When God sends God\u2019s Son into the world, He comes and things change.\u00a0 Anytime God is involved, things change.\u00a0 People get uncomfortable by the changes that God puts before them.<\/p>\n<p>You may be experiencing change now; change that you may find uncomfortable.\u00a0 It is out of the uncomfortableness of change, that we grow.\u00a0 Remember, we are waiting on God to come. \u00a0We are waiting for some thing to change.\u00a0 The only way not to be uncomfortable is not to look for God to come.\u00a0 The only way not to look for God to come, is to turn our backs upon God.<\/p>\n<p>John the Baptist is called by God to cry out in the wilderness.\u00a0 He cries for a change in the way of \u201cdoing\u201d things.\u00a0 He calls for a break from tradition.\u00a0 He calls to stop doing church they way it has always been done.\u00a0 He calls out because he is preparing the way for the Lord.\u00a0 God is coming and with the coming, there will be change.<\/p>\n<p>During this time of wait, this time of change, it may feel as though we have been driven so far into the wilderness, that all the things we know, have begun to erode around us.\u00a0 We are all called in some way or another.\u00a0 Our calls from God are unique and how we respond to them is a matter of how we respond in our faith.\u00a0 Trusting what God tells us through Jeremiah. \u00a0<sup>11<\/sup> I will bless you with a future filled with hope\u2014a future of success, not of suffering. <sup>12<\/sup> You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. <sup>13<\/sup> You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you <sup>14<\/sup> and accept your worship.<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\"><sup><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We have been called by God to be together in ministry.\u00a0 How that ministry looks, how that ministry will look, depends upon how we respond to each other and to God.\u00a0 I have been called by God, through this congregation, to be your pastor.\u00a0 You have entrusted me to lead you and care for you.\u00a0 I take that very seriously.\u00a0 I trust that each of you take that very seriously as well.<\/p>\n<p>It is in this calling that we will each be challenged to change.\u00a0 What all the changes are as we wait upon God to guide us and carry us through, who knows just yet.\u00a0 We have the opportunity to reach out to those who have not been here for some time.\u00a0 We have an opportunity to increase our out outside ministry. We even have an opportunity do do something that is radical for us, to take on a mortgage.\u00a0 \u00a0With any change, there is a danger.\u00a0 The danger that something may not work as planned.\u00a0 OH NO!\u00a0 It may not work like we wanted.\u00a0 Is that a danger or an opportunity to learn from and grow?<\/p>\n<p>We wait in this Advent season for a change.\u00a0 We wait for God to intervene and make God\u2019s presence known to us, God\u2019s people.\u00a0 When we truly begin to know God and have a relationship with God and the Son, it can be scary because it involves change.\u00a0 Our hearts began to change.\u00a0 How we respond to each other, begins to change.\u00a0 How we respond to the stranger begins to change.\u00a0 How we respond to God begins to change.<\/p>\n<p>In all of which, we may be uncomfortable until it becomes the new norm.\u00a0 Until new traditions begin to form.\u00a0 Until the new becomes the old and the old becomes stale and we seek for more change, because God continually seeks us out to be challenged, to be uncomfortable, to change and grow.<\/p>\n<p>The Advent time of waiting is upon us.\u00a0 The time for change is being proclaimed!\u00a0 In the midst of waiting and change, we trust that God is always with us and always has a plan for us.\u00a0 As it says in Psalm 46, \u201cGod is our protection and our strength.\u00a0 [God] always helps in times of trouble.<sup>2\u00a0<\/sup> So we will not be afraid even if the earth shakes,\u201d <a href=\"#_ftn2\" name=\"_ftnref2\"><sup><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> \u00a0\u201cThe Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress.<a href=\"#_ftn3\" name=\"_ftnref3\"><sup><sup>[3]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\"><sup><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> <em>The Holy Bible: The Contemporary English Version<\/em> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), Je 29:11\u201314.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\"><sup><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> <em>The Everyday Bible: New Century Version<\/em> (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005), Ps 46:1\u20132.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref3\" name=\"_ftn3\"><sup><sup>[3]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> <em>The Holy Bible: The Contemporary English Version<\/em> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), Ps 46:11.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; 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 will do for us.\u00a0 We look &#8230; <span class=\"more\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/12\/10\/advent-precursor-to-change\/\">[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":[89,101,102,10,104,103],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"post-1453","6":"format-standard","7":"category-advent","8":"category-change","9":"category-god","10":"category-jesus","11":"category-tradition","12":"category-waiting"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2m6h5-nr","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1970,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2017\/12\/24\/god-does-and-comes-to-us-in-all-circumstances\/","url_meta":{"origin":1453,"position":0},"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. Sometimes I\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\/www.turnbacktogod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Mother-Mary-and-Angel-02.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1449,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/11\/29\/keep-the-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":1453,"position":1},"title":"Keep the Faith","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"November 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/y3IgkbpnO4w \u00a0 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\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\/y3IgkbpnO4w\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1458,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/12\/15\/be-still-and-trust-in-the-lord\/","url_meta":{"origin":1453,"position":2},"title":"Be Still and Trust in the Lord","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"December 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Due to a technical glitch, there is no audio or video of this sermon. Sunday, December 13, 2015 \u00a0Advent Third Sunday of Advent Year C Old Testament Zephaniah 3:14\u201320 New Testament Philippians 4:4\u20137 Gospel Luke 3:7\u201318 John\u2019s baptism is a break from how the Jews traditionally removed their sins.\u00a0 Once\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Advent&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Advent","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/advent\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2710,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2021\/11\/29\/there-will-be-signs\/","url_meta":{"origin":1453,"position":3},"title":"There will be signs","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"November 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"1st Sunday of Advent11-28-2021 Old Testament Jeremiah 33:14\u201316 (NIV)Psalm Psalm 25:1\u201310 (NIV)New Testament 1 Thessalonians 3:9\u201313 (NIV)Gospel Luke 21:25\u201336 (NIV) https:\/\/youtu.be\/abt5kL5hse0?t=990","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Advent&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Advent","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/advent\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1644,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2016\/11\/28\/advent-opportunities\/","url_meta":{"origin":1453,"position":4},"title":"Advent Opportunities","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"November 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Below is the video version of the sermon. To listen to the audio only version, click here. First Sunday of Advent Isaiah 2:1\u20135 Romans 13:11\u201314 Matthew 24:36\u201344 https:\/\/youtu.be\/vD08zfRQSJM \u00a0 \u00a0","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\/vD08zfRQSJM\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2719,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2021\/12\/08\/all-flesh-shall-see-salvation\/","url_meta":{"origin":1453,"position":5},"title":"All Flesh Shall See Salvation","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"December 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"12-5-20212nd Sunday of Advent Old Testament Zephaniah 3:14\u201320 (NIV)Psalm Isaiah 12:2\u20136 (NIV)New Testament Philippians 4:4\u20137 (NIV)Gospel Luke 3:7\u201318 (NIV) \u00a0 https:\/\/youtu.be\/USBOKH6Xzfo?t=468","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Advent&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Advent","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/advent\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1453"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1456,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1453\/revisions\/1456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}