Podcasts about advent 2017

Given the nature of this podcast and how it is dependent on past recordings, it is inevitable that we are going to run into instances where we simply don't have the full recording of the teachings.  Well sadly on this final teaching of dad's 2017 Advent series it seems that the entire teaching was not captured successfully. However, I say we don't let that get us down.  I say this Christmas we all put on our Hercule Puaro caps Pastor Harris taught us to wear for so many years, and we do our best to deduce where he was coming from leading up to the end of this teaching as we listen to the final 6 minutes and 45 seconds of his message.  I think there is so much that can be taken from this small snippet of teaching that I couldn't help but go ahead and share it to wrap up this series.I mean… leave it to dad to be able to teach The Christmas Story from the Gospel of John.  He proves that you don't need wise men or shepherds or angels to tell the story of the miracle of Christmas.  I hope you are able to take away as much insight as I did from this very brief teaching.

S8E30: Testify (Advent 2017) When John the Baptist was asked who he was and why he was baptizing in the Jordan (rather than in Jerusalem at the temple), his answer was that he was merely one crying out in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord."  Our testimony begins with Christ and what He has done in us.  John's entire purpose from birth was to point to the coming Messiah.  How are we doing the same today? John 1:6-8,19-28 Recorded at Hudson UMC on December 17, 2017 (Previously unpublished) S.D.G.

We say that Jesus came in the fullness of time, but what does that really mean?  Isaiah's prophecy calls for a voice in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord.  When we look at the world in Jesus' time, we see how it was uniquely positioned for the maximum impact of His arrival.  We see that the world was using a common language which facilitated the spreading of the Gospel story.  We see that the Roman Empire had established roads which allowed for quick and easy travel between centers of commerce.  We see that Palestine itself (the region of Galilee and Judea) stood at the crossroads of commerce through which people of many nations would travel.  Indeed, God had first prepared the way for the coming of the Lord, and then used people like John the Baptist and Mark the Evangelist to proclaim His coming. Mark 1:1-8 Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on December 10, 2017 (Previously unpublished) S.D.G.

In his prophetic look at end-times, Mark records for us the words of Jesus to his disciples regarding what is to come at the end of all things.  In the middle of what we call the Olivet Discourse, Jesus is telling his disciples then, and us today, that because we do not know the day and hour of his return, we are to be alert, and to wait with great patience.  Some translations use the phrase "keep awake," as servants of a master who has gone on a long journey.  In the 21st century we have no patience for waiting.  Yet Jesus calls on us today to keep awake, to wait, and to look for his coming. Mark 13:24-37 Recorded at Hudson UMC on December 3, 2017 (Previously unpublished) S.D.G.

As we've been walking through Luke's record of the Christmas story, he wants us to ask, “What Child is This?” We know that Jesus is our Prince of Peace, but what does that mean in a world filled with sin, pain, injustice, and death? What kind of peace did Jesus come to bring? What kind of peace do we really need? And most of all, what will we do if the peace He offers isn't what we expected?

God with us. These three words are at the heart of the Christmas story and the center of the Christian faith. SCRIPTURE: Matthew 1:23 SPEAKER: Chris Poblete

Luke 2:8-13 For many, Christmas can be a season of darkness and not the celebration of light. So if you're in darkness, what can you do?

In this week's teaching, we look at Jesus' own words regarding seven reasons he was born. SCRIPTURE: Various SPEAKER: Brian Howard

This week, Heath Hollensbe - Diana Greene - Aaron Stewart and Mike Moffit discuss yesterday's "Songs Of Christmas" as well as the importance of music and the theology of some of our favorite Christmas songs. And Heath gives out the weirdest Christmas gift you may have ever received.

Our culture's manufactured Christmas "joy" is a far cry from the very first Christmas. In the very first Christmas, Christ does bring true joy into the world, but it comes amidst suffering, shame, and scandal. Unwed teenager Mary gives birth in a barn, with only a scared Joseph to help deliver the baby. Once Jesus is swaddled, he is placed in a feed trough for animals, like an animal. God brings joy into the world, and it's swaddled in suffering.

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On the third week of Advent, Pastor Aaron shares stories and insights on the lectionary Scriptures for joy.

Jesus Christ, our strange king, was the friend of sinners. Tax collectors, prostitutes, and social outcasts were drawn to Him to hear about the Kingdom of God. This King not only received the "dregs of society" and ate with them, but reached out and invited them to follow him. What's astounding is that being God Incarnate, Jesus is God's Holiness or Righteousness Incarnate. What may have attracted sinners was their experiencing, in Jesus, God's authentic Righteousness, in contrast to the perverted caricature of it the Pharisees displayed. Righteousness was now a Person who proclaimed mercy not judgment, and came not to condemn, but to seek and save that which was lost. Christians are Christ's Body, indwelt by, and united to Him, who is True Eternal Righteousness. Our Strange King invites us, then, to be His welcoming and forgiving Righteousness, the very Righteousness of God enfleshed, to the broken, fallen world of outcasts around us.

Luke 1 and Matthew 1 | What do you hope for? What is hope to you? The subject of hope comes down to this question; do you trust God?

As Aaron teaches on love, a message of preparation to receive God love, point us to Jesus.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light ... Read moreAdvent 2017 – And the Word Was God – John 1:1-5

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. -John ... Read moreAdvent 2017 – The Light and His Witnesses – John 1:6-9

In the second week of Advent, we look at God's love. Perhaps because it comes around every year, or perhaps we've just heard the message so often, we often take the Christmas reality of God's love for granted. This is unfortunate, because God's love is the most shocking fact in the universe. We should value the spiritual practice of growing in God's love, because if you live like you're loved (because you are), you become unstoppable.

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SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 9:1-7 SPEAKER: Pastor Chris Poblete

Luke 2:8-12 | "We are all searching for joy. But often, we get happiness disguised as joy. It's not the same"

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This week, Heath Hollensbe, Pastor Mike and Lisa Woicik follow up with some deeper thoughts on this past weeks message - Waiting.

Advent is a celebration of the first coming of Jesus and the anticipation of his second coming. For the next four Sundays, we will meditate on the liturgical Advent themes: Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. In our first sermon, we'll look at the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth–two faithful, God-fearing and God-loving saints, who had devoted their whole lives to serving the Lord selflessly. However, despite all of their faithfulness and all of their prayers, they didn't have any children, though they desperately longed to. They begged God and begged God, but all they got in response was silence. The situation seemed utterly hopeless–until God showed up.

Advent gives us hope for a better future for our lives and all humanity.

On December 3, 2017, we had our "hard launch" at King's Cross Church, opening to the public. We begin this new season as a church by revisiting the true meaning of the Advent season and why we celebrate Christmas at all. SCRIPTURE: 1 John 1:1-4 SPEAKER: Pastor Chris Poblete