Advent 1 Sermon

[So this sermon will kick off our Advent season at L'viv UMC. Our Advent season will be 7 weeks longs - so we had to get a little creative in planning. So, the first week will be watch. The first half of the sermon will be an interactive children's sermon and will involve all of the "staff" at the church. As we present each character of the story we will mention a verse from the Bible the foretells that character. The second half will be after the children leave for Sunday School. We're really making a push to try and get a few parents involved in the Sunday morning worship service. The kids will light the first Advent candle. Watch.]

Today is a special day because we are starting something new. What’s different about our altar table today? Do you notice anything different?

We have changed to purple to celebrate “advent.” Advent means “the coming” or the arrival. We also have these new candles. What’s written on the candles?
Would you help me light this candle.

[Advent Lighting section]

We light the candle today to remind us that we are watching for Jesus. We celebrate the fact that God told us ahead of time that Jesus would be coming.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. I know you learned the story in Sunday School and at home. But I want you to know that even in the beginning – even from the first time that humans sinned – God had a plan.
So today I want us to look at a few of the other hints that God gave us about Jesus coming.

I’ve asked a few of our friends to introduce a few of the characters in the story.

Erika introduces Mary

David introduces Joseph

Lyubomir introduces shepherds

Michael introduces magi

Who is missing from this scene? Who do we still need?

That’s right – Jesus.

Shannon and Jesse introduce baby Jesus.

Thank you guys for helping us get ready for the coming of the king.

[Kids leave]

But we should look at the rest of this prophecy. Yes, we have read this correctly. This is about the coming Messiah. But, this scripture goes further – it is much deeper. This prophecy has only partially been completed. We are still waiting and working for the completion of this prophecy. Our hearts and lives must work toward peace.

Our gospel lesson for today speaks about the end times. Although thousands have tried to make predictions about when Jesus will return – the scriptures are quite clear that we don’t have a clue. The Jewish scholars had combed the Bible for hints at what the Messiah’s coming would look like. They thought that they understood. They assumed that a great military leader would come. This great military leader would guide them in battle.

But, as we know now, they didn’t get the great military leader they expected. They got a baby in a manger. Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah they had waited for, was a simple carpenter and the son of God and he lived his whole life with the end pursuit of a painful death for the forgiveness of our sins. After hundreds and thousands of years of hearing and reading the prophecies of the coming Messiah – the Rabbis were quite certain they knew exactly what his coming would look like.

They were wrong. They had misunderstood.

In this season of advent we prepare for the coming Messiah. We watch the horizon for signs that Christmas is around the corner. As trees begin to pop up in store windows and decorations go on sale at Arsen, we watch for signs that God is still present in our lives. We prepare our hearts for the truth that God who was willing to come to earth in the form of a little baby is just as willing to come into our hearts. We watch the skies – knowing that we don’t know when the rest of the prophecy will be fulfilled. We watch our hearts and make sure that we are prepared for the coming of the King.

As a church we gather together each week and we celebrate the coming Messiah. We light one more candle each week to remind us that we are getting closer to Christmas. But it’s more than that. These candles help remind us that we are getting closer to the day when Christ will return for his people. We don’t know the day or the hour. But we live with these themes – we live every day to make our hearts and minds more ready for the day that Christ will come.

The Pharisees and Rabbis had studied the law and they missed the point. The prophecies about the coming Messiah were not given as a timeline or a blueprint. They were given to prepare the hearts of the Jewish people.

As we light each of these candles – as we get closer to Christmas – may these words be themes for our lives. May we seek to live in Hope, peace, joy, and Love. May we live together. May we repent of our sins.

May we watch the skies for the coming King, and may we watch our hearts that we are more ready every day.
Watch.