Christmas Foretold
Advent 2021
What Child is This?
January 2, 2022 • Mike O'Leary • Colossians 1:15–23
QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “The situation would surely have been hopeless had the very majesty of God not descended to us, since it was not in our power to ascend to him. Hence, it was necessary for the son of God to become for us ‘Immanuel, that is, God with us.’” ~John Calvin, 16th Century pastor & theologian “He looked round again and could hardly believe his eyes. There was the blue sky overhead, and grassy country spreading as far as he could see in every direction, and his new friends all round him laughing. ‘It seems, then,’ said Tirian, smiling himself, ‘that the stable seen from within and the stable seen from without are two different places.’ ‘Yes,’ said the Lord Digory. ‘Its inside is bigger than its outside.’ ‘Yes,’ said Queen Lucy. ‘In our world too, a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.’” ~C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle “Let us remember that our God put on our flesh, and all that comes with that. He put on growing pains and hunger, not to mention nerve endings that register the pain of burns, bruises, fevers, and every other pain. He did not keep himself from all of our hurt, but fully entered into our suffering in order to rescue us.” ~Luke Paiva, writer for Rooted Ministry “The reason that Jesus is in such close solidarity with us is that the difficult path we are on is not unique to us. He has journeyed on it himself. It is not only that Jesus can relieve us from our troubles, like a doctor prescribing medicine; it is also that, before any relief comes, he is with us in our troubles, like a doctor who has endured the same disease.” ~Dane Ortlund, Gentle & Lowly “The justified realize God would have been just to punish them. They know their best efforts to keep the law would have fallen far short. It’s as if the biggest Christmas gifts belonged to the children who knew they deserved coal in their stocking. Jesus is the anti-Santa. He knows we belong on the naughty list. And that’s why he came to save us.” ~Colin Hansen, Editor-in-Chief of The Gospel Coalition SERMON PASSAGE Colossians 1:15-23 (ESV) 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
The Christmas Song
December 26, 2021 • Don Willeman • Philippians 2:1–11
QUOTES FOR REFLECTION Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn believed the Soviets “paid Christianity the ultimate compliment by trying to kill it, while Americans have offered it the ultimate insult by seeking to domesticate it.” ~Ralph Wood, scholar and writer, in Solzhenitsyn and American Culture Q. 27. Wherein did Christ’s humiliation consist? A. Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time. Q. 28. Wherein consisteth Christ’s exaltation? A. Christ’s exaltation consisteth in his rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day. ~Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647) “Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” ~Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), Baptist minister and civil rights activist “The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this. Just as every natural event is the manifestation at a particular place and moment of Nature’s total character, so every particular Christian miracle manifests at a particular place and moment the character and significance of the Incarnation. There is no question in Christianity of arbitrary interferences just scattered about. It relates not a series of disconnected raids on Nature but the various steps of a strategically coherent invasion—an invasion which intends complete conquest and ‘occupation.’ The fitness, and therefore credibility, of the particular miracles depends on their relation to the Grand Miracle; all discussion of them in isolation from it is futile…” ~C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in Miracles Jesus “was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it well worthwhile.” ~Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957), writer and poet SERMON PASSAGE Philippians 2:1-11 (NIV) 1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Fountainhead of the Lord’s Favor
December 19, 2021 • Don Willeman • Isaiah 61:1–4
QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “What scares me is that I’m going to ultimately find out at the end of my life that I’m really not lovable, that I’m not worthy of being loved. That there’s something fundamentally wrong with me.” ~Demi Moore, American actress “No work or love will flourish out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart…” ~Alan Watts (1915-1973), British philosopher and writer “Social media makes people greatly overthink their sense of self because their image can be perfected for the people around them, behind closed doors” ~The Dartmouth (April 2017) “The marker of those who understand the gospel of Jesus Christ is that, when they stumble and fall… they run to God and not from Him, because they clearly understand that their acceptance before God is not predicated upon their behavior but on the righteous life of Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death.” ~Matt Chandler, pastor and author “Learn this lesson… not to come to Him because you are fit to come, but to come to Him because you are unfit to come. Your fitness is your unfitness. Your qualification is your lack of qualification.” ~C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), English pastor and author “So secure is (King) Jesus in who He is – the Father’s beloved Son – that He is free to serve rather than tyrannize His subjects, and to deal gently rather than harshly with the lowest and the weakest of them….” ~Knox Chamberlain (1935-2012), pastor and professor SERMON PASSAGE Isaiah 61:1-4 (ESV) 1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
The Coming of the King
December 12, 2021 • Abrm McQuarters • Isaiah 40:1–11
QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “Oft hope is born when all is forlorn.” ~J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) in The Return of the King “There is no power without prayer, and there is no power in prayer without a resolve to endure all things for the sake of Jesus.” ~Jack Miller (1928-1996), missionary and church leader “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” ~Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), civil rights activist “Jesus beckons me to follow him to that place of weakness where I risk the vulnerability of a child so that I might know how strong my Father is and how much he loves me. But truth be told, I would rather be an adult. I’d rather be in a place where I can still pull things together if God doesn’t show up, where I risk no ultimate humiliation, where I don’t have to take the shallow breaths of desperation. And as a result, my experience of my heavenly Father is simply impoverished.” ~Gary Haugen, founder of International Justice Mission “Some observers predicted that this new secularism [in America] would ease cultural conflict…. That was naïve. …[I]t’s…making America’s partisan clashes more brutal…. As Americans have left organized religion, they haven’t stopped viewing politics as a struggle between ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Many have come to define us and them in even more primal and irreconcilable ways.” ~Peter Beinart in “Breaking Faith” in The Atlantic (April 2017) “God’s vengeance did not fall on the sinners, but on the only sinless one, the Son of God, who stood in the place of sinners, Jesus Christ bore the vengeance of God…That was the end of all false thoughts about the love of a God who does not take sin very seriously. God hates and judges [his enemies] in the only righteous one, the one who prays for forgiveness for God’s enemies. Only in the cross of Jesus Christ is the love of God to be found.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), German theologian and pastor, executed for his opposition to Hitler SERMON PASSAGE Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 (ESV) 1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” 10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
The Christmas Tree
December 5, 2021 • Chris Audino • Isaiah 11:1–10
QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “Fear doesn’t deserve your obedience.” ~Jackie Hill Perry (1989-present), Author, poet, and artist “We fear men so much because we fear God so little.” ~William Gurnall (1616-1679), Anglican clergyman “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else.” ~Oswald Chambers (1874-1917), Scottish teacher and evangelist “…All the evil in this world Can be traced back to not fearing the Lord… And if fear of the Lord is a fountain of life Then not fearing the Lord must lead to death And that’s where we all stand In the prophet Isaiah chapter 11 We find a prophecy about a Savior to come And it says in verse 3 that His delight Shall be in the fear of the Lord That Savior is none other than Jesus Christ Who lived a life of perfect obedience to God’s law Jesus feared God perfectly And He died on the cross and rose from the grave To save His people from their sins So that all who trust Him can joyfully walk In the fear of the Lord Forever.” ~Eshon Burgundy w/ Shai Linne “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” ~C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), British writer and theologian “The [Christian] message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity – hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory – because at the Father’s will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.” ~J.I. Packer, 1926-2020, Theologian, cleric, and author SERMON PASSAGE Isaiah 11:1-10 (ESV) 1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. 6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be Glory…
The King of Light and Peace
November 28, 2021 • Don Willeman • Isaiah 9:1–7
QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “It is fatal to let people suppose that Christianity is only a mode of feeling; it is vitally necessary to insist that it is first and foremost a rational explanation of the universe.” “None of us feels the true love of God till we realize how wicked we are. But you can’t teach people that – they have to learn by experience.” “If men will not understand the meaning of judgement, they will never come to understand the meaning of grace.” ~Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957), English writer and poet “The more affected we are with our misery, the fitter for Christ’s mercy." ~Thomas Manton (1620-1677), English Puritan clergyman “There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.” ~Richard Sibbes (1577-1635), English theologian “The prize of your faithfulness is your God. He is what you will get, he is preparing himself as the reward of his worshippers… He it is who is the reward of your faith and fidelity.” ~Augustine, North African church leader (Carthage, A.D. 419) “My evidence that I am saved does not lie in the fact that I preach, or that I do this or that. All my hope lies in this: that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. I am a sinner, I trust Him, then He came to save me, and I am saved.” ~Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), famed London preacher “…he would go to Jerusalem not to wield the spear and bring the judgment, but to receive the spear thrust and bear the judgement.” ~Edmund Clowney (1917-2005), theologian and educator, on Jesus SERMON PASSAGE Isaiah 9:1-7 (ESV) 1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.