Advent means “the arrival of a notable thing, event, or person.” Christians celebrate the arrival of Christ – and that requires us humans to get ready during the weeks before Christmas.
The church has several major purposes: discipleship & education, worship & music, care & service, and outreach & missions. Many churches plan their budgets, staffing, and programming around these emphases. These areas can also be a focus during Advent.
Second Sunday of Advent: Worship & Music
On this Sunday we celebrate the role of the church in the worship of God. Every Sunday billions of Christians gather to thank God and sing praises for what God has done, is doing, and will do for us. We adore the Christ-child at Christmas and are grateful for his death and resurrection at Easter. Worship music dwells inside us and our minds recall it at weird times and needed moments. We live to praise God because God lives in us. In the Christmas story there are several groups of people and each of them have one thing in common – they all come to worship the baby Jesus.
- Mary and Joseph – Mary & Joseph were privileged to be the first humans to learn that Jesus is coming. How are you helping others who don’t know about Jesus also come and worship God?
- Shepherds – The poor and marginalized of society responded immediately because God intentionally included them. How can you include those who “aren’t like us” in your worship of God? How can you invite them to our places of worship and/or how do we go where they are for worship?
- Angels – Angels praised God for God’s willingness to directly intervene in the human situation. What time(s) in your life have you been unconstrained in your public acknowledgement of God? How do others know that you worship God regularly?
- Wise men – they traveled hundreds of miles because God came for the entire world. God is not exclusive, are you? God loves “the whole world” and Jesus came for all nations. What are you doing to tell the story of Jesus so that the entire world can praise & worship God?
Public acknowledgement lets others know what is important in your life whether it is a sports team, a company, or a belief. God publicly acknowledged that God came to the world because God loves us. In turn, we must let others know who God is to us through our worship and praise of God.
Lead On!