Pastor’s Corner December 2012

The following was published in our monthly newsletter, the Redeemer Report.

Advent Sermon Series: “Celebrating God’s Gifts!”

We just finished a two year trek through Mark’s Gospel. The last several sermons, which highlighted Jesus’ final hours, have continued to resonate with me. I hope I never to get over what we studied in Mark. The next expositional sermon series will begin in January as we study 1 Corinthians together. As we enter the Advent season, I am preparing four topical sermons I pray will be a blessing to you.

The great gift of Christmas is Jesus Christ. In Christ we have the forgiveness of sins, peace with God, a sense of God’s favor, and a blessed hope for eternity. There could be no greater gift than Christ! I would like to explore some corollary gifts we receive from God through Christ as revealed by Scripture. I have chosen four gifts that God gives us through Christ which, when contemplated, give us tremendous encouragement:

1. God’s gift of adoption

God has made us His sons and daughters because of Jesus. Through adoption we have a sense of belonging, value, and being loved.

2. God’s gift of fellowship

We have a supernatural relationship with others who are not our blood relatives, because of Christ, our common bond. In our Christian family we have help, accountability, encouragement, and safety.

3. God’s gift of experiences

God gives us so many memorable events and occurrences in our lives. When viewed as gifts from God, through Christ, we can have great joy in such experiences and pleasures. These experiences are promptings to praise God.

4. God’s gift of material things (stuff)

We are duly warned in Scripture about putting confidence or too much worth in stuff. At the same time, when viewed through Christ, as stewards of God’s “stuff”, we can enjoy the material blessings from God. Instead of being attached or overly stressed about things, we can use them to bless others and enjoy for God’s glory.

It is a simple listing of God’s gifts, but a profound one. Please pray for me as I prepare these messages. Use the Advent season as a time to calibrate for the coming year. May God bless you and our church as we move toward 2013!

In the Lamb,
Tony Felich