Mt. Lebanon United Presbyterian Church     
 
Pastor Tim Janiszewski - "Advent Reminder"

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Messages of Grace

(Past Recorded Sermons) 








 
This Sunday
December 6, 2015



Sermon Title:
"Right on Time"
 


Scripture:
Galatians 4:4-7 




Picture of Pastor Tim
December 3, 2015
 
Dear MLEPC Members and Friends:
 
It is hard to believe that we are coming to the second Sunday in Advent this weekend. I largely attribute it to the unseasonably pleasant weather we have been enjoying. How often in Pittsburgh can you go to a family Thanksgiving gathering without wearing a coat or jacket? By the end of the afternoon, my wife Juli mentioned that she was beginning to feel a little cold, to which I noted that she was wearing a short sleeve shirt on November 26. Not bad!
 
Though the weather may feel like October, on this Sunday we shall be only 19 days from Christmas. Just mentioning that fact tempts some of us to go into stress mode when we think of the long list of presents to purchase, cards to prepare and mail, food to plan, friends and relatives to greet and receive, parties to attend and so forth. Not even to mention the normal stuff of life that does not disappear and also must be addressed. It is all too easy for Advent and Christmas to become something we just have to get through as we wait for recovery in January.
 
So here is the simple reminder; nothing new or flashy, just what we need to hear. When the crazy busyness of the season comes pushing at you, push back at it. Downshift. Slow down. Make space. Breathe. Listen. Or as the Psalmist writes, "Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted on the earth" (Ps. 46:10). Allow the time and space to make room for God to be exalted in your life, in your prayers, in your worship and adoration. We know the adages, don't we? Adages such as "Jesus is the Reason for the Season," and "Wise Men Still Seek Him." Both are overused, yet both are true. We shall be wise during these coming nineteen days, if we seek Jesus above all else on our agendas. We'll get to the heart of the matter if we elevate Him above all the lesser but competing reasons for this Advent season.
 
And let us know for sure, however, that making time and space for Advent in life won't come knocking on our doors. It won't just happen. No, we'll have to pursue it. We'll need to be intentional about carving out the margin to marvel again at the incarnation. Or to steal a line from one of the legion of retailers which competes for our attention, we must "just do it" (Nike).
 
To help focus us on Advent, I will be preaching a short sermon series entitled Behind the Scenes at Christmas. Most all of us know the scenes of Christmas such as the Old Testament prophecies, the angel visitation to Mary, the long trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the faithfulness of Joseph, no room at the inn, the shepherds, the angels, and the birth. We'll look behind these familiar scenes at some lesser known passages about the coming of Jesus. We begin this week with Galatians 4:4-7, when in the fullness of time, God sent His Son, born of a woman, and born under the law. Join us every Sunday in December and make time to remember why God sent His one and only Son into this world. Join us and remember that God the Son became a human being so that you, a mere human being, might become a son or daughter of God through Him.
 
Pastor Tim
 
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