1 ZION Lutheran Church PDX Advent Devotions 2016 News from Pastor Hues Advent Conspiracy Devotions: Week 1 Advent Conspiracy, our sermon series for the advent season, allows us to explore the areas of our Christmas celebration that have been informed by things other than Jesus. Advent Conspiracy seeks to move us into a place of greater self-awareness. Christmas can still change the world, but it only changes the world as we go with Jesus to love our neighbors. Christmas is a holiday devoted to consumerism here in the U.S., but what if we rebelled against such materialism? Instead of just buying gifts for each other, what if we diverted some of those funds towards people who are in desperate need? What if instead of buying others gifts as a means to resolving problems or as a substitution for our lack of presence, we took time to be with those whom we love? I encourage each of you to work through these devotions in the weeks leading up to Christmas. There is a devotion for every day of advent except for Sunday. The devotions conclude on December 22nd. Each week we will send you new devotions for the following week. We also hope to make these devotions downloadable on Zion s website. I hope you ll join us this advent as we tackle the topics of what it looks like to worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all this advent season. Can Christmas still change the world? Yes, as long as
2 we take the posture of looking outside of ourselves to see the ultimate gift as Christ with us, and desire to share that ultimate gift with those around us. Remember in Your Prayers Misc. illness: Bill Anderson II, William Boyce, Lenore Brown, Larry Chatland, Tracy Contino, Sandy Harwood, Tom Leland, Garnet Oekerman, Stan Ryan, David Salinas, Gudrun Taylor, Keith Young, Kathy In Christ, Pastor Dan Hues 559-696-3861 pastor@zion-portland.org https://www.facebook.com/zionlutheranchurchpdx/ Upcoming Events: Homebound: Tom Driscoll, Jacob Harwood, Millie Reisinger, Louis Waldon, Arlene Young Special Needs: Brian Visser, Our Savior Lutheran Church in Tacoma, Wa (Sanctuary with fire damage after arson). Pray for our Mission & Vision development process Pray also for the city of Portland. ONLY ONE MORE WEEK TO BUY TICKETS! Purchase by Dec. 4th. Contact Melody Hues for more info.
3 ZION Lutheran Church PDX WEEK 1: Worship Fully Advent Devotions 2016 Monday Nov. 28th Gift from the heart Christmas, as celebrated in our society, has become a holiday of consumerism. Great effort is expended on finding the perfect gift. So we spend countless hours walking and perusing in malls and shopping centers seeking the materialistic treasures that would bring happiness or fulfillment to our friends or family members. Yet despite our tireless efforts, fulfillment cannot be found in the amount of money we spend. In fact, the perfect gift is something that cannot be acquired with cash or credit, but spills forth from the heart. Perhaps it s a collection of photos that bring back fond memories. Perhaps it s a painting crafted solely for whom it s given. These types of gifts rebel against the consumerist mentality and attempt to get at the heart of what true giving is. Read Matthew 6:19-24. What is the most meaningful gift that you ve ever been given? Tuesday Nov. 29th Religion of Consumerism There is something about consumerism that demands dissatisfaction. What we currently possess somehow becomes inferior or obsolete in the wake of the latest thing. We often get caught up in the materialistic cycle of what we believe that we need. As if the next thing we buy will be the object that satisfies our longing for fulfillment. In this way, consumerism can be poisonous in our relationship with Christ. When we seek instant gratification in all things, we make Jesus a commodity we consume rather than a King who reigns. We look for the next best thing, when we need not look any further. Read the Parable of the Rich fool in Luke 12:15-21. What caution does Jesus extend to His hearers? How does this relate to consumerism?
WEEK 1 (Cont.): Worship Fully Wednesday Nov 30 Regaining Focus I once mentioned to a friend that Christmas is an exciting time where my family and I celebrate the birth of Christ, and she was left baffled. She indicated that she had never known the roots of the Christmas celebration, just that Christmas had something to do with giving and receiving presents. In our post-christian world many people are in the same boat. Giving and receiving presents reigns over their Christmas celebration. In many ways though we celebrate heaven coming to earth in God-made-flesh we can even lose track of the true heart of Christmas as we seek the perfect gift, cook the perfect meal, and present the perfect house for family to gather. While the only perfect one is in the manger. Read Matthew 1:23. What aspects of Christmas occupy your thoughts & preparation? Friday Dec 2nd Enter Christmas The call of the Advent Conspiracy is an invitation to remain in the Gospel of Jesus and to worship Him fully no matter how strong the consumerist tendencies of our society drive us toward a materialistic Christmas. If you read through the birth narratives in the Gospels it becomes evident that nearly every individual who encounters the infant King has the same response: worship. Their worship sprang from the deep places of their heart that were impacted for the first time by God-inflesh. Our reaction should be the same. When encountered by the incarnation of our living God,worship is the only response. This is Mary s response. A teenage girl is chosen to birth the Holy One of God. She responds with a song in Luke 1:46-55. What is your reaction when confronted with the reality God-made-flesh come to earth to redeem it? Ask any child what they re excited about entering into the Christmas season and it s unlikely that they ll exclaim, Jesus Birthday! Often their attention will be on a particular item that they hope to receive encased in mass amounts of decorative paper and tape. The reason for this reaction is because they ve been indoctrinated by the materialistic Christmases they ve witnessed on television, in movies, on the pages of books, or even in their own homes. They are taught that Christmas is about what they can get. The truth is that what we desire often becomes the object of our worship. Who do we worship during advent? Jesus, is the obvious answer, but is it the truthful answer? Do you feel disconnected from the heart of advent? 4 Thursday Dec 1st The Heart of Advent Saturday Dec 3rd Experiencing Jesus A father recounted how his young son began to experience Jesus at Christmas: My family had been talking about the birth of Christ and processing what it meant that God gave Himself to be with us. I could see them processing, but I wasn t sure if it was really connecting. But during an advent service, my son brought his whole allowance without telling me. As our sanctuary filled with voices celebrating the birth of Christ, we went forward to the communion rail. Looking down at my son, I saw him put something like $40 in the offering for kids around the world. When I asked him about it later, he said that he wanted to give like God had given to us. What are some ways you can give this advent season like God has given to you?
5 WEEK 2: SPEND LESS Monday Dec 5th Christmas Changes Everything Read Luke 1:5-39. If we believe this Christmas story is just a great story then nothing changes about the way we live at Christmas or beyond, but if we believe this story is the proclamation of a revolutionary Kingdom, brought about in the most unlikely of ways, to drastically and completely change our future, our salvation and our world, then it changes everything. What implications does this story have upon how you live and what you live for? With whom can you share this story this week? What about this story do you find surprising? Wednesday Dec 7th Spend less; Give more Christmas is a season of excess. It is difficult to go against the crowd that seems to want nothing more that to eat, drink, and be merry. But what is our goal this Christmas was to go against the grain and spend less. Instead of building extra storehouses for our things we were to give more and spend less? Spending less isn t easy though. It requires careful research. It demands a definition. Spend less is a bit ambiguous. Spend less then whom? By what standard to we measure this? The challenge is to balance our desires with the needs in our communities and the rest of the world. Read Luke 12:13-21. Why was the rich man a fool? In what ways do you see yourself in the rich man? What are some ways that you can spend less in order to give more this Christmas season? Tuesday Dec 6th God With Us Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph receives an angelic proclamation that the impossible was possible. His soonto-be wife would give birth to the Son of God, whose name would be Jesus. The birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of a prophetic proclamation in the book of Isaiah (7:14). Think through the two names given to Jesus in this passage, Jesus (which means God saves ), and Immanuel (which means God with us ). How do these two names describe the revolutionary change in the way mankind would experience God after Jesus birth? Thursday Dec 8th Giving out of Abundance Read 2 Corinthians 8:9-15. We are called to give out of our abundance. So spending less in order to give to the least of these is supposed to be a rule rather than an exception. We often justify our materialistic tendencies by maintaining that it s our privilege and duty as Americans to enjoy our abundance and to keep the economy stimulated. But this attitude is capitalism gone wrong. Where does consumerism end and the love of money begin? We are constantly warned against the love of money in Scripture while also admonished to help those in need. We re not asked to give until it s a hardship for us, but to practice the art of generosity. In what ways can you give out of your abundance this Christmas?
WEEK 2 (Cont.): SPEND LESS Friday Dec 9th Breaking the Power of Money Author C.S. Lewis believed that the best way to break money s power is to give it away. He even went so far to say: There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them. This is certainly a radical suggestion given our cultural predisposition towards collecting material things. The whole purpose of the Advent Conspiracy is to enhance our worship by making us aware of what we really care about. What would it look like if people of faith began acting on Lewis s suggestion? What would it look like if we were unable to do or buy whatever we wanted because of our charitable expenditures? Do you agree with Lewis? In Advent is a season of preparation and anticipation for the birth of our liberating King. There certainly is a preparation required. Our hearts must be prepared as we worship and celebrate God's redemptive activity in the world by revealing Himself in Jesus Christ. But there are other aspects of our preparation during advent. We prepare our homes for guests by decorating and cleaning. We prepare for celebrations by cooking lavish feasts and wrapping presents. In Luke 3, John the Baptist urges the people to prepare the way of the Lord. Why must we be prepared? Because the crooked shall be made straight. The rough, level. Jesus changes everything. Are you prepared for Christ to sweep through your heart and change your life with His presence? What are some methods to your preparedness? 6 Saturday Dec 10th Preparedness of Advent The best gifts celebrate a relationship - The Advent Conspiracy