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Holy Spirit

Jesus’ Present of a New You (Advent 2012)

 

Christmas reminds us of the Old Testament promise: “He’s coming.”  God’s son is coming.  But it also reminds us of the New Testament promise: “He’s coming–again.”

The one who arrived for the first time as a child will arrive again in the clouds. The one who was first born in modesty will come to us again in majesty. His first arrival was as a kid. His second arrival will be as the King. Christmas is a time to reflect not only on Jesus’ initial visitation among us but also on Jesus’ eventual return to us. Jesus is coming again.

But some of us face the Second Coming of Jesus with anxiety rather than gaiety   Why?  Because there’s so much work to be done.

When I became a Christian as a teenager in a rural New Mexico Church of Christ, the song they often sang about the second coming went like this: “Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon, many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound…” As a young Christian, I found the song a bit troubling. Jesus is coming soon. Many will meet their doom. Why? Because they didn’t get all their work done. The work of becoming more and more like Jesus. The work of living and loving as Jesus. There seems to be more panic than pleasure in contemplating the fact that the one who arrived in the manger is coming again.

In 1 Thessalonians Paul is writing to a group of young Christians. From reading this letter, and the second letter, we get the sense that they are a bit worried about Jesus’ return. Paul writes to correct this.

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Catching Fire: A Word from the Spirit (Acts 15) Chris Altrock – November 11, 2012 – Sunday Morning Message

I’m not the most thoughtful person at home.  Sometimes I’m very thought-less.  Sometimes I act in ways that are unthinking.  For example, each Friday I do my family’s laundry. I spend the entire day doing it, although I’m somewhat distracted by answering emails, doing administrative work, rehearsing Sunday’s sermon, and running errands.  Inevitably, when I go to put the laundry away, I put it in the wrong spot.  The result is that sometimes Jordan’s jeans wind up in Jacob’s closet, Jacob’s shorts wind up in my drawers, Kendra’s socks go to Jordan’s drawers, etc.  And for the rest of the week, each morning begins this way: “Chris, where’s my ___?  Where did you put my _____?  I can find my __________.”  In fact, it got so bad that one morning I was at the gym exercising.  And it felt bad.  I just didn’t feel right.  I felt, well, constrained.  I looked down, and sure enough, I was wearing a pair of my eleven year old son’s shorts.  I had put them in my drawer by mistake and in the darkness and sleep haze of the early morning I had put them on.  So, I’m not always very thoughtful at home.Read More »Catching Fire: A Word from the Spirit (Acts 15) Chris Altrock – November 11, 2012 – Sunday Morning Message