Call to worship:
2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon[d] his shoulder,
and his name shall be called[e]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
Gathering Video
Questions for reflection:
When you evaluate your thinking, what does your mind tend to wander toward?
Why do you think we expect peace, often divorced from our practice?
How can we “act the miracle” a put the promises of God into the practices of our lives?
Corporate Prayer:
Our Father in Heaven,
We thank you for this advent season that reminds us of who You are and what You've done. We ask that by the power of Your Spirt, we'd be enabled to behold the beauty of your Son and apply His work to our lives. Please give us patience as we wait for His glorious return, and use us for the good of those around us.
In the name of Jesus we pray,
Amen
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Notes//Quotes//Slides:
Philippians 4:8-9
“Who we are and what we do it is fundamentally a function of what we remember” - Joshua Foer
The next two words are more at home in the world of Hellenism than that of the Bible. This first term appears nowhere else in the NT. Nor does it show up on any list of ancient moral virtues. Its usage embraces both what is “lovely” (i.e., “beautiful”) as well as what is “lovable” or attractive to others. Christians are to reflect on what is beautiful and pleasing, both in creation and in the spiritual lives of God’s people - Dean Flemming
“Thought leads to action, and what we open our minds to quickly becomes our master” - T. Deasley
(Rom 12:1-2)
We must model our relationships on Christ, surround our circumstances by prayer, drill our minds in godly thinking, and subject our life to the Word of God. Do this, ‘and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus … and the God of peace will be with you’. If we ignore the calling we must be prepared to forgo the blessings. - Alec Motyer