Advent conspiracy @ the Naz!

Week #4:

Four Words That Could Change Your Christmas: Receive

Luke 2:8-18 & 18:17

NOTE: If you would like to read the manuscript of Pastor Ken’s sermon you can find it here on our website.

Luke 2:8-18

⁸And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 

Luke 18:17

"I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

In Pastor Ken’s sermon last Sunday (December 18) he said, “There is something powerful in the act of receiving. It brings the offer of a gift full circle. It brings fulfillment to both parties. It kindles relationship. It honors the gift as valuable. Refusing the gift humiliates both the giver and the receiver.”

With this in mind, think about the following questions. We encourage you to leave responses and engage in the conversation.

• Think back to a time when someone paid you a warm compliment, did an act of kindness on your behalf, or gave you an unexpected and generous gift?

s How did that make you feel?

s How do you respond?

• Why do so many people find it hard to graciously accept a gift, compliment, or a good deed done on their behalf?

s How does learning to receive bring fulfillment to both parties?

s How does refusing to graciously receive a gift humiliate both parties?

• Miroslav Volf said, “In wanting to give without recognizing our need to receive we become arrogant.” (Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace, p. 63).

s What are some of the gifts God has given u.?

s What does refusing to acknowledge the gifts of God say about humankind?

s What is the proper response (s) to the gifts God gives us?

• Read the following four passages of Scripture. What do they teach us about God, His gifts, or the proper human responses to those gifts?

s Luke 18:17 “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

s John 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”

s Luke 22:17-19 “After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them …”

s Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• Can allowing God (or people) to give you gifts, and learning to receive them more graciously, help enrich your Christmas this year?

Advent conspiracy @ the Naz!

Week #3:

Four Words That Could Change Your Christmas: Give

John 1:1-3, 14 and Matthew 2:1-15

NOTE: If you would like to read the manuscript of Pastor Ken’s sermon you can find it HERE.

John 1:1-3, 14 (KJV)

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²The same was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

¹⁴And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Matthew 2:1-11 (NIV)

¹After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ²and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

³When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.⁴When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ⁶“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” ⁷Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

In Pastor Ken’s sermon last Sunday (December 11) he suggested that the Christmas story has always had an element of generosity, personal/relational giving, and sacrifice. He talked about how the gift of God’s Son and the gifts of the Magi illustrate this.

With this in mind, think about the following questions. We encourage you to leave responses and engage in the conversation.

• Reflect upon the meaning of the word “generosity” and think of a specific family member or friend that embodies the virtue.

s What is it about the person that gives them the distinction of being generous?

• Some gifts just seem to fit the person they are given to “perfectly.” Can you think of a gift given to you that was a perfect fit?

s What was your response to receiving that gift?

s What did that gift tell you about the person who gave it?

s How do feel about that person, even now, after reflecting upon the gift?

• Read the following passages of Scripture. What do they tell us about the nature of gift giving?

s John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

s 2 Corinthians 9:12-15 “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

s Matthew 10:40 & 42 “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. … And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”

• In what ways can the gifts you give this Christmas reflect Christ’s love and generosity?

• What are some practical ways that  the gifts we give this Christmas emulate the spirit of giving we see in God’s gift of His son to us?

Week #2 | Advent Conspiracy @ the Naz

Four Words That Could Change Your Christmas: Rebel

Matthew 2:1-15

NOTE: If you would like to read the manuscript of Pastor Ken’s sermon you can find it here.

¹After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ²and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

³When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.⁴When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ⁶“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” ⁷Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

¹³When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

¹⁴So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

In Pastor Ken’s sermon last Sunday (December 4) he suggested that the Christmas story has always had an element of “push back” or “holy rebellion” against the idols of the day. Anything that competes for a Christian’s loyalty becomes a potential idol. Similarly, anything we pursue in order to find fulfillment and meaning is idolatrous; whether it be a 1^st century Caesar or a modern day gadget. Today’s hyper-consumerism seeks to influence everyone’s values, behavior, and objects of devotion. It feeds us the lie that we cannot be satisfied until we have “it.” It encourages us to chase material objects in order to find fulfillment.

With this in mind, think about the following questions. We encourage you to leave responses and engage in the conversation.

• What influences or items in our culture do you feel are competing for your affection?

• How are they telling you they can provide you with the meaning and satisfaction you desire?

• Read the following four passages of Scripture and share how these help you combat the voices and temptations that vie for your devotion.

s Isaiah 55:1-3a “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.”

s Romans 12:2a “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

s I John 2:15 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

s Mark 12:29-31 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

• In what way (s) is the Holy Spirit challenging you to push back against the expectations our culture places on you this Christmas season?