Sermons

The Dawning of Advent!

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Sermon on December 2 by Pastor Roland Eskinazi

Scripture: Genesis 1:1-5 & 2 Cor. 4:6

Why do we love light? Advent begins not a few weeks before Christmas but at the dawn of creation.
If the light has shone, be sure you are

1. STANDING IN AWE, NOT PRIDE! (v1)

  • If God is, then you are
    The light was never not light, and The Light brings everything into being (John 1:3)

We now know that our galaxy is only one of some hundred thousand million (100 000 000 000) that can be seen using modern telescopes, each galaxy itself containing some hundred thousand million (100 000 000 000) stars.
Dr. Stephen Hawking ‘A Brief History of Time’

  • If you are, a big God won’t drop you

To whom will you compare me that I should be like him? Lift up your eyes on high and see who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Isaiah 40:25-26

2. LOSING FEAR, NOT HOPE! (v2-5)

  • The Light turns chaos into beauty
    The Advent of the first light (God’s Word and Spirit working together) points us to the advent of the true light (John 1:9).
  • The beauty of hope is birthed in the dark
    Do you find yourself in unpredictable chaos? Look out for the light.

3. HOPING IN JESUS, NOTHING ELSE! (Gen. 1:3; 2 Cor.4:6)

  • Jesus is God’s uncreated glory
    Human glory cannot shape the chaos. Natural glory helps us to look away and up.
    But the glory that can turn darkness into light must come down to earth.
  • Jesus died in the dark, so we may live in the light
    Advent means our waiting has purpose! Jesus who has come, will come again and all darkness will be erased forever.

Remember! You can use Advent to look upon Advent. Or you can have Advent because you are in the light.
‘Hope burns a light that shatters the night. Turn your heart to the call of glory’

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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
1. Why is light important throughout the Bible? Why is this time called Advent, then Christmas, a festival of lights?
2. Was the first light created only on the fourth day of creation? What does this tell us about the nature of God?
3. The story of the Bible begins in the midst of chaos. Can you find other examples of God shaping chaos into peace and beauty? Do you have a testimony of this in your own life?
4. Since Jesus is the light, what does it mean to live as children of the light (Ephesians 5:8)? How will you reflect this over Advent?

 

Photo credit FreeImages.com/Andy Stafiniak