Day 12 of Advent - Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19-31

Anyone who understands the law and the prophets understands that Jesus is bringing them into completion in how he interacts with and loves on the marginalized and downtrodden. These “tax collectors and sinners” he keeps spending time with are those whom God loves. The Pharisees, who are lovers of money, power, and position, treat these people in the same way that the Rich Man treats Lazarus. 

Many scholars believe that this parable was well known or at least the concept of the reversal of positions in the afterlife was well known. Where Jesus diverges from the common story is about the message to the living from the underworld. They would have expected the message to be granted. Jesus’ point is that even a message from beyond the grave will failed to be recognized if they cannot even recognize Jesus as embodying Israel’s call and identity. The law and the prophets are about to come true in a whole new way, when Jesus himself is resurrected from the dead, ushering in God’s new age in which all wrongs will be made right. 

If Jesus is about ushering in God’s new age, what role should the church play in righting the wrongs of this world? What wrongs do you have in your life that need God’s new age to take hold of? 

Day 11 of Advent - Luke 16:10-17

Luke 16:10-17

This is a pretty obvious teaching today, isn’t it? I mean, of course money is a gift entrusted to us so that we can use it for God’s glory. We know that. Why does it even need to be said? And, why would it be included in our Advent readings? 

While we know that wealth is a gift given to us by God, I’m not sure we often realize how small of a gift it is. I’ll speak for myself and say that I regularly find myself stressing out about money and how I’m going to handle a particular financial situation. Some of us may be tempted to look at money as something that can be used for personal gain. Some of us may struggle with money obsession and making sure that we’re always financially secure. Regardless of what the particular struggle may be, I would be willing to bet that the majority of us view material wealth in a way that is not completely God-honoring. This misunderstanding will often lead to us being torn between two different masters: God and money. Ultimately, Jesus’ words here boil down to the simple truth that it is our responsibility to be faithful in all aspects of our lives. It’s our job to consider all things through the lens of the cross. 

When we learn to be faithful through things as small as money, then we can be trusted with things as big as the Kingdom of God. As we continue through this season of Advent, let’s keep considering what it means to live in a way that anticipates the return of Christ. When our focus is on Christ’s arrival, our mindset toward things like money starts to be molded in a way that is much more honoring to God. 

-In what ways have you misconstrued the gift that money can be? Do you view it as something to enhance your personal status, are you obsessed with financial security, etc.?

-How does your mindset toward wealth change when you consider how to live in the anticipation of Christ’s return?

(By Cody Poinsett)

Day 10 of Advent - Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-10

Do you ever find yourself reading through these stories about Jesus and you just shake your head at how dumb the Pharisees are? At our best, we read these stories and we’re thankful that Jesus would throw a party for someone like me. These parables that Jesus tells is pointing to a heavenly reality of what he is depicting here on earth. If you knew that all of heaven was throwing a party, wouldn’t you want to throw a party too? 

We are willing to be excited when a sinner repents and turns to Jesus. Where these stories create tension, is that Jesus is willing to take the time to be fully present to the tax collectors and sinners. They repent and follow Jesus because of what they experience in his presence. Jesus has an amazing ability of making us uncomfortable. If you aren’t uncomfortable reading this passage, you need to read it again and again till you are uncomfortable. Who is it that you would be willing to celebrate their conversion but would struggle to eat with before their conversion? 

The more attune we are to following God the more we will have eyes to see what is going on in heaven. When we see what is going on in heaven, it is only natural to bring that reality to earth. Who in your life are you struggling to love like God loves? Which community of people upset you the most? How can you develop eyes to see them the way God sees them?

This week of Advent is focused on peace. What does it mean to be at peace because of what Christ did on the cross and in the resurrection for you? How does this peace then allow you to share it with “tax collectors and sinners”? Identify a group you do not have peace in your soul about and continually pray that God will open your eyes to see them the way he sees them.

Day 9 of Advent - Luke 13:1-9

Luke 13:1-9 

We live in a weird tension, don’t we? Trying to live as members of the Kingdom of God while on earth is strange. We have this dual nature that longs to be overwhelmed by the glory of our Father, but we’re so easily distracted by things as simple as monetary gain or military might. This is the same tension that Jesus is speaking into in Luke 13:1-9. I would encourage you to take a minute to read it, but Jesus is basically saying that unless these people repent and adopt Jesus’ message of peace, they will be destroyed much like the Galileans that Pilate had just killed. It’s easy to confuse Jesus’ teachings here as being about destruction that will come in hell after death, but that is not the case. Jesus is saying that if these people did not turn from their violent ways, then they would perish physically. 

The issue wasn’t simply that people were being violent and focusing on political might. The issue was that Jesus’ audience was spending their energy pursuing things that had nothing to do with the Kingdom of God. They were wasting their time while allowing themselves to be distracted by things that were temporal and meaningless. They were neglecting their true citizenship and focusing on earthly citizenship. These are the things that we are encouraged to consider as we discuss what it means to live a life that anticipates the return of Christ. 

-What things are we spending energy on that pull us away from our heavenly citizenship?

-What can you do to reshape those distractions into things that can be used for God’s glory?

(By Cody Poinsett)

Day 8 of Advent - Luke 3:1-6

Luke 3:1-6

It wasn’t that long ago that the authorities around the Carolinas were telling us to prepare for a hurricane and now we’re all stuck inside for snow-mageddon 2018. It is interesting the see the different responses people have to these warnings. Tons of people rush to the store for bread and milk...even if they are glutton free and lactose intolerant! Some scoff at the warnings because, “it is never as big of a deal as they make it out to be.” Others take to social media to mock the voices crying out to prepare people, “Where is this snow you warned us about?!” One of the saddest realizations I had during the hurricane came when one of my friends sent me a message from Oklahoma asking why people didn’t leave their houses when they knew the storm was coming and they were warned about it. My sad realization was that many people hear those warnings but have no one to help them because they don’t have reliable transportation. Others simply refuse to leave their homes and would rather chance it. 

John the Baptist is the voice crying out pointing to the storm. Immediate danger needs urgent action and John is calling for the people to respond. The people respond to John and go to meet him in the wilderness. His message about the chaotic storm around them is one of repentance. Luke provides a list of names and places to not only place the reader within a specific context but also places us within the story of oppression and misery that has built up to an exploding point. Rome has ruled for 100 years and has had puppet rulers in the area for a short time. They all rule in the same way, fear and oppression. The high priests at the time weren’t much different. Something had to be done!

The people were enslaved in their own land and John brought a message of liberation that reconnected Israel with her ancient story. Those who are enslaved in Egypt are brought redemption. They were baptized when they passed through the Red Sea. The next generation came through baptism again when they came to the Promised Land through the Jordan. This is where John stands, on the banks of the Jordan, calling the people to repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of their sins. He is echoing the last prophetic message God’s people heard, “Return to me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7). 

This baptism of forgiveness of sins is just a small glimpse of the baptism that Christ will bring. We pass through water from chaos and into peace. This week of Advent is focused on peace. Peace is not just the absence of war. Peace, shalom, in the Bible carries the idea that all has been made right. The baptism that Jesus offers us is one of peace where all will be made right in the end. 

When you hear the voices crying out warnings about the storms that are coming, what kind of response do you tend to have? What chaos do you have in your life that needs redemption? What do you need to repent of so that you might find peace? 

Day 7 of Advent - Luke 21:5-19

Luke 21:5-19

Honestly, I don’t know much about persecution. I mean, sure, I hear about it. I know persecution exists. I’ve even met a few people who have faced some very real, very harsh , persecution. But, I don’t know much about persecution. I’ve never faced much real persecution in my life. However, while I haven’t ever experienced persecution personally, that doesn’t mean that I just get to ignore that injustice. In Luke 21:5-19, Jesus gives a rather clear teaching on persecution. He tells his followers that regardless of what happens in their life, if they consider themselves to be disciples of Jesus, then they will face persecution. Jesus was actually talking about things that would take place in their lifetime, but there are a lot of parallels and lessons that we can learn from his instructions. Even though you and I may not experience much persecution on a daily basis, doesn’t give us an excuse to ignore it. Not only should we be praying and engaging in the lives of our fellow Christians who are being persecuted, but we should also be mindful of the fact that we may well someday be in their shoes. It’s very possible that we will end up being the ones facing the persecution. Not only that, but Jesus tells his followers that he will be with them when they are being persecuted. It seems to me that one of the ways that he will support his people going through trials is to surround them with other Christians who can love and support them when they need it the most. What a beautiful responsibility for us to step into the lives of those around us. 

What can you do to be more aware of the persecution happening in the world around us?

Once we become more aware of the persecution that is happening, what are some steps we can take to be an encouragement to people facing hardship?

(By Cody Poinsett)

Day 6 of Advent - Luke 11:29-36

Luke 11:29-36

Have you ever been on the phone with someone and they seemed distracted? After short time of frustrating conversation, you ask them what they are distracted by just to hear them say, “I can’t find my stupid phone! I’ve been looking everywhere!” Those are hilarious moments and we get a good laugh out of them. Sometimes we can be so focused on one thing that we miss the obvious. We want clarity of a sign, but we miss the obvious signs in front of us because our lives are so dark that we cannot even begin to see. 

Jesus gives a warning about the light that they cannot see though the light stands right in front of them. Jonah, who was one of the worst prophets in the Bible, managed to convert the entire city of Nineveh. One who is greater than Jonah and light itself, is standing in front of them and they fail to see the signs! How much worse are they than the Ninevites?! 

You have the light of Jesus in front of you, what darkness do you have in your life that blinds you to the signs he has placed in front of you? What are you doing right now to shine his light into the lives of others so they might see?

Day 5 of Advent - Luke 11:1-13

Luke 11:1-13

I’ll be the first to admit that the first few years out of college have been very odd. I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s a bad phase of life, but it is very disorienting. I imagine that if you talked to just about any person in their mid-20’s, they would express a similar sentiment. In college, we all had this built in community. We were surrounded by people our age with similar interests and those relationships came so naturally. However, upon graduating from college, those relationships take on a very different feel, as I’m sure you can imagine. I’m lucky enough to have a few good friends that I’ve stayed in close contact with. When I have the chance to be around those friends that I still talk to on a regular basis, it’s as if we never left college. Everything feels very natural and comfortable. On the other hand, on the rare occasion that I’m with a friend that I haven’t talked to as much over the last couple of years, it’s always a little awkward and uncomfortable at first. It takes time for us to re-establish that connection that came so naturally when we were around each other all of the time. 

The same is true of our relationship with God. It is incredibly easy for us to find ourselves feeling awkward and uncomfortable in His presence when we haven’t been spending much time with Him lately. It’s unfair for us to expect that we can just dive into that relationship whenever it’s convenient and that everything will flow smoothly and normally. In order for that relationship to thrive, it takes the same time and effort that we would put into a relationship with a close friend or spouse. There are countless different avenues through which we can pursue that relationship, but perhaps none is more important than prayer. Find time to read Luke 11:1-13 and consider what it means to be persistent in your relationship with the Father. In order to be the prayerful people that we want to be, it takes time and practice. Prayer is a difficult task, but it can flow much more smoothly and naturally as we enter into relationship with God and learn to listen when He is speaking. 

What can you do to place yourself in the presence of God more regularly?

What new styles of prayer (journaling, meditative, embodied, etc.) can you practice that may open up a new window in your relationship with God?

(Post by Cody Poinsett)

Day 4 of Advent - Luke 6:12-27

Luke 6:12-27

I know many of you don’t follow soccer over in England, but I’ve been a big Manchester United supporter for a long time. They arguably had the best coach in the history of the game for about 25 years. He retired back in 2013 and the team has been almost painful to watch ever since. As a coach, he had an innate ability to pull greatness out of even the most mediocre players and win championships with them. When you want to communicate a philosophy to new team members, you need to keep it clear and basic. When new players arrived at Manchester United, they learned the basic tenants of the club and took on a new identity. Get the basic principles down and the rest will come as you live out the team’s identity. 
Jesus gives four promises and four warnings with the clear orders for how his vision of God’s work would progress forward. He has assembled his team of 12 (representing Israel) and began to equip them to be the new center for what God was going to do. Jesus gives them a vision of what the Kingdom will be like and it looks different from the world around them. This whole thing is going to be turned upside down.

If you were to condense God’s vision for the church down into a few simple bullet points to hold on to and live by, what would they be? What tasks should God’s people be involved in?