A Real Christmas – Rooted in Repentance is the theme for the second Sunday in Advent. The second lesson serves as our sermon text this morning. Repentance is the work that the Apostle Paul was carrying out. He wanted to share that gift everywhere he went. He was a professional communicator, but for this blog post I want to talk about when communication breaks down.
For all the easy ways we have to communicate how could anyone be alone? Especially during such as hope filled time as Advent. Sometimes loved ones are separated from us by distance or maybe we don’t have the time to see others. But often families live minutes away from each other in the same town but they’re separated and alone because sin. Maybe it was an unkind word or selfish act, it doesn’t really matter. Damage has been done to a relationship. The cause was some sin and the effect is loneliness. The most important relationship that we have is the one with our Savior Jesus. Our sin drives us away from him. The loneliness of our soul over time can be eternally deadly. Jesus loves you regardless of your sin – that’s not to minimize the depth of our sin, but to maximize the greatness of his sacrifice for us on the cross. Jesus has taken your sin away. Jesus’ goal will be realized on the day when he removes all sin, distance and time itself and gathers us to be with him in heaven.
If you are lonely right now, and there are a few reasons for loneliness, know that there is something you can do about it. If you have hurt someone, maybe it was a mutual back and forth hurt, you can be the first to apologize and forgive.
If you simply don’t have people in you life, you’ve probably noticed that social media doesn’t always help. This Christmas darken the door of a church. God has placed us into a family of believers so that we won’t be alone. The apostle Paul didn’t have any family that we know of, but the family of believers was very close to him.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s message taken from Philippians 1, A Real Christmas – Rooted in Repentance.
Book(s): Philippians
Series: A Real Christmas
Tag(s): Advent
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg