Thought the season of advent we wait. We wait with anticipation for the things that will soon be here. We wait for Christmas but we, as followers of Jesus, also wait for Jesus. But we wait with hope. And hope is the certainty of things yet unseen. It’s the ability to see what can’t be seen. It’s the ability to experience what hasn’t yet happened. Listen this week as Pastor Derrick shares what it means to have Christian Hope.
Author: Derrick Hurst (Page 125 of 152)
I am husband to Carrie, dad to Matthew, Lucas, and Natalie. I have a desire to see people grow in their relationship with Jesus. My personal mission is to move people forward in their faith life.
Today marks the beginning of a new time in the church called advent. But what in the world do all of these names mean anyway? It can be a little overwhelming, especially if you’ve never really been involved in the church. And to be 100% honest, I would venture to guess that many of you who do attend church on a regular basis might have a couple of questions.
Advent is that time leading up to Christmas. It’s not Christmas. It’s advent. It starts the Sunday after Thanksgiving and lasts until Christmas Eve. Things in the church change a little bit when advent starts. If you’re in a church with colorful fabric coverings on an altar, then these will likely change to blue. You’ll typically see an advent wreath pop up somewhere in the church. And it’s very likely that you’ll have a manger scene somewhere in your worship facility.
Advent is a time of waiting. It’s a time for followers of Jesus to wait for the coming of Christmas. Just like the people of Israel throughout the Old Testament had to wait for the one they called Messiah, so also we must wait.
All too often though we don’t give advent much thought. We try to rush past advent because Christmas is the exciting time. We want to get past all of those candles and jump right into the presents. Each of the candles on the advent wreath are reminders of gifts already given. The candles of hope, love, peace, and joy all point us forward to the day when we’ll see it exactly as it’s supposed to be seen.
So this advent don’t rush. Take your time. Enjoy each day. Live in each moment. Slow down. Breathe. Feel the calm of waiting. For some of us type-A people waiting is pretty rough stuff. Before advent even arrived I was off and planning Easter stuff. The challenge is real but the struggle is worth it. Advent is such a rich time in the life of the church.
This advent season we’re trying to bring back the richness of these days of waiting and preparation. The church I serve, Living Word, is having a little fun this advent by taking pictures of various things throughout the season. Things that remind us of what advent really means. Feel free to head on over to join us for the fun. Or make up your own way to celebrate the season. But whatever you do, slow down through this time and just enjoy every moment because you’ll never get them back.
Be with the ones you love. Love the ones you’re with. Serve the ones you can. Pray for those you can’t serve. But in all things know that this advent the King is coming.
This past weekend I had the wonderful privilege of being the worship leader for the Ohio District Senior High Youth Gathering. The weekend was packed with fun and excitement. We gathered for song. We spent some time unwinding with games. We were able to serve the community in a variety of different ways. We listened to Pastor Matt Popovits bring some terrific news about how God went all in for us. Then we experienced how Jesus is all in for us through worship with communion. Continue reading
Mondays are great days to look back and to look ahead. When we look back, we reflect on where we’ve been. We see the good and the bad. We, at times, relive the mistakes we’ve made. We feel regret over our failures. Shame often takes over and brings us to our knees in what we believe to be a pile of nothingness. But other days when we look back we can smile because we know that through all of it, God was always by our side. Continue reading
Sometimes life just flat sucks. I know that’s not something new but it’s not something we normally say aloud. I know that it can be hard to see how something good is going to come from the current situation you’re facing. I know because I’ve been there myself. Actually, for many of us it’s a daily occurrence trying to bury the past and work through the present. Continue reading
When you hear a clock ticking incessantly in the background, you get the impression that there’s a sense of urgency. You can feel the time slipping away with each tick of the second hand. The book of Malachi teaches us a message that is both urgent and important. Listen as Pastor Derrick shares what happens when something is both urgent and important.
For many of you this is already a reality. More people have cast early votes this year than in many of the recent years on record. We’re seeing larger than average turnout for this year’s presidential election. Whether or not you’ve cast your vote there’s still some work to do. Continue reading
This week we celebrated a day marked as All Saints Sunday. This Sunday is a time for us to reflect on the lives of those who have gone before us in the faith. For some this can be a contemplative event filled with sadness and loss. But for those who are in Christ, it’s not supposed to be that way! Listen as Pastor Derrick shares that what was isn’t what is because of what God did.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying home is where your heart is. This simple statement is probably more true than you might realize. There are places that seem to capture our heart more than others. For many of us it is our childhood home. We love that home because it is the marker for protection and safety. It reminds us of all the times when we had little to no cares because our parents took care of everything. Continue reading
Man sometimes I’m just hungry. Not the hungry that you get when you want a snack, but the kind of hungry that if you don’t eat you get cranky. I get hungry for a delicious and juicy hand-pressed hamburger. I also love a good homemade, grilled pizza. I’ve been known to eat a good steak. Well, if you really must know, I just kind of like food. Not sure about you but just writing this is making me a bit hungry. Continue reading
