Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Jesus taught a different way: “I am the light of the world. If you just buy what they are selling and embrace their ideology, then all your troubles will fade away and your fairytale life will begin. There are promises for happiness and fulfillment in the right cars, vacations, lifestyles, fitness regimens, and clothes.
#ADVENT BIBLE STUDY FOR SMALL GROUPS TV#
You only have turn on the TV to realize that. Now, the Lord is calling you to do the same. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Paul was admonishing the Romans to live sober-mindedly, to live faithfully despite all the worldliness surrounding them, and in doing so to be ready for the second coming of the Lord. This prayer comes directly from Paul’s words in Romans 13:12: “The night is far gone the day is at hand. By God’s grace there is help for those who seek it.īeyond casting off darkness, the Collect then instructs you to put on the armor of light. To cast away the works of darkness takes that same kind of spiritual discipline, planning, and intentionality all working together under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Eating healthy meals requires the same things. Getting to the gym three times a week takes discipline, planning, and intentionality. This instruction sounds just as easy as going to the gym three times a week and eating a diet filled with vegetables and fruit-much easier said than done. As Christians, we are to turn from Satan and all those works of darkness and to live in God’s holy and perfect light.
If Jesus came to bring you light, why would you sit in darkness or even have anything to do with the darkness? Darkness is associated with this world, Satan, and all his evil work. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5). In John’s Gospel, he writes about the coming of Jesus Christ to dwell among us: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. First, you are to cast away the works of the darkness. What is a person to do while he or she waits? Our Collect for this week provides that much-needed instruction. Now, it seems to be taking thousands of years for his return, yet we know he will come again. Not one promise has been broken or forgotten! Though, it took thousands of years for the first coming of the Messiah, he came just as God had foretold. This longing is stirred up in us as we remember God’s faithfulness to his promises. In this season of Advent, we celebrate the first coming of Jesus and more importantly we long and prepare for the second coming of Jesus. For the Church, the new year begins with the season of Advent. And like every new year, there is great hope and anticipation of what is ahead of us. Happy New Year! No, you haven’t missed December we are just about there, so get ready! As the calendar year is coming to an end, the church year has just begun. Amen.” – Book of Common Prayer, Year C, The Collect for the First Sunday of Advent “Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. What to Wear Through the Season of Advent
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