Today’s Focus:
2023 Confirmation Preview
(Nee'-kos) Biblical Greek Word for "Victory"
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Monday, November 28, 2022
Sermon (Nov. 27/Advent) by Rev. Robert McDowell
I love to hear how people prepare for Christmas. When I was a a child, it was around this time just after Thanksgiving, that our dad would climb up our tall windmill which stood just outside of the front of our house.
We had a two story farmhouse and that windmill was almost twice as tall as our house. Every year around this time, dad would go up to our attic and bring down our giant Christmas star. He would then make the long climb up those little metal rungs and he would tie that Christmas star at the very top of that windmill for everybody to see during the weeks leading up to Christmas.
The McDowell family was known as that family on Plank Road that had the large Christmas star.
Someone shared with me that his little Christmas tradition is when after his family puts up the Christmas tree and they decorate it with ornaments and the string of lights, he always sticks his head under that tree. And with his head under that tree, he loves to look up at the lights and the ornaments from that angle.
Family Christmas decorating traditions are significant because they they serve as familiar landmarks along the journey of life. These traditions connect us to the past and bring back important memories and help us to prepare for this special time of year.
ADVENT = Preparing for the arrival of a significant event
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. The word “advent” means to prepare for the arrival of a significant event. We join Christians from all around the world in a journey toward the celebration of a very significant event, the coming of Jesus into the world. This is the meaning of the season of Advent. It’s not just a season of waiting. It’s also a season of preparing.
On the Christian calendar, Advent reminds us to prepare for two very important events, actually. The first event is the celebration of Christ’s birth and the second event is anticipating the second coming of Jesus into the world that still awaits us.
[Charles Wesley, 18th Century Methodist Hymn Writer]
Our Advent and Christmas theme this year is inspired by the Advent hymn, “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.” In 1744, Charles Wesley, the brother of John Wesley who founded what we know today as the United Methodist Church, wrote this hymn to help those early Methodists prepare for the coming of Christ into the world.
Many of you are probably familiar with this hymn. I always have us sing this hymn on one of the Advent Sundays. For this year, we are going to sing this short hymn every Sunday, including when we gather for our Christmas Eve service. This hymn will serve as a framework to help us remember and anticipate the coming of Christ into the world.
This Advent hymn, “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” helps us to anticipate not only Jesus first coming into the world when he was born at Christmas, but also his future 2nd coming when God’s kingdom here on earth will be established fully and completely. Think of Christmas as the first part of a two-part drama, the first part is Jesus’ birth and the second part is when Jesus will return and make all things new.
To help us prepare for the 1st part of this two-part drama which is Christmas, our New Testament reading from Galatians, chapter 4 offers us these words that point us to the birth of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul writes,
“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to son ship. Because you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer enslaved, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”
The Apostle Paul is offering us this summary of the first part of the drama which is Christmas when Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph. God sent Jesus to be our redeemer and savior, to set us free from the bondage of sin and brokenness.
This is why Charles Wesley begins his Advent hymn with these words, “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.” The coming of Jesus into the world is the beginning of how God is seeking to make us and the world new again. No wonder, during this time of year, we sing, “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.”
Notice that Paul included in that Galatians passage the words, “But when the set time had fully come.” Christmas and the birth of Jesus marks the beginning of the good news of our faith. It’s why we put up with pine needles getting caught in the carpet and it’s why my dad was willing to climb up a tall windmill during cold temperatures to hang a Christmas star.
Christmas is a time for us to prepare for the celebration of the good news of Jesus birth. I often think of how the people of Israel had to wait centuries for this holy moment when God sent his only Son to be born in our world.
When I think of all of the centuries that the people of Israel had to wait, it puts these four weeks of Advent into perspective. “But when the set time had fully come.”
Have you ever noticed that on this first Sunday of Advent, I never feel the need to announce to you, “Hey, spoiler alert. Jesus will be born on December 25.”
We already know this because we prepare for Christmas every year. That’s why these four weeks of Advent are so important because they help us to prepare ourselves to receive the good news of Jesus’s birth in a new and fresh way.
Christmas is a time for us to celebrate the good news that Jesus is alive and with us today. Jesus is someone who wants to walk alongside us when we are facing a difficult decision or situation. Jesus is someone who carries us when life knocks us to our knees.
And when we mess up and do something for which we feel shame and remorse, Jesus is there to forgive and cleanse us so that we can keep moving forward in life. No wonder, Charles Wesley wrote this hymn. “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.”
Our prayer during this Advent season is for us to receive once again the incredible gift of Jesus who is the embodiment of God; the embodiment of a loving, gracious, merciful, compassionate, understanding, forgiving, guiding, and giving God who wants to be in a personal relationship with each and every one of us.
Advent is a time for us to anticipate this incredible good news not just for ourselves but to share with those around us. I’m so glad that Christmas is rooted in history when God sent Jesus to be born in a specific time and place.
I love that our faith isn’t simply a philosophy. It’s rooted in a historical time when God risked everything on our behalf by becoming one with us.
Jesus identifies with our hopes and dreams and with our longings and heartache because he was one with us, fully divine, but also fully human.
Having a God who can identify with our weakness and our struggles is one of the reasons Christmas is so meaningful because God knows the pain of feeling alone, in being rejected, in experiencing hunger and grieving the loss of a loved one. God knows because Jesus was one with us when he was born into this world.
A pastor shared with me that one day after worship, a young woman came up to him and shared her struggle with anorexia. The pastor then offered a brief prayer for this young person. This pastor knew another person in the church who was struggling with anorexia and with her permission, he was able to have them connect with each other.
When they met, he said how moving it was to see them share their struggle and pain with each other, shed some tears, and then hug each other. Just to know that someone can relate to us is such a powerful human need that we all have.
This is what Jesus does for us because he became one with us, and this is why we sing, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.” Jesus is someone we can always turn to for healing, encouragement, forgiveness, and redemption.
But remember, there is also a 2nd part of this two-part drama. The 1st part is when God sent Jesus to be born into this world and identify with our brokenness, our shortcomings, and our need for a Savior.
The 2nd part of the divine drama is that God also has plans to send Jesus again and this time, God will make make this world new again. This is our ultimate hope as Christians, that God will renew the face of this earth.
Just like the people of Israel didn’t know when God would send them a Savior, we also don’t know when Jesus will come again and when heaven and earth will finally be as one. Advent is what helps us to keep waiting and keep anticipating this future promise.
I know it’s hard to wait for that time. It was only a little more than a month after we blew our our Christmas Eve candles that a nation invaded another nation causing horrific pain and suffering which continues to this day.
Even after Christmas comes and goes, we still yearn for that time when there will be no more suffering, no more homelessness, no more hunger, no more injustice, no more oppression, no more hate speech, no more mass shootings, and no more pain and grief.
When we sing, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” we are anticipating that time when God will transform this world where there will be nothing but peace, joy, goodness, and love.
During these four weeks, allow this hymn to be your prayer. “Come, thou long expected Jesus. Born to set thy people free; From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in Thee. Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art; Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every loving heart.”
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus!
Sermon Discussion Questions
Galatians 4:1-7 & Matthew 21:36-44
November 27, 2022
Today marks the beginning of the 4-week season of Advent which is a time for us to prepare for the coming of Christ into the world. These four Sundays are meant to help us anticipate what it means to be God’s faithful people.
What are some family traditions that you typically do during this time of year to help you prepare for Christmas?
To help us prepare for Christmas, we are focusing on the 1744 Charles Wesley hymn, “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.” In particular, we will be focusing on three important theological phrases from this hymn:
December 11 - “Born to Set Thy People Free”
December 18 - “Let Us Find our Rest in Thee”
December 24 - “Joy of Every Longing Heart”
Which of these phrases stands out the most to you? What are some other songs/hymns that help you prepare for Christmas?
The Season of Advent helps us to prepare not only for Christmas (Jesus 1st Coming) but also for Jesus 2nd coming when God will renew the face of the earth and where heaven and earth will be as one. We tend to focus more on Jesus 1st coming when he was born in a manger (Christmas.)
Why do you think it is important to also anticipate the 2nd coming of Jesus when God will make this world new again? Describe your personal thoughts about what this world will look like when heaven and earth will be as one. Use your imagination!
One of the major theological themes of Christmas is that God sent Jesus to be one with us, someone who would experience pain, suffering, joy, love, betrayal, heartache, etc. This is what we refer to as the incarnation, God becoming one with us.
How does this understanding of the incarnation help you in your faith journey?
Close by praying this prayer from our 1st Sunday of Advent worship service:
O God, as we begin this Advent journey, restore us to faithfulness, and shepherd us through these weeks. Soften us and open us to trust in your love, your goodness, your guiding presence. May we take in your word and bring it to life, giving hope to the hopeless through our words and actions. We ask this through Christ, our Savior and our hope. Amen
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Online Worship (November 27/Advent) Athens First UMC
Welcome to our
November 27 (Advent)
online worship service!
Athens First UMC
2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701
[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Holy Hump Day (November 23) with Pastor Robert
Today’s Focus:
🦃 Sharing our “Thanksgiving
In July” Thanksgivings 🦃
Monday, November 21, 2022
Sermon (November 20) by Rev. Robert McDowell
A careful driver was being tailgated by a stressed-out driver behind him while driving along a busy boulevard. As he approached an intersection, the traffic light just in front of him suddenly turned yellow.
The man did the right thing, and stopped at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.
The tailgating driver’s temper flared! She banged on her dash board--and the horn--screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection.
As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger printed, photographed and placed in a holding cell.
After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.
He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake, ma’am. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing up a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'cross and flame' license plate holder, the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car!"
What are the marks of a Christian? Are they the bumper stickers we put on our cars? The cross necklaces we wear? The magnets on our refrigerator?
During this short 2 week sermon series that began last Sunday, we’re looking at five different marks of a Christian that are part of the vows we make when we join the church.
These five marks of a Christian are prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Today, we are going to look at how giving, serving, and witness are marks of a Christian.
Let’s begin with the Christian mark of service.
SERVICE
Today, we can see many, many examples of people who are using their talents to serve God. From volunteers who prepare and serve our morning refreshments. To those who teach Sunday School. To the greeters who welcome us. To the choir and musicians who have spent the past several weeks preparing music for this Sunday.
And we can go on and on with the audio/visual volunteers, the worship readers, the people sharing a testimony, my make-up artist. It’s just unbelievable how many people do all of these things just to help with our Sunday morning activities.
Throughout the week, many, many more servants use their talents to serve God through our church. Here at Athens First Church, we have well over 80 ministries in which servants of the church sacrifice their time to help us in our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of our community and world.
Serving is an important way for us to live out our faith.
Jesus spent three years with the disciples trying to help them see that serving is at the heart of what it means to be one of his disciples.
When Jesus began talking about the Kingdom of God, James and John thought that this kingdom would give them power and recognition. But Jesus had to continually tell them that his kingdom was very different from the ways of the world.
He told them, The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Using our spiritual gifts, talents, skills, and passions to serve God and God’s people is one of the marks of a Christian.
Giving financially is another one of the marks of a Christian.
GIFTS
Looking at the passage from Deuteronomy that we heard this morning, we can see that giving has been an important part of what it means to live out our faith.
While reading and studying this passage, I noticed five things that it can teach us about giving.
The first thing I noticed is First Fruits.
God instructs the people to take some of the first fruits of their harvest, take it to the Temple, and give it to the priest as an offering to the Lord.
Why first fruits?
I was thinking about the different ways that I feel when I give gifts to people.
A friend of mine was telling me about a Christmas gift he had given to his wife a couple of Christmases ago. For their first anniversary, they had given each other rings. Hers was a ruby ring, but over the years she had gotten it caught on different things, and the band was bent out of shape to the point she could no longer wear it.
My friend told me that he got the idea to buy a replacement ruby ring for her, and he told me that this idea just came to him one day.
He didn’t get a hint from his wife to do this; not even their three daughters were in on this one! So he found a ring he really thought she’d like, and he bought it for her. He could hardly wait until Christmas Day to give it to her! His best present that year was the smile on his wife’s face when she opened that ring!!!
Giving first fruits to God is like giving a gift to someone you love that you know they are going to appreciate. You give it your best.
The second thing I noticed in the bible passage is: Remember Why.
God commands the people to give their first fruits, and after they give their gift to the priest, they are to remember why they are giving the gift.
In the passage, the giver recites the history of the people of Israel, and how God has intervened for them in history, especially recalling their release from slavery in Egypt, and deliverance into the promised land.
For a Christian, we might remember how God has delivered us from our sin and brokenness through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Or on any given Sunday morning, we might remember how God has blessed us and guided us that past week.
The third thing I noticed in this passage is that giving our offerings to God is a cause to celebrate!
Eugene Peterson puts it this way in The Message translation of our Old Testament reading, “Rejoice! Celebrate all the good things that God, your God, has given you and your family; you and the Levite and the foreigner who lives with you.”
The Apostle Paul says practically the same thing in II Corinthians 9:7. “God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.”
And doesn’t that make the giving even better? Having a party and a celebration along with it?
Giving a birthday present is fun, but giving a birthday present at a birthday party is even more fun!
Worship is meant to be a celebration! Giving is a part of that celebration. The attitude in which a gift is given makes a huge difference; not only to the one who receives, but also to the one who gives.
The fourth thing I noticed in the passage from Deuteronomy is: Serve the Needy.
Usually when we talk about giving in church, we talk about the financial gifts that are given to the church either on Sunday morning or throughout the week. But this passage says some specific things about giving to the aliens, the orphans, and the widows, and those who have nothing of their own.
Serving those in need is an important part of our giving to Christ and the church.
The last thing that stood out to me as I read this passage is the phrase Set Apart.
At the very end, God tells the people that he has given them these laws to follow about giving because these laws will set them apart to help them to be a beacon of hope in our world. God’s people will be a people who are set apart, or holy, in part because of their giving.
Former West Ohio Conference Treasurer, Rev. Stan Sutton shared with me how some folks in his family who aren’t tithers to the church just can’t understand why he and his wife would even think about giving 10% of their income to their local church each year.
To them, that money could have been invested in other ways to make even more money. And I love the way Stan shared how he responded to them. He says, that by being generous givers to the church, he and his wife are rich in a different way. A way that is distinctive and set apart from the rest of the world.
Gifts and service are important marks of a Christian. Witness is the 5th mark in being a Christian. Being a witness simply means that we share our faith with others. We are witnesses of God’s saving and redeeming love for the world.
WITNESS
Witnessing is simply where we share with others how God has been present in our lives. That’s it! Sharing with others how God has been present in our lives.
Our church refers to these moments where God has been present in our lives as “Thin Place Moments.” Another name for it is “God Moments.”
I love it when I hear people sharing there “Thin Place Moments” with others. Our Leadership Board meetings begin with the sharing of “Thin Place Moments.”
These moments don’t have to be dramatic stories like the parting of the Red Sea or a miraculous healing. They can also include more subtle experiences that remind us that God is with us in any given moment.
Sometimes, we don’t even know that we experienced a “Thin Place Moment” until weeks after it happened. It might take some time for us to process these holy moments in our lives and then share them with others.
I have discovered that when we share our Thin Place Moments with others, it often leads to someone else sharing a Thin Place Moment that they had. There’s a domino effect when we witness to how God has been made present in our lives.
The marks of a Christian are prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.
These are the marks of a Christian in the ways that we live out our faith through the life of the church.
Marks of a Christian: Gifts, Service, & Witness
Sermon Discussion Questions
Deuteronomy 26:1-12, 18-19 & Matthew 20:17-28
November 20, 2022
For these two Sundays, we are focusing on the theme, “Marks of a Christian.” These marks include seeking to be followers of Jesus through our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. These are so important that they are what every new church member commits to when they join a local church. Last Sunday, we focused on the first two marks, prayers and presence (weekly worship attendance.)
How do you incorporate the Christian mark of prayer in your life? How does the Christian mark of your presence in worship help you to face a new week?
We focused on service as the 3rd mark of a Christian. Our church has many ministries which means that it takes a lot of people who are willing to serve by offering their spiritual gifts.
Here is a link to our church’s ministries that is found on our church’s website - https://www.firstumcathens.org/a-living-faith/serving-opportunities. Which one of these opportunities to serve interest you? How have you been blessed by any of these ministries?
The 4th mark of a Christian is in offering our gifts (financial resources) to bless Christ and his church. Our Deuteronomy 26:1-12, 18-19 scripture reading offers five reasons why being generous with our gifts is an important mark of our faith. These include that giving 1) reminds us to set aside our “first fruits,” in other words, our very best. 2) reminds us of all that God has done for us through Jesus Christ. 3) reminds us to celebrate God’s many blessings in our lives. 4) provides an opportunity to bless those who are needy. 5) sets us apart in order for God to use our gifts to transform our community and world.
Which of these five reasons why we should be generous givers to Christ and his church stand out for you the most and why?
The fifth mark of a Christian is being a witness (sharing our faith with others.) Being a witness is simply when we share how God has been present in our lives with others. We refer to these times as “Thin Place or God Moments” where we experience those thin places where heaven and earth overlap. Sometimes, it’s only after time of processing our thoughts that we realize these thin place moments that happen to us.
Share a recent time when you felt God’s presence in a real way. What helps you to remember to share your thin place moments with others?
A mailing was sent to our church family this past week inviting us to indicate how we will be offering our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness as we approach a new year of ministry (2023.) If you do not receive this mailing, contact our church if you’d like to participate. Together, let’s say this prayer as we prepare to make our 2023 commitments in offering our very best to Christ and his church:
Gracious and loving God, thank you for your church! As we approach a new year of ministry here at Athens First UMC, help us to be more like you as we offer to you our very best with our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness! Amen!
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Online Worship (November 20) Athens First UMC
Welcome to our
November 20
online worship service!
Athens First UMC
2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701
[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]
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