Most of us are familiar with the image of a glass half empty or a glass half

full. Imagine yourselves and First Christian Church in the light of either one of

these images.

A glass half empty conveys the thoughts of hopelessness, despair, pessimism,

and failure. Why should I or we invest our time, our energy, and our effort into

something that seems to be gradually draining out? How much more can we draw

or take from that half empty glass until it is truly empty?

On the other hand, a glass half full conveys the thoughts of hope, growing

energy and passion, optimism with a future to embrace. Why shouldn’t I or we

become excited and hopeful for what is yet to come?

We are in the midst of the season of Advent, a season that is filled with hope

and excitement and acceptance of God’s blessed gift of love to us, His Son and our

Savior. God never embraced the image of a glass half empty and He seeks for us

to model in our individual lives, in our work, and most certainly within the body of

Christ, his church that same image.

There is a moment when Jesus was teaching the crowds in his Sermon on the

Mount in which he embodied the image of not only a glass half full, but also a glass

that was overflowing. Read Matthew 6:25-34 and truly drink in the truth of those

words.

Will you be that glass half empty or that glass half full?

Pastor Nik

This is the first installment of weekly emails in which I will share some simple

thoughts to help guide us through our time of transition. I will not seek to give

answers. Rather, I seek only to stir your thoughts as together we seek to discern

where and how God is calling us to move. By the way, I choose not to call this a

“blog”.

Since Advent has begun, let us focus on its meaning and value. Advent is a

time of preparation and being ready for the coming of our Lord and Savior. No, it is

not about decorating or shopping, or some of the other activities that we might

associate with Christmas. Yes, those things may occur, but it is about preparation

and the readiness of one’s heart and spirit to receive the greatest gift that we have

been given, God’s Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May I suggest this as a time for daily prayer, remembering, reading, and

reflecting upon many of the scriptures that point to the coming of a Savior. I

suggest readings such as Isaiah 40:3-5, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-5, Isaiah 53:1-9,

Jeremiah 33:14-16. You may be aware of other appropriate readings that you can

add to this list.

What does it truly mean to prepare? I am not going to give you a hard and

quick answer. Preparation may vary for every one of us during the season of

Advent. For some, it may be a quiet listening. What is God saying to you, in what

ways is God stirring your heart? For others, it may be a joyful expectation and

anticipation like a child who can’t wait to open those gifts under the tree. For still

others, it may stir memories of Christmases past that no longer occur because of

changes in family structures that may have occurred.

Whatever the situation may be for you, keep your focus upon the gift that has

been given and that we celebrate again, Jesus Christ.

 

Pastor Nik