Restoring Wonder, Advent 4

SERMON NOTES:  

Wonder Tools:

1.       Wow!

2.       Jesus, I wonder what you ……… how you………?

3.       Enter the Presence and Provision of Jesus as we enter our problems,
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” 

4.       Wonder is Worship!

5.       “Jesus, My Yes is always on the table!”

Matthew 1 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

God is growing Joseph into the man He needs him to be – into a YES man!

The more Joseph says “YES” the more wonder-full his life became!  He was learning to live expectantly!

What is God saying to you about your “YES” to Him?

How is Matthew restoring our wonder as he leads us to focus on two Names!

Study Guide

Solitude, Scripture & Prayer 

Find a quiet place and 15 minutes.

Solitude – Spend TWO minutes quietly alone.  Take some deep breaths… Just be… … …”Holy Spirit, speak to me through Your Word!”

Scripture – Read slowly, out loud if possible, listen, reread, dwell, notice words & phrases you are drawn to & return there! 

Prayer – Have a conversation with God, “What are You saying to me, God?”  Talk about what you notice is on your heart.

Finish - Spend TWO minutes again with God

You are encouraged to use the daily Advent devotional booklet, “I Wonder as I Wander”, in addition to meditating on the following readings:

Monday – Matthew 1:18-25

Tuesday – Luke 2:1-20

Wednesday – John 1:18

Thursday –  Isaiah 7:14, 9:1-7

Friday – Galatians 4:1-7

Saturday – Psalm 113

Got questions?  Continue the discussion.  Follow the link @  https://goo.gl/Jd93J7

Restoring Wonder, Advent 3

SERMON NOTES:  

Wonder Tools:

1.       Wow!

2.       Jesus, I wonder what you ……… how you………?

3.       Enter the Presence and Provision of Jesus as we enter our problems,
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” 

4.       Worship in Wonder

Luke 1 57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 
61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.”
 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.
 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.
 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

A Wonder-full life is a life of practical faith in Jesus …

… with tangible acts of obedience

... unlocking new vistas of wonder

… resulting in fresh dimensions of praise!

Wonder Tool:

5.       “Jesus, you already have my YES!”

Study Guide

Solitude, Scripture & Prayer 

Find a quiet place and 15 minutes.

Solitude – Spend TWO minutes quietly alone.  Take some deep breaths… Just be… … …”Holy Spirit, speak to me through Your Word!”

Scripture – Read slowly, out loud if possible, listen, reread, dwell, notice words & phrases you are drawn to & return there! 

Prayer – Have a conversation with God, “What are You saying to me, God?”  Talk about what you notice is on your heart.

Finish - Spend TWO minutes again with God

You are encouraged to use the daily Advent devotional booklet, “I Wonder as I Wander”, in addition to meditating on the following readings:

Monday – Luke 1:57-66

Tuesday – Luke 1:67-80

Wednesday – John 14:15-21

Thursday –  John 14:22-31

Friday – Hebrews 11:1-16

Saturday – Psalm 111

Got questions?  Continue the discussion.  Follow the link @  https://goo.gl/Jd93J7

Restoring Wonder, Advent 2

SERMON NOTES:  

Luke 1 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.

Humility is the path of the life of wonder. 

We wonder at humility and we wonder with humility.

Mary’s humility was preceded by the humility of God.   Enter and be ravished by wonder.

Wonder Tools:

1.       Wow!

2.       Jesus, I wonder what you ……… how………

3.       Enter the Presence and Provision of Jesus as you enter your problem,
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” 

4.       Worship in Wonder

Study Guide

Solitude, Scripture & Prayer 

Find a quiet place and 15 minutes.

Solitude – Spend TWO minutes quietly alone.  Take some deep breaths… Just be… … …”Holy Spirit, speak to me through Your Word!”

Scripture – Read slowly, out loud if possible, listen, reread, dwell, notice words & phrases you are drawn to & return there! 

Prayer – Have a conversation with God, “What are You saying to me, God?”  Talk about what you notice is on your heart.

Finish - Spend TWO minutes again with God

You are encouraged to use the daily Advent devotional booklet, “I Wonder as I Wander”, in addition to meditating on the following readings:

Monday – Luke 1:26-38

Tuesday – Luke 1:39-45

Wednesday – Luke 1:46-56

Thursday –  Philippians 2:1-11

Friday – 1 Peter 5:5-11

Saturday – Psalm 51

Got questions?  Continue the discussion.  Follow the link @  https://goo.gl/Jd93J7

Restoring Wonder, Advent 1

SERMON NOTES:  

Wonder?

Luke 1 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
8 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Wonder is:        

- restored as we engage the story in all its depths and details,

- faith’s weapon to battle fear,

- comfortable with mystery allowing for God possibilities,

- targeted by the enemy! 

Wonder Tools:

Study Guide

Solitude, Scripture & Prayer 

Find a quiet place and 15 minutes.

Solitude – Spend TWO minutes quietly alone.  Take some deep breaths… Just be… … …”Holy Spirit, speak to me through Your Word!”

Scripture – Read slowly, out loud if possible, listen, reread, dwell, notice words & phrases you are drawn to & return there! 

Prayer – Have a conversation with God, “What are You saying to me, God?”  Talk about what you notice is on your heart.

Finish - Spend TWO minutes again with God

You are encouraged to use the daily Advent devotional booklet, “I Wonder as I Wander”, in addition to meditating on the following readings:

Monday – Luke 1:1-10

Tuesday – Luke 1:11-25

Wednesday – Colossians 1:13-22

Thursday –  Revelation 5:6-14

Friday – Malachi 4:1-6

Saturday – Psalm 148

Got questions?  Continue the discussion.  Follow the link @  https://goo.gl/Jd93J7