"Living Expectantly Into the Future!"

 How shall we live in the New Year?

 The times demand we live “expectantly and boldly”!

  It is the way of the “God With Us” life!

 Matthew 2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they re-plied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

  18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

 We can risk all living this way...

 … because God intervenes!

… because we are not starting over in 2017! God is growing us up in the “God with Us” life!  

… even though we live in a “world at war”!  

… no one is left out!

 WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READINGS

Monday:         Matthew 2:1-11
Tuesday:         Matthew 2:12-21
Wednesday:    Luke 2:22-32      
Thursday:        Luke 2:36-40  
Friday:            Habakkuk 3:2,17-19
Saturday:        Psalm 113

 A Prayer of Consecration for 2017

 My dear Lord Jesus Christ, we come to you now to be restored in You and renewed in You this day—the first day of 2017!

 Jesus, we confess that You are the author of our faith and the foundation of your church. We are called to be your children and your church in 2017. We now consecrate this year of life as individuals, as families and as your church to You and you alone! You are God and we are not!

 We surrender every aspect of our lives totally and completely to you! We yield our spirit, soul and body, our heart our mind and our will to the leading of Your Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit, fill us afresh this day and everyday this new year!

 Jesus, we receive all the work and triumph of your life, death, resurrection, ascension and current reign over our lives and over our church. We pray, “Hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come and Your will be done!” in our lives and in our church in 2017!

 Jesus, we are Yours totally and completely!

 Jesus, we are Your church totally and completely!

 Jesus, this is Your year totally and completely!

 We come in Jesus name against Satan and His Kingdom and bind and banish him and all forces of evil from our lives and our church this year in the powerful and victorious name of Jesus!

 We consecrate ourselves to Your purposes and surrender our agendas for this new year to You and You alone!

 We now call forth the Kingdom of God and the gracious reign of Jesus over ourselves, our families and our church in 2017!

 In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Amen

"Living Expectantly (And acting like it!)"

Living Expectantly is a way of life!

It is essential to experience the “meaningful life Christ intends!”

Living Expectantly put’s God in the driver’s seat and not my expectations!

This way of life is incredibly practical—we actually live it.

The Expectant Life is trusting God and acting like it!

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.
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace!
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

The Expectant Life—

- takes practice because it does not come naturally. Do the different thing!
- is God’s tool for growing us up (step by step)!
- reveals the Deep Beauty of God!

We get to celebrate and share it!

ENJOY! 

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READINGS

Monday:         Luke 1:57-66
Tuesday:         Luke 1:67-75
Wednesday:   Luke 1:76-80      
Thursday:       Matthew 1:18-25  
Friday:            Galatians 4:4-7
Saturday:        Luke 2:1-20

"Joy Released!"

 Living Expectantly is a way of life!

 It is essential to experiencing the “meaningful life Christ intends!”

 Living Expectantly put’s God in the driver’s seat and not my expectations!

 This way of life releases us into a life of joy experienced through worship of God and witness to our world!

 Luke 1 39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

 46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,  47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,  48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

What all has Mary experienced?

She is released to joyfully: 

- Magnify 

- Rejoice 

- in God my Savior!

 

God has looked on

 - my humble estate!

 - and done great things for me!  

 I get to Live Expectantly released to magnify and rejoice!

  WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READINGS

Monday:         Luke 1:46-55
Tuesday:         Luke 6:20-22
Wednesday:    Psalm 34:1-6      
Thursday:       1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  
Friday:           1 Peter 2:9-10
Saturday:        Psalm 66:1-5

 

 

 

"Encouragement to Live Expectantly"

Living Expectantly is a way of life!

It is essential to experiencing the “meaningful life Christ intends!”

Living Expectantly puts God in the driver’s seat and not my expectations!

 This way of life is challenging! I can so easily forget “God is for me—I am not alone!”

 Luke 1

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And be-hold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

 Notice God’s role as:

 Leader

Inviter

Provider

Encourager

 

Notice Mary’s role as:

 Follower (as she is)

Trust-er (“expectantly”)

Encourager (she has things to do!)

 

 WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READINGS

Monday:         Luke 1:26-33
Tuesday:         Luke 1:34-45
Wednesday:    Philippians 4:11-13      
Thursday:       James 1:2-7  
Friday:           Ephesians 2:8-10
Saturday:        Psalm 108:1-5

 

"Losing Expectations Frees Us to Live Expectantly"

Advent            

·         The arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.

·         The first season of the Christian church year, leading up to Christmas and including the four preceding Sundays.

·         The coming or second coming of Christ.

The Advent begins…

Luke 1

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

What is the back drop to today’s passage? The nation of Israel had lost their expectations about the Messiah after not hearing from God for 400 years. Zechariah and Elizabeth had lost all expectations for both a child and performing his ultimate priestly duty.

Expectation does not require me to act.  Only the other person has to act in order to live up to the expectation.  This is not a relationship.  This is a dictatorship.  (This is what I deserve.)

Expectancy requires that now I become an active part of the solution.  No judgments, just faith and excited anticipation of what will happen next.

  8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

Expectancy can turn back into expectation.

18   And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And the kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

Luke 1:24   After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

Expectations can paint God into a box of our making. Living expectantly frees us to have faith and allows God to surprise us and surpass our imaginations!

Eph. 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

The Message Version - God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

 WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READINGS

Monday:         Ephesians 3:14-21
Tuesday:         Isaiah 55:6-9
Wednesday:    Daniel 3:16-18      
Thursday:       Proverbs 3:5-6  
Friday:           Matthew 6:25-27
Saturday:        Philippians 4:19