The Gifts of Advent: 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

You’ve experienced it before yourself. If you have children, you now have the joy of seeing it through their eyes. I’m talking about the delight of Christmas morning. The glad anticipation of what waits under the tree builds and builds until everyone finally rushes in there for the great moment of discovery. Yet what is it that most thrills us in that moment? It is the gift of something new. We delight in new things. The season of Advent is a celebration of something new coming into our lives. Let’s talk this morning about the gift of new and just how it transforms us.

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Morning Musing: Joshua 1:8

“This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter

Standing on the precipice of a new adventure is always a complicated emotional affair. On the one hand, there is the requisite nervousness. The unknown stretching out before us is always at least a little bit scary. What if we fail? What if we succeed? Both can be equally frightening. On the other hand, there is excitement. The possibilities before us are rich and we are excited to explore them. Having a little parting advice is always helpful in such situations. What kind of advice is the most helpful? 

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