Jesus shared the eucharist meal with His Disciples the night He was betrayed during their Passover Feast. We partake of communion as a remembrance of what God has done. A remembrance of God working in our lives currently. And a reminder that God has bigger plans for us in the future. Communion also brings a sense of unity in the church so we can go out and partake in Christ’s mission together.

In Romans Paul tells us that through Baptism the old life, the slave masters that once ruled our life, dies. We are no longer slaves any longer. What happens is we are raised to new life, one where God is at the center of our whole being. Baptism is a sign we agree to come into covenant with God, this new covenant which was offered to us through Jesus. Should we live the way we once did? By no means!

Today we talk about nurturing, we are called to reflect a nurturing God into the world. That means we are to encourage the growth or development of. We need to see what relationships needs to nurture it, much like what we do with plants. We are called to be nurturers in creation.

Jesus tells the disciples to go and make disciples, or students for the teacher. Paul asks the question if no one tells people about the teacher (Jesus) then how will they know they need to be a student? In America we can come up with a lot excuses to not invite, possibly it is because we aren’t desperate enough for Jesus and we aren’t desperate enough for Him to share Him with others. I pray God helps us to feel desperate for Jesus!

In Ephesians and again in Colossians Paul talks about being rooted and established in Christ. In Ephesians he finishes with how he prays the readers understand fully the depth and width and height and length of God’s love for us. If we are people who are rooted we don’t build walls around God’s love because we understand that God’s love flows beyond boundaries we may set for it.

God calls us towards Renewed life. The Greek word translated renewed in Colossians chapter three means a process. Paul tells us this is a process but we are called to give our lives over, every aspect of it, as a living sacrifice for God to use as He will.

The announcement of the Messiah’s birth to the shepherds nearby is an important announcement. It was a reminder that the new kingdom, God’s kingdom was breaking through the darkness in unexpected ways. May our lives reflect and show the same light that Jesus’ birth did to those around Him.

This week, our fourth week of advent, we enter into the nativity story. We see from the first Chapter of Matthew that Jesus is entering into the world in a very messy situation. He is born to a mother who is not married into a family tree that had some messy, complicated branches. But the point of the message is that God enters into the mess to bring chaos back into order. When it seems like such a mess that we can’t do anything to help God shows up. That is the hope we have this advent season.

On the third week of the Advent season we talk about joy and our liturgical calendar gives us a passage in James about being patient and not complaining. Perhaps joy is more than a feeling we have when things are going well. Perhaps joy is not linked to our circumstances, maybe we should find joy knowing God is with us and Christ is coming again.

Jesus states that He gives us peace, but He also says that we will have trouble. So we know Biblically that peace does not mean an absence of conflict. Our verse in Romans 15 today reminds us that peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of Christ as our foundation. This advent season let us remember that peace on earth is possible, but it begins with us.

This first week of advent we are reminded that we are people who have hope. Paul reminds us in Romans 13 that we are people of light. Paul tells us we are people of light in this already but not yet time. Wake up! It’s dawn!

Abraham has this moment with God where God cuts a covenant. In the next few chapters we see Abram and Sarai still trying to bring about this promise in their own way. Hagar just so happens to be part of their solution. At this low point of her life God finds Hagar and speaks life into her. In return Hagar gives God the name the God that sees.

This week we look at the covenant making ritual that happens between God and Abraham in Genesis 15. Abraham brought nothing to this covenant, he had nothing he could give. God walked the path, twice, once for himself and once for Abraham because he knew if it was up to Abraham it wouldn’t happen.

Abram and Lot choose to separate and Abram gives Lot the choice of land. Lot chooses a land that looks so good. But not all the sparkles is gold.

Within the text of Genesis 12 we see God make a promise to Abram. The chapter before helps us to understand the setting this promise was spoken into. The Tower of Babel happened and all were scattered and Sarai, Abram’s wife is barren. We see how the situation of the world seemed kind of hopeless. But God tells Abram you will have offspring and through you I will bless all people.

Suffering is a part of life. We can’t get away from it, it is something we just have to go through. But we don’t go through it alone God is there. We as Christians should come along side as well in the way that Jesus did.

The last part of Ephesians 5 and the first part of chapter 6 Paul brings up this idea of mutual submission. Paul have directions not only to wives, children and slaves but he also gave directions to husbands, fathers and masters. He reminds everyone on the list they have been called to a life of mutual submission, a life where we are willing to lay down our lives for others.

Paul tells the gentiles in Ephesians 4 to put off, or strip off their former identities and put on their new identities. What they used to do allowed the devil to have a foothold and grieved the Holy Spirit. If we have fully embraced our new life then we should show the fruit of a Christlike life which is holiness and love.

In Ephesians 4:11-16 Paul talks about a unity of faith, a maturity and coming to the full measure of Christ. These are all individual tasks, yes, but he speaks corporately. The Church should represent Christ fully to the world. The question is, are we doing that?

In Ephesians chapter 3 Paul gives this prayer that he prays we understand the length and depth and height and width of God’s love for us. He prays that we be so full of Christ love for us that it overflows from us. May we live our lives that way.