Sunday Praise & Worship 10:00
Christian Education - 10:00 - Casual Dress - Loving Childcare
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Isn’t it amazing how life can move from calm to chaos in the blink of an eye? Maybe you get some bad news from the doctor. Or, you lose your job. Or, your spouse wants to trade in your marriage for a new love. Or, your addiction has gotten the best of you. Or, you face spending time with a dysfunctional family this Christmas and you are dreading the event. Or, you are facing the holidays without your loved one. Or, your child is having trouble and you don’t know how to help. Maybe your chaos has nothing to do with pain. Maybe you have overcommitted yourself and find yourself overwhelmed. Maybe you need to prove your self-worth, so you work too long and too hard to keep up the façade of having your life in order. Or, maybe, it is something else entirely. Whatever it is, we often find around the holidays that we long for peace. Not a fleeting peace, but a deep, abiding peace. We want to experience the peace of Christ. How do we find this peace that surpasses human understanding? Our Scripture today presents us with a path to peace that promises not only to smooth out our Christmas season, but also to be the gift that remains with us throughout the year. Before we begin that path, however, let’s look at the situation of the author of the letter to the Philippians, Paul, who had founded the Christian community in Philippi around 50 A.D. Paul considered the church in Philippi to be his crown and joy. They loved Paul and must have been concerned for his welfare, since Paul was now imprisoned in Rome, awaiting trial and execution. Paul wrote this letter to reassure them of the joy he continued to have even in prison, and to encourage them to experience that same joy and peace. In this passage near the close of the letter, Paul gave them (and us!) a path to true peace, regardless of the circumstances of our lives. As you all know by now, I love acrostics, phrases or poems that spell something out with the beginning letter of the first word. So, I made this acrostic to help us remember the path to peace spelled out in Philippians 4: 4-9.
P-Pray.
Don’t worry. Tell God what you need and give thanks. I pray that as we practice following this path to peace, we will once again hear the angels singing, just as they did long ago when Jesus Christ was born, “Peace on earth. Good will to all people!” Questions for Reflection 1-What is bringing you distress or anxiety this season? How are you experiencing the chaos of Christmas? When do you find yourself longing for peace? 2-What brings you peace? How can you find that peace during this hectic time in life? In other words, how can you make time for peace? 3-How can you fit prayer into an already overcrowded schedule? What will work for you? Pray for the time and commitment and desire to spend time with God this season. 4-In what area of your life is God calling you to trust more? How can you practice this trust? How can you stay focused on Christ when life is so frenetic? 5-Where is the joy in your life? How can you hold onto those joyful things which will bring you peace? 6-How did the Holy Spirit speak to you in worship today? How will you respond?
For next week: Read Isaiah 35:1-10. Where is your life overcome with joy? Where are you thirsting for God’s joy in your life? |
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Key verse: Philippians 4:7 “If
you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than
the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you
live in Christ Jesus.”