**This is an abbreviated message due to the mornings activities...
Over the past few weeks we’ve been talking through the themes from our Advent Conspiracy: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All.
The idea of the campaign is pretty simple and its built on a belief that we are all caught - the trap we are caught in is consumerism or materialism...
Let me tell you how it works... I got an email this week from the guy who helped us with music at Phoenix Church, Dave Madden. Dave emailed me to ask what charity we were using for the advent conspiracy. He wanted to know where he could send his Christmas money to...
Some of our own ladies lived this out last week. The misfits class went out in twos to hand deliver gifts to some of our nursing home and shut in members...
watch video ...video from Advent Conspiracy website
What does love look like?
Have you ever tried to paint love? Or describe love? How would you define it? How would you show it on canvas?
In the Christmas story we see love personified... That little baby is all about Love. Its more than just a baby in a manger - its the story of God loving us so much that he sent his son to us, to become our savior...to show us his love - to show us that he was willing at any cost to love us and redeem us.
In John 1:14 is says, “The Word became flesh and lived among us” I like to say, “Love became flesh and lived among us!” He showed us that Love is something that is lived... Jesus redefined what love is really all about...
Jesus was once asked what was most important - what’s the most important things to do? Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul, and your strength -that’s the first and the greatest commandment and the second is like it - love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:37)
We are pretty good at that first part, right? Loving God. There’s not a person in this room probably that wouldn’t say, “I love God with everything” but have you ever asked yourself about that second part... How is loving your neighbor like loving God?
I used to have a professor in seminary that said, “If you love God, its almost impossible to not love your neighbor, because when you fall in love with God you start loving what he loves!”
Think about that for just one second... Your love for God is evidenced by the way you treat others. Your love for your neighbor shows how much you really love God.
In John 13:34-35 Jesus says, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
What does your love say about you??
In the Christmas story we see love personified - love in action - what does your love say about you?
