Episode 1494: Preparations

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Thanks for joining me on episode 1, 494 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

[00:00:08] Christina Stanton: I'm Christina Stanton. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence, and impact the world by using your time, your talent, and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to find faith, even in the face of tremendous challenges is key, and one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this.

[00:00:32] The Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friend, Scott Maderer.

[00:00:44] Scott Maderer: And yet that's what Advent is calling for us to believe in, to hope for, to reach for, to strive for, to live in preparation for. We live as a witness to what could be and what is [00:01:00] coming. That's the hope.

[00:01:06] Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling. In the Inspired Stewardship Podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others, and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.

[00:01:39] In today's Spiritual Foundation episode, I talk about Luke 21 25 36. I share how Advent is a season of anticipation and hope, not of foreboding and fear. I also share how we are called to look around, not just for our own sakes, but for those who need justice. [00:02:00] Luke 21 25 36 says, There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

[00:02:12] People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

[00:02:30] Then he told them a parable. Look at the fig tree and all of the trees, as soon as they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place.

[00:02:52] Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with [00:03:00] dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catches you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man.

[00:03:19] Amen. This last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent. So it's really time to say Happy New Year. It's the end of part of the Christian year. It's the beginning of the next year in the Christian year with the beginning of Advent. Advent is a time of waiting. It's a time of preparation. It's a time of preparing yourself for the coming of Christmas.

[00:03:46] of the season of Christ. And when this first Sunday of Advent rolls around, I think a lot of times it's like a surprise. It's almost like shock. I work in my real life, in my career as a financial coach, and it [00:04:00] always amazes me how often people are surprised by the Christmas season. It can't possibly be this time again.

[00:04:06] It can't possibly be the season where we have Thanksgiving and Christmas and all of these holidays. But let's be honest with ourselves. It's not just a matter of not paying attention to the calendar, not knowing what day of the week it is. It's that this season of advent of anticipation comes in the midst of life and fullness and messiness and busyness that we get wrapped up in all of the things, getting things done, getting so many busiest things, trying to get things right, planning and preparing for all of these things of life.

[00:04:43] And this first Sunday of Advent, it calls us to pay attention to more than just life. It's called the first Sunday of Advent. Advent not in advent. Advent is not treated as a [00:05:00] season as something we endure. Instead, it is something of which we become something that we are. We are the people who live in anticipation, who live in waiting, who live in hope for the future.

[00:05:17] This is the essence of what it means to be an advent Christian. So on this first Sunday of Advent, we're being called to pay attention to what is going on, to pay attention to how our life is a life of fullness and joy. And yet, even with that, even with being content with what we have and where we are, we also can look forward and prepare for even more fullness and more joy.

[00:05:47] Amen. I'm a Methodist. In the Wesleyan tradition, we call that fullness sanctification. Wesley also said it is moving on to perfection. We're [00:06:00] preparing for eternity. We're preparing for life in the kingdom, for perfection and living a life attentively. It's really not a time to be shocked by the arrival of this season, but rather to be startled by this continuing need to be reminded that we are called and we want to live in hope.

[00:06:25] That despite what's going on, no matter how bad times are, no matter what is going on, we aren't to look to the powers of the world for our sanctification and our saving. We're to look to Christ. That this season is one of preparation, reminding to look up, to get ready It's a time to get ready. Whether it's a time that's something good or something bad, we often are surprised by things that happen, and we have to make adjustments.

[00:06:58] We have to make [00:07:00] things fit into the life that we've made because we've been living without. And so making room for these new things, even good things, is not always easy. Making room for this time of advent is not always easy. If you think about the passage from Luke, this is why that passage at first reading always sounds so scary.

[00:07:23] It's talking about the end of the world, right? And you hear people talking all the time about these are the things that are going on today. And by the way, people have been saying that for thousands of years, we know not the time. So whether you see things that you think are showing the end of the world or not.

[00:07:41] realize you don't know. These readings, however, sound scary because we are also being reminded that, wait a minute, that scary stuff isn't the last word. The bad stuff that's being described isn't the end of the story. [00:08:00] That while our hearts are longing for wholeness in this broken life, while our hearts are longing for peace, for calmness, Whether you've known war in reality or whether you've just known life, you have moments where you just long for peace.

[00:08:20] Our hearts are longing for fullness and healing, especially for those who are hungry and hurting, those who have not had justice, those who are pushed out to the margins. , and that's what Jesus is talking about as well. It says in Luke 21, 25 and 26, there will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations, confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

[00:08:46] People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. It often seems like when we're starting this season of [00:09:00] Advent, getting ready, that we're expecting to hear the beginning of the Christmas story. Maybe something like an angel making an announcement, maybe stories about transformation, or a royal decree, instead, here we have foreboding, worry, being frightened, being scared. And yet, think about it, nowadays the end of the world is a cottage industry, whether it's in movies or somebody is talking about how this sign or that politician or this event is proof that the world is ending. It's all going to end right now.

[00:09:39] This group getting power means that we've all just walked away from God and the world is ending. But think about it another way. These verses also imply something different. Maybe it isn't fear that Jesus is trying to instill. All too often in modern times we get [00:10:00] this message of fear. Everyone wants to sell how you should be afraid of this event or that group or this thing.

[00:10:07] But Jesus is talking about something different. In fact, he's talking about the opposite of fear, which is hope. It says, In these times when all of this is going on and everyone is worried and scared and frightened of the end of the world, Jesus also says, Stand up and raise your heads. Think about it.

[00:10:27] When things are going wrong, our instinct is to keep your head down. Keep your mouth shut. Keep your head down. Try not to draw attention to yourself. But Jesus is saying, Raise your head. Look up. Trust. Have confidence. Pay attention. Even in the time of distractions, he's saying pay attention. Even when everything is going wrong, pay attention.

[00:10:54] Pay attention because that is the hope. Pay [00:11:00] attention because that's the remembrance of the desire to recapture the birth of that baby that we celebrate at Christmas again, to hear the song of angels, to think and believe even for a moment that peace on earth is actually possible. To look back and think that all people would be welcomed into heaven.

[00:11:22] That's a possibility. We can look for the coming of the kingdom when the lion shall lie down with the lamb. And we don't have to be afraid of this stuff. We can hold our head up. Advent is saying look up, look forward as well as looking back. Pay attention. It also says look around, look up, look down, just look, be on guard so that your hearts aren't weighed down.

[00:11:50] Be on guard so you don't miss it, so you don't miss the message of Christ. All too often why people are screaming about how they're teaching [00:12:00] Christian things. We're missing the true message of Christ. Those glimpses of that peace happen sometimes in the moments that we least expect, those moments in those late night conversations that maybe bring tears to our eyes.

[00:12:19] The other passage from this week is from Jeremiah and it says, The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I've made to the house of Israel and the house of Judea. That's from Jeremiah. chapter 33, verse 14. In those days, the prophet writes execute justice and righteousness in the land.

[00:12:39] That's verse 15. Let's face it, that would be a big surprise if we actually had righteousness and justice in the land. Not righteousness and justice for this group or that group, but for every person. Justice and righteousness is almost too hard to believe. And yet that's what Advent is [00:13:00] calling for us to believe in, to hope for, to reach for, to strive for, to live in preparation for.

[00:13:09] We live as a witness to what could be and what is coming. That's the hope of Christ. Thanks for listening. Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling.

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[00:14:09] Until next time, invest your time, Your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact the world.