Sunday Sermon Summary

As I've mentioned in my previous "Sunday Sermon Summary" posts....this season of Advent, our church is promoting a Simple Christmas. Last week the sermon covered how to worship more fully and keep Jesus close in the midst of a busy (nothing wrong with that) time of year. Today's sermon was titled Spend Less. On the way to church this morning, I told my children to be sure and really listen to the sermon today....there would be a mother administered test afterwards (and there was). Pastor Ken talked about how the Lord wants peace for us (Psalm 85:8-13), so he used this scripture to support the following....we should decorate, spend, socialize, etc. (this holiday season) as much as we want to as long as it brings us peace. In other words, if we get irritated at the fact that the decorations aren't going the way we planned or irritated at the fact that we are going to have to take all those decorations down or we get ourselves in a world of debt purchasing gifts or we get overwhelmed or stressed out by all of the activities; then we shouldn't do those things. We should do whatever brings us peace and brings us closer to Jesus....whatever will allow us to celebrate the birth of Christ and worship Him fully without causing us to feel irritated, overwhelmed or stressed. I thought it was a great message, as I always do, and I thought it was a good one for my children to really listen to this morning. During lunch, we did have the "mother administered test or pop quiz" as we ate lunch together. We blessed our food, shared our roses and thorns and then I asked the following....who can tell me something that Pastor Ken talked about this morning? I looked at Bryna (my 5 year old) who is just now able to sit in church without getting up a million times to ask me a quiet question. I received a very blank stare. Then I asked Drew (my 7 year old) who usually will quote you something from the sermon weeks later, because she is quite attentive. I received a sweet smile, hesitation and an attempt to blame Bryna for talking to her during the sermon as to why she couldn't hear Pastor Ken....to which she received my reply of you shouldn't blame your sister if you weren't listening....she reluctantly agreed. Then I asked Addison (my 11 year old) who could restate the sermon (in an 11 year old way) each week, because she is very attentive and has probably missed attending worship a handful of times in her 11 years of attending our church. As Addi began to speak, I told her younger sisters that they would probably be reminded of the sermon after they listened to her answer. Drew immediately began to add comments and intercede as Addison recapped the sermon for us (as I knew she would). I think putting her on the spot threw her for a loop. Bryna.....NOT SO MUCH! I told her to listen carefully as her sisters recapped the sermon in more understandable and appropriate 5 year old words. Both older girls completely understood what Pastor Ken had said (Bryna understood after she listened to her sisters), and they both understood why I chose for us not to put up every single decoration we have this year; and why we don't spend much money on Christmas (which we have never done....partly because we don't have much to spend but mainly because it's not about us, and we are way beyond being blessed and don't need anything....that's a whole other tangent and a whole other post). We discussed how Ken said it's perfectly okay to give gifts to those you love, but you don't have to go in debt to do that. My children are really thoughtful and generous people, and they do LOVE to give gifts to the ones they love; and right now there are some gifts under our tree (that I can guarantee you didn't cost them a dime to make but are worth more than all the money in the world....hmmmm sort of like God's gift to us).