Sunday Sermon Summary....Stay Awake and Focus!

This time of year, I use to feel really guilty about how I was feeling inside....BAH HUMBUG! Now I only feel a little guilty about feeling that way, BUT....now I'm not afraid to say it out loud....ready....set..... GO ..... I AM NOT A FAN OF materialistic, spending lots of money, being overly busy with "fun" stuff, buying lots of presents, and the list goes on Americanized Christmas.

There, I said it, whew! I am not a fan of this time of year, because I feel like the focus is taken off of the real reason we celebrate Christmas....JESUS! A few years ago, my favorite pastor, Cindy wrote an article for our local paper and led a sermon on just that....Christmas becoming too Americanized. Once she admitted that she too was not a fan of all the hullabaloo that goes along with the season, I breathed a sigh of relief and realized I WAS NOT ALONE....and not only was I not alone....but a pastor was feeling the same way I was. After that, we minimalized everything....we put out stockings and decorated a tree (and truly that was only because I have 5 children). This year, I think we will decorate a little more; but only what we have time to do in an enjoyable state of mind. As the season approached, I started feeling the guilt of "not enjoying all the stuff that takes over the true meaning of Christmas" feeling; but yesterday at church....guess who was preaching? YESSIREE....my beloved Cindy! Guess what her sermon was about? YESSIREE....the real focus of Christmas. She even had scripture to back her up....imagine that....The Bible telling us to focus on JESUS....not just at Christmas but every minute of every single day!

Romans 13:11-14 (The Message)

^11-14But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!

And another...

Matthew 24:36-44 (The Message)

³⁶"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.

^37-39"The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah's. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away.

^39-44"The Son of Man's Arrival will be like that: Two men will be working in the field—one will be taken, one left behind; two women will be grinding at the mill—one will be taken, one left behind. So stay awake, alert. You have no idea what day your Master will show up. But you do know this: You know that if the homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would arrive, he would have been there with his dogs to prevent the break-in. Be vigilant just like that. You have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up.

Stay focused on our Lord Jesus Christ, and this year....Simplify, Subtract, and Say "NO". Focus on the gift God gave us in His Son, the gift He gives us in His blood, the gift He gives us in His grace! We don't know when He will come, but we do know that He will come!