From Advent to Ascension

Charles Ensminger

Description

This an instructive, thought-provoking read for those interested in deepening their understanding of Christ as found in the narrative of the Christian seasons.

From Advent to Ascension: A Journey with the Christ follows the themes and direction of the Christian year that focus specifically on the earthly life of Christ.



Beginning with the expectations of Advent, you’re invited to walk with Jesus from his birth to his Ascension. This journey encourages you to consider what it means to take the name of “Christian.”



As such, this book invites you to carefully consider the elements of Jesus’s life and teachings. Consider questions such as:



• What does it truly mean to follow Jesus?

• What does Christianity claim arrived in the person of Jesus?

• What is God’s dream for the future of humanity?

• What is it we should expect from the Christ?



Christianity is a faith with a story. That narrative is told and retold year after year until it can be lost in the mix of seasons and programs. From Advent to Ascension can be a tool by which your church can encounter anew the story of the Christian faith.



Ignite your faith and join the author on a devotional study of Jesus beginning with the Advent season and continuing through his ascension. It is a journey that will move you closer to the Lord.

Sujets

• Biblical Meditations
• Philosophie et théologie
• Advent
• Religion
• Christ
• Ascension

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 10 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664270848
• Langue: English

Extrait

Also by Charles Ensminger
Crafting the Sermon: A Beginner’s Guide to Preaching
Saturday Faith: Moving through the Crisis of Hopelessness



FROM ADVENT TO ASCENSION

A JOURNEY WITH THE CHRIST



CHARLES ENSMINGER







Copyright © 2022 Charles Ensminger.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.



WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations are from Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7085-5 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7086-2 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7084-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022912100



WestBow Press rev. date: 07/21/2022



CONTENTS
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I
The Season Of Advent
The First Week Of Advent
The Second Week Of Advent
The Third Week In Advent
The Fourth Week In Advent
Part II
Christmas Eve, Christmas, And The Christmas Season
Christmas Eve
Christmas Season / Advent Alternative 1
Christmas Season / Advent Alternative 2
Christmas Season / Advent Alternative 3
Christmas Day
Part III
The Season Of Epiphany
Epiphany Sunday
The Baptism Of Jesus
Second Week After Epiphany
The Third Week After Epiphany
Part IV
Three Parables
The Fourth Week After Epiphany
The Fifth Week After Epiphany
The Sixth Week After Epiphany
The Transfiguration (The Last Sunday After Epiphany)
Part V
Lent
Ash Wednesday
The First Week In Lent
The Second Week In Lent
The Third Week In Lent
The Fourth Week In Lent
The Fifth Week In Lent
Part VI
Holy Week
Palm Sunday
Holy Wednesday
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
Part VII
Easter And The Easter Season
Easter Sunday
Easter Season (Eastertide)
The Second Week In Eastertide
The Third Week In Eastertide
The Fourth Week Of Eastertide
The Fifth Week Of Eastertide
Part VIII
The Ascension
Ascension Sunday

Epilogue
Bibliography



















For my mother, Alice, with love.



PREFACE
For Christians, Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. I am one among those who so believe and take upon myself the name of Christian. Believing that Jesus is the Christ is central to that thought process, as would seem self-evident from the name Christian .
However, over the centuries, there has been something of a loss of definition when it comes to the title “Christian.” While Jesus has remained the centerpiece of the Christian faith for more than two thousand years, there is a sense of amorphousness to the understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. While Christians might know what it looks like to be Christian, at least in the sense of attending church, there is the sense that we do not often consider what it means to follow Jesus the Christ.
Each year, the Christian church repeats the story of Jesus from Advent to the story of the ascension through the liturgy, through hymns, and even through the decoration of the sanctuary itself. This repetitive cycle is the church year—the seasons through which the church passes again and again. That repetition was designed to make sure the church repeated the story of Jesus over and over for those who may not have heard it. However, for those of us who have , we may have become so used to these seasons that we fail to truly take notice of them.
This book is designed to draw our attention back to the journey through the Christian seasons from Advent to the ascension. Along the way, we will make some side trips, and I will try to draw our attention to the fact that, even following a predictable journey, there is always more to be encountered. The simple focus of the book, however, is the journey of Christ and our desire to follow that path.
Beginning with the season of Advent, which is the anticipatory season preceding Christmas, we will journey through Lent, Good Friday, and Easter and end with the last story of Jesus on earth, his ascension. All along the way, I believe we will find that, in following the Christ story, we will recognize that we are continually called to be a part of that journey. We will also find that we, as Christians, are called to take this journey seriously (though not with a humorless rigidity!).
May this journey remind us of that old, old story that we should know so well. In its recalling, may we find our own journey with Christ to be renewed.



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Before this was a book, it was a series of sermons and messages. In 2020, when COVID arrived in our area, our physical church building was closed. We did not stop in our proclamation, however! We continued to hold worship online.
During that time frame, I had the idea, initially, of focusing on the narratives of Jesus, beginning with his baptism and following them through Easter. My idea was to present Jesus from his baptism to Palm Sunday as the Gospels present him—with powerful narratives and amazing declarations. I wanted to do this because, for those of us who declare we are Christ followers, we need to be sure that we understand whom and how we follow.
However, as Advent began to draw near, I felt that this was a great opportunity to begin with Advent, the season of expectation, and follow the narrative of Jesus through the entirety of his earthly life, as is reflected in the Christian liturgical year.
From there, the series emerged. With additional work, many revisions, and a desire to offer at least a glimpse of Jesus in each Christian season, the sermons became a manuscript, and the manuscript became a book.
I would like to express my thanks to the congregation of Allen Memorial United Methodist Church in Athens, Tennessee. I would also like to let everyone know that the venture of putting the series into book form was the idea of my mother, Alice. She gets all the credit (and my love) for this work coming together.



INTRODUCTION
The Christian Year
The Christian year is an established pattern that goes back to the first century AD and, to some degree, prior by being based on various Jewish holy days and festivals. The Christian year itself is a special calendar dedicated specifically and precisely to the narrative of the life of Christ as well as the theological underpinnings of the Christian faith. 1
Each Sunday is a part of the larger Christian year, which begins, technically, with the first Sunday of Advent. The last Sunday of the Christian year is Christ the King Sunday. The significance of this is that the Christian year, while starting on a different day than the secular year, begins at a very particular point for Christians: the expectation of the arrival of Christ.
Advent itself is a season of expectation with two facets. First, there is the ancient expectation of the Messiah. The words of the prophet Isaiah can here take the forefront, though there are plenty of passages from Jeremiah, Malachi, and Joel that easily capture the idea of expectation. The second facet that rests within the Christian community is the expectation of Christ’s return. This second Advent is a theme that runs concurrently through the Advent season with the first: Advent looks both to the past and to the future. Sometimes one facet of Advent is emphasized at the expense of the other, yet they both inform the Christian season of Advent. Neither should be neglected.
Advent is also a great place to start a journey with or, perhaps better still, into the Christian faith. Beginning with a serious look at the expectations of the Messiah, one can begin to discern what it is Christianity claims arrived in the person of Jesus.
The Christian year, beginning with Advent, is structured around the repeating narrative of the Christian faith. We believe in the expectation of the coming of the Messiah, which was, Christians believe, realized in the person of Jesus. Jesus then taught, proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom of God, healed, performed miracles, and traveled in a particular geographical region. He was arrested and executed by the Roman Empire but was resurrected on Easter. After Easter, Jesus spent forty days on earth before ascending into the heavens, from which we anticipate his return. This is the map of the Christian journey with Christ that re