From Advent to Epiphany: a Call to Discipleship

Morgan Moore

Description

This Christmas devotional brings together the liturgical Christmas season and Paul's letter to the Colossians in a way that reorders our hearts toward Jesus.

Sometimes life feels overwhelming and chaotic. Sometimes we veer off course, neglecting our most important relationship with Jesus. We may feel out of control, wondering how to get back on track, how to draw closer to our Creator and Savior.



The liturgical calendar provides a way to get back on track, a way to reorder our habits. It does not matter your denomination; the liturgical calendar offers all of us this opportunity to reorder our lives around Jesus. Will you join me on a spiritual Christmas journey, a journey of recentering our hearts and minds on Jesus, a journey starting in Advent and ending on Epiphany?



The Book of Colossians provides a unique lens for this wonderful time of year. Paul grounds his letter in the sovereign and glorious nature of Jesus. And, as we reflect on the Book of Colossians during Christmas, we are invited to slowly ponder the incarnation, our glorious God who shed the heavens and for a stable, the Word who became Flesh and dwelt among us. Will you join me on this Christmas journey?

Sujets

• Discipleship
• Biblical Meditations
• Philosophie et théologie
• Devotional
• Devotion
• Disciple (Christianity)
• Advent
• Epistle to the Colossians
• Religion
• Faith
• Christmas
• Bible

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 29 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664278394
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

FROM ADVENT TO EPIPHANY: A Call to Discipleship
 
Reflections from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians
 
 
 
MORGAN MOORE
 
 
 

 
 
Copyright © 2022 Morgan Moore.
 
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.
 
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
Interior Image Credit: Natalie Craddock
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7840-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7841-7 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7839-4 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022917078
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 09/27/2022
Contents
Introduction
First Week of Advent
You Are Invited
Grace and Peace
Practicing Prayer
True Hope Bears Fruit
What Is the Knowledge of God?
An Invitation to Wait
The Hope of the Gospel
The Second Week of Advent
Faith Takes Risks
The Mystery Made Known
Paul’s Purpose for Writing
Encouraged and United in Love
The Antidote to Deceptions
Live Like Walking Trees
The Practice of Thanksgiving
The Third Week of Advent
Life Overflowing
Complete in Christ
Authentic Life in Christ
The Great Paradox
The True Substance
Jesus Changes Hearts
The Face of a Beautiful Structure
The Fourth Week of Advent
Actions Reflect the Heart
Christ Is All and in All
Bending Lower
The Peace of Christ
Christmas Eve: The Light Pierces the Darkness
Christmas to Epiphany
Christmas Day: Be Thankful
Faithful Family Life
Jesus Reorients Relationships of Power
Leveraging Loving Justice
Devote Yourself to Prayer
Graciousness Seasoned with Salt
New Year’s Eve: You Are Not Alone!
New Year’s Day: Life-Giving Power
Building Bridges
Worn Knees
Persevere in Love
Encouraged to Complete the Task
Epiphany
The Benediction
Endnotes
Bibliography
To the glory of Jesus Christ and
in gratitude to my family for their loving sup port.

Introduction
Sometimes life feels overwhelming and chaotic. Sometimes we veer off course, neglecting our most important relationship with Jesus. We may feel out of control, wonder how to get back on track, and how to draw closer to our Creator and Savior.
The liturgical calendar provides a way to get back on track, a way to reorder our habits. It does not matter your denomination; the liturgical calendar offers all of us this opportunity to reorder our lives around Jesus. Will you join me on a spiritual Christmas journey, a journey of recentering our hearts and minds on Jesus, a journey starting in Advent and ending on Epiphany?
The book of Colossians provides a unique lens for this wonderful time of year. Paul grounds his letter in the sovereign and glorious nature of Jesus. And as we reflect on the book of Colossians during Christmas, we are invited to slowly ponder the incarnation, our glorious God who shed the heavens for a stable, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.
This Christmas devotional combines theological insight and an invitation into spiritual formation, a combination Paul himself uses to teach the Colossians. Paul loves the Colossians. He desires the Colossians to be mature in Christ. This profound letter methodically invites the Colossians into continuous transformation in Christ, a transformation that ripples across all areas of life.
As a student at Fuller Seminary, some of my most transformative classes include what Fuller calls formation classes. In these classes, I have learned to abide in the One who most loves me. I have learned the importance of spiritual practices such as gratitude, prayer, solitude, stewardship, and community. Paul invites Jesus’s followers to live into these practices, to live a life rooted in Christ.
Paul also invites Jesus’s followers to reach outward in mission toward others. The book of Colossians invites us into discipleship, to love God and love others. Jesus calls us to be rooted in Him while also reaching out in love toward others. Jesus calls us to be disciples making disciples, Jesus’s followers making Jesus’s followers.
Come, let us step into the liturgical calendar and reorient our lives around Jesus. Come, let us behold the wonder of Christmas and be transformed by the One who most loves us.
A Special Note for Week 4 of Advent
The number of days during week 4 may not match the current Advent calendar. Please make personal adjustments. Depending on when Christmas Eve falls, during week 4 you may need to return to a meaningful day to reflect further, or you may need to read two devotions per day. The Advent calendar changes each year, so each year the reader will need to adjust.
First Week of Advent


You Are Invited
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae. 1
—Colossians 1:1–2a
In the spring and summer, my husband and I soak in the West Texas wildlife as we enjoy evening walks around the golf course. Deer slowly eat their way onto the lush green grass. A peacock sits on a fence. Ducks swim in the pond. Sometimes even a creepy tarantula walks down the cart path. We also watch new houses being built. The builder clears the land, lays the foundation, and begins to frame the house. Each part must be completed before the next part can begin.
The letter to the Colossians reminds me of this building process. Paul clears the land, pours the foundation, frames his lesson, and then slowly adds clarifying details. As we journey through Colossians, we will witness Paul teaching the Colossians how to grow in Christ. Brick by brick, lesson upon lesson, Paul creates a beautiful picture of Christian discipleship.
So how does Paul build the foundation? First, Paul identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ, a person on mission with Jesus. 2 Paul loves the Colossian people, and he desires that they continue growing in their faith. For this reason, Paul purposely identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ, purposely affirming that his words come from an intimate relationship with Jesus.
Second, Paul uses affectionate language in describing the Colossian people. Paul calls Timothy a brother, recognizing Timothy as being especially close to Paul’s heart. Paul then calls the Colossians brothers and sisters in Christ. We get the feeling of intimacy, relationship, and family. Ironically, we learn later that Paul does not personally know the Colossians, yet he feels a deep kinship with these believers because of the way they live out their faith. 3
Finally, Paul identifies the Colossians as being in Christ . The phrase, “in Christ,” creates an image of walking in the pathway of Jesus, walking hand in hand with our Savior. As we move forward in Colossians, this phrase comes up again and again. It is the pathway of love, the way of abundant and true life. As Paul beckons the Colossians deeper onto this pathway in Christ, Jesus beckons us, calling us by name. Do you hear Him? 4
Today begins the Advent season, a season of anticipating the birth of the Savior. You are invited to make the journey into this special season, following Jesus on His pathway and growing in Christ.
Reflec tion
Where are you on the pathway of Jesus? Are you ready to step into the Christmas liturgical calendar and orient your life around Jesus during this beautiful season?
Pr ayer
O Lord, you have searched me and known me, you know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts far away. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. (Psalm 139:1–3)
Thank You, Jesus, that You know me. Thank You that You desire relationship with me. Please strengthen me and draw me onto Your pathway, into deeper relationship with You. Amen.

Grace and Peace
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
—Colossians 1:2b (Emphasis added)
The Christian life offers grace and peace, a life of freedom, abundance, and wholeness. Paul greets the Colossians with these two words, words emphasizing the foundation of Paul’s teaching. 5
What is grace? Grace is God’s gift of forgiveness and redemption found in Jesus Christ. This gift is not a one-time shot in the arm, an inoculation against the fiery pit. Instead, God invites us to embrace this gift as an entirely new w