Getting Spiritually Ready for Christmas

This Sunday I preached about spiritually "preparing for Christmas".  I used the message of John the Baptist...the message of repentance, as a practice to follow for making the celebration of Christmas a more "spiritual" experience.  Here are some of my main points:

Repentance is turning away from something that draws you away from God and TURNING TOWARD the love and grace of God.  Repentance and humility are the attitudes we will need when we face our Lord when he comes again, so it only makes sense that they should be our attitudes as we prepare to celebrate the coming of God into our lives this Christmas.

If you want to make your repentance real this Christmas and make some changes in the year of 2008, take some time NOW to reflect upon these questions:

• What temptations have led me away from God in 2007?
• Do I feel "far from God"?  What is the barrier that I have created to make me feel so far from God?
• Is there someone, or something that is having a bad influence upon me?

Get ruthless with these questions and decide to make some "turns" and changes for the new year.  Then present yourself to your Lord and know that he comes to you in Jesus to help you make these changes and create a transformation of your heart.

If you want to make Christmas a more "spiritual" experience, try practicing repentance.  According to John the Baptist, this is the way to prepare for the coming of the Lord!

Pastor Greg