The Gift of Initiation

  • Jeremy Erb
  • Nov 30, 2008
  • Series: Advent Conspiracy 2008

The Advent Conspiracy is an international movement restoring the scandal of Christmas by substituting compassion for consumption. It is a catalyst to help us to engage in the Christmas story in a way that will transform us as we worship Christ at Christmas.

At its heart, it is an attempt to participate in Christmas in such a way that our participation is a reflection of the event, and the Person being celebrated.  He is the reason for the season...so let's make sure our celebrations are about Him....about Jesus.

To do this, we are inviting you into four aspects of the Advent Conspiracy:

* Worship Fully - Real Worship
* Spend Less - Resisting Consumerism
* Give More - Relational Giving
* Love All - Redistribution of Wealth

We want to help you really worship Christ this season. We want to see you do it in such a way that the Kingdom of God is manifested. We want to see you be incarnational in your gift giving this year. And we want to make a visible, physical impact on the world by taking an offering on Christmas that will be a blessing. This year, we want to give the gift of life just as we were given the gift of life.

OUR THEME: GOD'S GIFT: FREELY GIVEN, FREELY GIVE

OUR TEXT: ROMANS 5:1-11

OUR TOPIC: THE GIFT OF INITIATION

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Romans 5:1-11 (ESV)

Christmas is a story of initiation. It is Immanuel - God with us! God came to us. It is Incarnation - God among us as one of us. God did not wait for us to ask or earn the gift of His presence - He chose to make it happen.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:1-13 (ESV)

Think about how much brokenness there is in our world because people refuse to make the first move.This is what the world needs...people who will initiate forgiveness...people who will initiate love.

17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."
John 10:17-18 (ESV)

And NOT just intiating with those who deserve it. Look at what the text describes those who Christ intiated with:

    * Weak
    * Ungodly
    * Sinners
    * Enemies
12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
John 15:12-17 (ESV)

We are to imitators of God....We are to act like Him...to walk in His steps.....Jesus was an initiator. Think about all the times in the gospels where Jesus initiates...So we have to be initiators of love....That means reaching out to the hurting....the brokenhearted....to poor, the grieving of our world...to initiate love.......

We are to initiate love with whoever God brings into our world.

Who can you initiate with this advent? Maybe it will be people in our families.....There have been sharp words exchanged....there has become a stalemate and no one is willing to take to first step...to ask for forgiveness...to build a bridge on reconciliation.....

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.
1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (ESV)

Wouldn't it be great to make a new start this Christmas....and initiate love?  To act like Jesus....and while others are still sinners (and of course we are as well) but disregarding their sin, being willing to die for them.

The gift of Christmas, the gift of initiation transformed the word when Jesus came.

It can, it could, and it should transform our world as we celebrate Christmas.