“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice,” Paul writes in Philippians 4. In the midst of sadness and sorrow, can we really have joy always? And if so, how? While being honest about the darkness around and inside, Pastor Jordan Kologe explores what authentic Christian joy is and is not and how we can grow in it.

The progression of Advent can be likened to a trek toward a mountain summit. With Malachi 3 and Luke 3 as the guidebook, Pastor Jordan Kologe explores three phases of this journey: the wake-up, preparing the way, and the joy that awaits.

Advent begins in the dark. We can’t ignore the injustice, sorrow, and loss—the darkness—all around us. To have a deep abiding hope we must first honestly acknowledge this reality. Using Luke 21 and Zechariah 14 as the background, Pastor Jordan Kologe orients us to Advent being a season to recognize the darkness and to trust God in it, anticipating the coming light of Christ.

Looking at the vision in Daniel 7, James Steinbach describes the prophetic expectation that the son of man will accept an eternal kingdom on behalf of God's people, delivering us from all earthly kingdoms. When we live in the hope of that kingdom, we find strength to suffer like Jesus, oppose injustice, and rest patiently in God.

Contemplating Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (and especially his remarks on ‘The Abomination of Desolation’) can stir up a lot of emotions, both confusion (‘what is Jesus even talking about’?) and pain (‘how can Jesus let something like this happen’?). While we grapple with many unanswered questions about why God allows suffering, we find the psalmists’ answer for how we might endure it: with Jesus, who himself suffered and is with us when we do.

Mark 13:14-23, Psalm 16, Hebrews 10:31-39

The story of the widow’s coins (Mark 12:38-44) and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16) both give us a picture of what it looks like to sacrifice everything in an act of total dependence on God. What would it look like to live our lives this way? How can we fathom giving more of ourselves when we already feel stretched thin? Luke Elmers teaches on themes of weakness, dependence, abundance, and sacrifice.

Using Colossians 1 as the basis, Pastor Jordan Kologe invites Church of the Advent to look “further up” in the coming year, to prioritize worship. To do this requires the work of the Spirit. Looking up will produce fruit. As we do so we are reminded of what we have been given, our identity, and rescue, stirring us to worship.

Have you ever cried out to God in urgency? In Mark 10 we read Bartimaeus cry “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” desperate for Jesus to heal his blindness. Pastor Jordan Kologe exhorts us to keep persisting in prayer because God hears our cries, he honors them, and he heals.

God as our refuge is a pervasive theme in the Psalter. A quick word study of the Hebrew meaning refuge eventually finds its way to the root word Onah, which is not just a dwelling as in a shelter from bad weather but something more intimate as in a marriage.

The question is are you, are we, dwelling in the Shelter of the Most High?  Have we pressed into an intimate relationship with him? Or do we think of him as an umbrella, a temporary shelter from the storm? Deacon Cindy Hamilton teaches on Psalm 91.

A pre-election primer on The Gospel According to Politics with Pastor Ken Robertson, Rector of International Anglican Church in Colorado Springs, CO (https://www.springsiac.org), and former Associate Pastor at Advent! Ken’s teaching explores six principles for a renewed paradigm of political discipleship. Learn more at https://www.kingdomovercountryoverparty.com.