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Gifts From Above: Review
wk1- Hope is found in God’s firm foundation
wk2- Peace is found in God’s presence
wk3- Joy is found in God’s perspective

BIG IDEA - Love is found in God’s compassion

BIG PROBLEM - Our humanity gets in the way of God’s love
--Pride/Sin
--Unwanted Circumstances
--Flawed view of God

Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not. --C.S. Lewis

The story of God’s love for us has a long history, but a very present future if we live by faith.

God carries your picture in His wallet (on His phone) and is just always wanting you to come back home. --Tony Campolo

BIG IDEA - Love is found in God’s compassion

Then he blessed Joseph and said,“May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day... Genesis 48:15

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:17

See, the Sovereign Lord… He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arm and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:10-11

I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak… Ezekiel 34:15-16

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. --Saint Augustine

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

What happens when we don’t remain in the love and care of the Shepherd?

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love… I have told you this so that my joy (peace and hope) may be in you and that your joy (peace and hope) may be complete.” John 15:9-11

…God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 1 John 4:8-9

BIG IDEA - Love is found in God’s compassion

How would receiving God’s love change your relationship with Him, yourself and others?

Receive His Love
God, thank you that you are Love. You reveal your love through the birth of Christ and your Spirit in me. Help me to believe and receive it. And may I be astonished by your love.

Advent Benediction
May God fill you with the hope of eternity, the peace of His presence, the joy of the Lord, and the love of Christ.
And may you grow in astonishment and faith as you receive these glorious gifts from above.
Now and forever more! Amen!

Beyond Sunday
Our Beyond Sunday for the Advent series, Gifts from Above, will use the 28-Day Devotional outlined and linked below.

Resources (see links below)
--Find Family Ministry’s Advent Calendar Cards Packet in the back of the Worship Center, or download the PDF version below.

Daily Devotionals for Love: (also the Beyond Sunday for this week)

Day 22
--Watch the Love video (see link below)
In our fourth and final week of Advent, we'll explore the biblical meaning of love and how we can understanding and experience Jesus’ love for ourselves. How does the video encourage you today?

Day 23
When people ask Jesus about the most important command he answers by quoting from the Hebrew Bible: “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” But that’s not all. Jesus quickly follows up by saying that another command is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” For Jesus, no other command is greater than these.

Read: Mark 12:29-31, Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18

Reflection and Discussion Question:
--How does loving God relate to loving other people?

Day 24
The Hebrew Bible records the history of the ancient Israelites repeatedly neglecting the commandment to love God and others. How can we hope to do any better? Jesus helps us when he adds a new commandment to accompany the greatest commandment. His new command shows how his sacrificial love can empower his followers to love others.

Read: 1 John 4:9-11, John 13:34, and review Mark 12:29-31

Reflection and Discussion Questions:
--Compare John 13:34 with Mark 12:29-31. What is the difference between these two commands? How does Jesus' example show us what it looks like to follow the greatest command?

--Review 1 John 4:9-11 carefully. According to this passage, why did Jesus give his life, and what should motivate our love for others?

Day 25
The God of the Bible doesn’t just express love; he is love. As a triune God⏤Father, Son, and Spirit⏤he has always been and will always be an others-centered, self-giving, communal being. Jesus, the Son, fully embodies the love of God and demonstrates it most clearly when he gives his life on behalf of humanity. When people learn to trust Jesus’ love for them, they join in God’s community of love, and their very nature is transformed to love others with him.

Read: 1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16, 1 John 3:16, John 15:9-13

Reflection and Discussion Questions:
--Take note of the phrase “come to know and believe.” How is knowing and believing God’s love for us a process?

--Jesus and his disciples compared his love to a place where you can live or “abide.” To truly live somewhere, we first have to move in, unpack, and learn the space and how to operate in it. What else do people do when they live somewhere? How can this compare to what it’s like to trust in Jesus’ love?

Day 26
Agape love is not primarily a feeling that happens to people. Love is a choice to act in a way that brings well-being to others. Love is more important than having spiritual knowledge or special abilities, and nothing matters without it. So how does love impact our thoughts and actions?

Read: 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

Reflection and Discussion Questions:
--Using Paul’s definition of love, consider how Jesus loves us. How is Jesus patient, kind, humble, and selfless toward us?


Day 27
Jesus says that the ultimate standard of authentic love is how well you treat the person you can’t stand, or in his words, “You should love your enemy and do good to them, expecting nothing in return.” Jesus says this kind of love imitates the very character of God himself.

Read: Luke 6:27-36

Reflection and Discussion Questions:
--What does Jesus promise for those who love their enemies (see verse 35)?

--Note how God himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people. What does this say about God’s character?

--Note how verse 36 describes God. What is the relationship between love and mercy?

Day 28
In his letters, Paul says that God’s love extends beyond the Jews to include the Gentiles. Jesus’ love is so massive and relentless that people need unique help from God to begin to understand and live according to it, so Paul prays for his readers to be strengthened with God’s Spirit.

Read: Ephesians 3:14-21, Romans 8:38-39

Reflection and Discussion Questions:
--What metaphors does Paul use in today’s passages?

--How do these metaphors help us understand the nature of God’s love?

For PCC's budgeted giving year
(June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023)

Annual Budget: $3,000,000

Giving Update (as of 12/13/22)
Needed to Date: $1,750,000
Giving to Date: $1,510,273
Shortfall to Date: $ 239,727