Resurrection UMC Hastings

The message title is biblical, but was meant to limit retaliation – i.e., only an eye for an eye. But Jesus says no retaliation. Love your enemies just as God loves all, with unrelenting compassion and undeserving grace. 

Gold is for the Magi’s gift and also for God’s glory. Will we offer God the best that we have this new year? Will we give God the Glory?

Silver is for reflecting Christ, as in a mirror. It’s also represents the 30 pieces of silver Judas took to betray Jesus. So in this coming year, will we reflect Christ or betray him?

White is for light and renewal. Like freshly fallen snow, it’s a clean slate, a new beginning. Jesus is the light of the world. Everything is brighter after his birth. Even us. We are given a fresh start.

Blue is the color of the Virgin Mary. She brought a new way of connecting (a new covenant) to God – Jesus. Mary also reminds us of the sorrow that we may face, even in happy times. Learn why there’s hope in the midst of Christmas blues.

There are familiar reds at Christmastime: Santa’s coat, Rudolph’s nose, and poinsettias. But none of these qualify red as the color of Christmas.

Green is the color of life. Evergreens (Christmas tree, wreaths, and garlands) symbolize everlasting life as they stay green all year round. In winter, when all the world looks dead, the green evergreens remind us of life – life that Jesus the Messiah brings.

Why do we associate certain colors with Christmastime (red and green, silver and gold, blue, white, and purple)? Besides just looking great on decorations, each color has a meaning that points to a crucial part of the Messiah’s birth story. Like the color purple, which stands for royalty. Find out as we kick off our Advent message series, The Colors of Christmas, and raise the question: What kind of King will you be celebrating?

James 1:17 says that all good and perfect gifts come from God, so it’s appropriate to count our blessings and give God thanks. The “12 Days of Thanksgiving” song is a good way to remember to do this. Never heard of it? That’s because it’s brand new.

We wrap up our study of the Nicene Creed, looking at the section that tells us about the Holy Spirit, and how it helped guide the teaching of the truth of Jesus.