Is Jesus Your Lord?

Meditations for the Season of Advent 

NOTE: Today, I am beginning a series of meditations for the Season of Advent & Christmas. I will resume my meditations on Christ in the Psalms on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

November 28, 2022

Is Jesus Your Lord?

“. . . the Scriptures say God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.”

James 4:5b

Happy New Year! Yesterday was the first Sunday in Advent, and we have entered the first season of the new Christian liturgical year. Many new churches established within the last generation have broken with the past and utilized church architecture which shuns chancels, altars, any use of liturgical signs and colors, and minimizes, if not eliminates, the cross. For me, it is so sad they are shunning our traditional and orthodox theological and liturgical heritage.

For many, the practice of liturgical seasons seems antiquated, and not applicable to the new high-tech generation. Early in my pastoral service, I lacked an appreciation for the history and significance of liturgical forms of worship. But as I gained an appreciation for liturgy, I could see how, when appropriately used, liturgical worship shines the light on Jesus. At the very least, including the Seasons of the Christian Year into our devotional practices can help keep us grounded in the essentials of our faith. The oldest confession of faith is simply, “Jesus is Lord.” This was never intended to be an abstract theological proposition; rather, it was intended to be a highly personal affirmation of what we understand to be the core of our being. I like the simplicity of the statement because Jesus is either the Lord of my life, or he is not. There is no in-between. Immediately, when I say, “Jesus is Lord,” the Holy Spirit prompts me to a gut-check: “Have I submitted all the priorities of my life to the Lordship of Jesus?”

My Takeaway: When I am mindful of this confession of faith, my approach to Advent and Christmas remains Christ-centered, and I can rightly judge between the allures of secular culture and choose to remain faithful to the One who has so generously placed His Spirit within me.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.