Live Service for Dec. 3rd, 2025

Pastor Dr. Charles W. Ferguson Mitchell Harper

Text: Matthew 1:23 (ESV)

“‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”

Reflection:
God’s presence changes everything. The incarnation is divine proximity—God entering our brokenness, not avoiding it. Presence heals what absence wounds. Jesus’ birth reveals that redemption begins when we show up where pain lives.

Societal Lens:
Many enter the holidays with grief, loneliness, or anxiety. “God with us” must become “we with each other.” In a world of digital connection but relational isolation, being fully present is counter-cultural ministry.

Spiritual Practice:
Reach out to someone who feels unseen. Don’t fix—listen. Bring warmth through presence rather than solutions.

Conversation Questions:

1. What does “God with us” mean in your daily experience?
2. How can the church embody presence in a hurting world?
3. What practices help you remain emotionally available to others?

Prayer:
“Emmanuel, You are the presence we crave. Help us to be present for others as You are for us. Amen.”

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Text: Psalm 130:5–6 (ESV)

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.”

Reflection:
Advent invites us into holy waiting. The psalmist teaches that waiting deepens trust. Our culture equates waiting with failure, but God uses it for formation. Waiting tempers impatience and births discernment. It reminds us that divine timing cannot be forced.

Societal Lens:
We live in an on-demand world—instant gratification, immediate answers, same-day delivery. This pace erodes our spiritual endurance. The capitalist clock accelerates desire while the divine clock matures hope. Advent slows us to rediscover sacred time.

Spiritual Practice:
Establish a “waiting ritual.” Each morning, sit in silence for five minutes before checking your phone or beginning work. Whisper, “My soul waits for You.”

Conversation Questions:

1. How does waiting stretch or strengthen your faith?
2. In what areas of your life do you struggle to trust God’s timing?
3. What spiritual disciplines help you remain patient and hopeful?

Prayer:
“Lord, slow our racing hearts. Teach us to see delay not as denial but as divine preparation. Amen.”

Text: Luke 12:15 (ESV)

“And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’”

Reflection:
Jesus’ warning challenges our modern obsession with accumulation. Advent calls us to strip away illusions of worth defined by wealth. Christ’s birth in a manger reveals that simplicity is sacred. “Enough” is not mediocrity—it is freedom from striving for what cannot satisfy.

Societal Lens:
Consumerism has turned Advent into an economic event. Black Friday, endless wish lists, and social media comparisons form a spiritual trap. Many will overspend to prove love or status. Yet Jesus’ message interrupts this cycle: life’s meaning isn’t measured in more.

Spiritual Practice:
Take a “gratitude inventory.” Name five things money cannot buy that sustain you. Practice generosity in a way that costs comfort but not contentment.

Conversation Questions:

1. What drives our collective fear of not having enough?
2. How might simplicity become an act of faith?
3. What does “enough” mean in your spiritual journey?

Prayer:
“God of abundance, free us from the tyranny of more. Teach us to see provision in Your presence and sufficiency in Your grace. Amen.”