‘As we move toward the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, we would do well to begin cultivating a new cadence for our lives that seeks to keep pace with the Lord as we follow Him’
November 28, 2022
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — As the world prepares to celebrate Christmas, Christians start the season with Advent, a four-week period during which God’s people anticipate and celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ. Four major themes are emphasized during the four weeks of Advent: hope, peace, love, and joy. Advent is not only designed to celebrate the birth of the Christ child, but also the hope of His second coming.
To help Christians ready their hearts for Christmas, D. L. Moody Center (moodycenter.org) recently launched their 2022 four-week Advent Guide designed to lead participants through Scripture to better understand the Christmas story and how it relates to their lives. The powerful guide poses thoughtful questions designed to encourage readers to delve deeper into their own faith journeys, particularly surrounding the holiday season.
“The Advent season stands as powerful reminders to God’s people who they are and who they serve. We are God’s people, and it is Him alone that we serve. Advent points God’s people to the gift of the Messiah. In Jesus, we find ‘the way, the truth, and the light’ in the one ‘who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men’ (See Jn. 14:6, and Phil 2:6-7).
“In the guide, weeks 1-3 will involve Bible reading and reflection, as well as some simple, practical steps that you might take to refine your hopes, pursue peace, and love God and others. Week 4 will involve Bible readings that will lead you into moments of praise. As you read those passages, you should reflect on all God has done and will do for you and the church.”
Spencer continued, “As we move toward the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, we would do well to begin cultivating a new cadence for our lives that seeks to keep pace with the Lord as we follow Him. When we find ourselves running ahead of God or begin dragging God along with us into the narrow margins of our lives, we can be sure that we are running on our own power and operating by our own wit and wisdom rather than walking by faith and not by sight.
“If you are (like I am) prone to set God aside and take His wisdom, sovereignty, and goodness for granted, I want to encourage you to join me in reshaping our hearts and minds during this Advent season. I hope that through Bible reading, prayer, fasting, and worship, God’s people will display God’s manifold wisdom to a watching world.”
For more information about D. L. Moody Center’s Advent Guide, click here.
The D. L. Moody Center is pleased to announce the launch of its new eight-day Bible plan, Useful to God, on the YouVersion app. Drawing on Spencer’s book titled “Useful to God: Eight Lessons from the Life of D. L. Moody,” this Bible plan examines eight characteristics evident in the Scriptures and in the life of D. L. Moody (e.g., surrendered, prayerful, humbled, undistracted, and studious). Thousands have already completed the plan, with hundreds more subscribing daily.
The D.L. Moody Center is an independent non-profit organization located in Northfield, Massachusetts. Dedicated to preserving and advancing the legacy of Dwight Moody, the D. L. Moody Center is a catalyst for spiritual formation in New England and beyond through evangelism and discipleship.
The D. L. Moody Center is not a school. Nevertheless, there is much to learn by studying D. L. Moody and what God accomplished through his life which began in New England, at the Northfield, Massachusetts campus, the heart of Moody’s ministry as well as his childhood home.
Learn more about D. L. Moody Center by visiting moodycenter.org or follow the ministry on Facebook or Twitter.
