Third Sunday of Advent
Third Sunday of Advent (17 Dec 2023)
Readings
Sermon
Jesus’ Genealogy series: Jesse
Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 16:4-13
Jesse’s name appears often in the Old Testament but most mentions are not about him. It is the “son of Jesse”, that is, King David who is being described. But it’s alright Jesse doesn’t get much attention since he is pointing us beyond himself to someone greater: David then Jesus himself. We lose sight of the fact that it’s not all about us. It’s about Jesus. He chisels out our hearts of stone that he may place hearts of flesh in us capable of loving him. Christmas time is especially difficult to focus on Jesus despite the holiday being all about him. We tend to focus on what we buy, bake, and celebrate–looking at ourselves and our actions–instead of looking to him. But it’s not about us. We don’t have to get everything perfect because we’re not perfect; Jesus is. We can point to him and share his love rather than put all the stress on everything we are doing.