How you prepare matters, ask any runner. Advent is the season of preparation. It is a marathon not a sprint. Don’t sprint toward Christmas or you will burn out. Prepare yourself!

This weeks sermon @fumclgok in our Be Christmas Sermon series is Be On Guard. How can we guard our hearts and prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord and Savior this year?  Follow the 3 simple rules. Do Good, Do No Harm, Stay in Love with God.

Here is the scripture for the 1st Sunday of Advent.

Luke 21:25-36Common English Bible (CEB)

²⁵ “There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. On the earth, there will be dismay among nations in their confusion over the roaring of the sea and surging waves. ²⁶  The planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken, causing people to faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world. ²⁷ Then they will see the Human One coming on a cloud with power and great splendor. ²⁸  Now when these things begin to happen, stand up straight and raise your heads, because your redemption is near.”

²⁹ Jesus told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. ³⁰ When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. ³¹ In the same way, when you see these things happening, you know that God’s kingdom is near. ³² I assure you that this generation won’t pass away until everything has happened. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away.

³⁴ “Take care that your hearts aren’t dulled by drinking parties, drunkenness, and the anxieties of day-to-day life. Don’t let that day fall upon you unexpectedly, ³⁵  like a trap. It will come upon everyone who lives on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶  Stay alert at all times, praying that you are strong enough to escape everything that is about to happen and to stand before the Human One.”^[b]