What comes to mind when you hear “Calvinism”?
You might think of a bunch of old men with long beards. They’re kind of crusty and curmudgeon, and they never have any fun. They think what they believe about the Bible is always right, and if someone disagrees with their beliefs, that other person must be wrong.
Okay, maybe this isn’t what you think of. Maybe you think more positively. Or maybe you don’t even know what Calvinism is.
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What was your word of the year for 2019?
A word of the year can be two different things. It can be a word you choose to define the upcoming year – kind of like a resolution of sorts. Or it can be a word that describes or summarizes your previous year.
The word of the year I chose for myself at the beginning of 2019 was “abide”. My goal or resolution for this past year was to abide with God. I wanted to be more dedicated to a daily quiet time, and I wanted to be intentional about reading theology and Christian living books. I wanted to learn more and more about God every day.
And while I want to continue abiding with God this new year, I chose to have a new word of the year for 2020. The word I chose is joy.
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The 2019 advent season is quickly coming to a close. The term “advent” is often equated with Christmastime or the Christmas season. But these don’t quite mean the same thing.
Advent is “the arrival of a notable person or thing.” (1)
Advent is a season of waiting. During your celebration of advent, you may have waited to light a new purple candle every week. You may have waited to snag some cookies out of the jar after dinner. You may be waiting to open the shiny presents under the tree. You may have waited for a loved one to visit. You may have waited to decorate your house for the holiday (or not… I know some of you had your Christmas trees up on November 1!).
But all these types of waiting are not what advent is all about. Advent is ultimately a season of waiting for Jesus, our Savior. It’s a season of remembering how people waited thousands of years for the Messiah to come, and it’s a season of looking forward to Christ’s second coming.
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“They may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!” (1)
If you don’t automatically recognize this quote, it’s from the movie Braveheart. This proclamation is declared by William Wallace, a thirteenth-century Scottish man, who wears a kilt, paints his face blue, and fights against England for freedom.
In the movie, Wallace’s father also says something memorable about freedom:
“Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it.” (1)
People, especially Americans, love quotes like this. We love being able to dream and having the freedom to follow that dream. In today’s world, people often can be whoever they want to be and do whatever they want to do.
But we have sinful hearts, and if we follow them, we can misuse our freedoms.
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Every year wedding bells ring for millions of American adults. These men and women vow to love and cherish their new spouses until death parts them. If you’ve been to a wedding ceremony, you know how beautiful and meaningful they truly are. Unfortunately, many American adults don’t keep these precious vows. The American Psychological Association reports that forty to fifty percent of married couples who live in the U.S. will divorce. (1) Human beings are imperfect, which means that many will not be faithful towards others. People can be unfaithful by lying to or abandoning a spouse, friend, or child. They can even be unfaithful in their job or other activities. Humans are unfaithful. But Paul’s second letter to Timothy reminds us of an important and encouraging truth-
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful…” 1 Timothy 2:13a
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