Yesterday as I sat in the hospital waiting area to hear how my mom’s surgery went... it was hard. Did everything go alright? Is my mom okay? Did the doctor get enough sleep the night before? Was he tired after doing a surgery before my mom’s? How will she respond to the surgery? Questions, questions, questions. Questions that can so quickly turn to worry.

Over the last couple of Sunday mornings we have been talking about worry. To worry is natural and universal. It was something so prevalent that Jesus, even in his day, saw important enough to talk about (Matthew 6:24-34).

Here are three important things we’ve learned from Jesus about the emotion of worry:

You can’t add anything to your life by worrying - not a second, not a minute not an hour, not a day. Worrying, we are told, is a waste of time;
“Don’t worry” does not mean "don’t care". We are to be responsible and do all that we can do in the now and trust God for tomorrow; and
We worry about that which we are most devoted to and to conquer worry we need to shift our devotion to God. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

I am convinced that God put this sermon series on my heart, for me. Why? So that as I sat in the hospital waiting room I would turn my worry into prayer, knowing and trusting that our God who takes care of the birds in the air and the flowers in the field is more than willing and able to take care of my mom. Praise God! We do our part and let God do the rest.

Next week we enter the season of Advent (a time of preparation for Christmas). The weeks leading up to Christmas are often full of stresses. These are not necessarily all negative stresses but stresses none the less. There is a unique "busyness" of the season, isn’t there? Christmas parties, socials and fundraisers. Then there is the shopping, wrapping, cooking, and baking. And then there is the aftermath... emotional and physical exhaustion, credit card bills and the dreaded New Year’s resolution to combat the over-indulging!

What if it could be different this year? What if this Advent we were deliberate about taking time to STOP, REFLECT and WOSHIP the true reason for this amazing and sacred season?

Join me over the next four weeks this December as we do just that! Imagine getting to Christmas Day and feeling refreshed and energized because we have experienced the true meaning of Christmas!!!