Happy New Year! A new year is upon us. It is the opportunity to make a new beginning. Do you have a Bible Reading plan for 2019? If not, I’ve got one for you. Join me in reading through the New Testament in 2019.

This plan will have you read one chapter of the New Testament each weekday. There are no readings on Saturday and Sundays. You can use the weekend to catch up or reflect upon the readings from the week.

There is nothing you can do that will help you connect with God and grow as a disciple of Jesus than to read the Bible for yourself. Keep in mind that the goal is not to read the Bible, but to connect with God.

God gives us his Word as a gift to grow our faith. It is the Word that sustains us and equips us for greater things. Jesus tells us that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (see Luke 4:4).

We are less than a week away from Christmas. I know I am busy getting ready. I am sure you are too. There are sermons to prepare. There are the final things to coordinate for Christmas Eve services. There are also last minute presents to buy and packages to be mailed. There is much to get done in a little amount of time. It is so easy to become overloaded and anxious.

But one thing I have been doing this Advent season that has helped me is to spend five minutes each day in silence. It is a great change of pace that brings me calm and helps to center my thoughts upon God. This time of silence is not spent in prayer. It is not time I am using to think about the things I have to do. It is time to simply be still and receive the promise of Psalm 46:10.

For someone who is always accustomed to doing, it is hard to “be” and not to “do.” I find my mind easily begins to wander. I start to think about all the things I have to think about. Being still is not an easy thing to do. I can still my body easy enough, but it is much harder to still the mind. It takes practice to master this habit. But I have found myself getting better at it the more I do it.

One exercise that I do to help me be still is to focus on my breathing. I will breathe in and visualize the Holy Spirit. The word for spirit in the Old Testament means breath or wind. So I imagine that as the air fills my lungs, the Holy Spirit is filling my soul. Then as I breathe out, I focus on what the Spirit produces through me. When the Holy Spirit is at work in my life, he will produce love, joy, peace, patience, and more (see Galatians 5:22). So as my breath enters the air, I visualize the fruit of the Spirit shared through my life by God.

I typically practice this habit of silence before I begin my morning devotion. This is a way that I prepare myself for this time with God. To start, I will tell Siri to set a timer for five minutes. I turn off all music and turn off notifications on my phone. I avoid anything that distracts. When the alarm goes off at the end of five minutes, I am amazed at how fast the time went.

I challenged our congregation to practice this habit during Advent. I would like to challenge you to do the same. And not just for Advent! Try it during the next year. Also, join the New Testament Reading Plan I shared last week.

So many people wake up and hop out of bed running. They don’t stop until they hit the bed at night. They go through the day frazzled. Don’t be that person! Take five minutes to know that God is God! Since I began this practice, I have found myself to be calmer and more relaxed. I have been more aware of places around me where God is at work. And I have discovered myself to be more productive. You never know until you try. It might be five minutes that just might change your life.

Pastor Dave Ferguson shares a simple acronym that describes for us a practical way to B.L.E.S.S. our neighbors.

• B – Begin with prayer
• L – Listen
• E – Eat together
• S – Serve
• S – Share stories

I have spoke about “Begin with Prayer,Listen, Eat Together, and Serve.” Today, I want to address the fifth and final step which is to share story.

St. Francis of Assisi is often credited with saying: “Preach the gospel. If necessary, use words.” The implication is that the best way to share the love of God is through acts of kindness. It is that we lead with what we practice rather than what we preach.

But Romans 10 reminds us:

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14, ESV)

There comes a time when others need us to tell why we do what we do. There comes a time when others need to know that there is a wonderful God who loves them dearly. And God uses our words to help them connect the dots.

You cannot argue or debate someone into heaven. But what they cannot debate is your story. You can share your story of how you have experienced God’s love in your life. You can share the difference he has made for you. You can share how the Savior has changed your life. There are times when the most loving thing you can do is to tell the story.

Do you know your story? Can you articulate your relationship with God? If not, take some time and write down some of the ways that you have seen God at work in you and through you. Then share it with someone else.

As I leave you today, I am reminded of the hymn “I Love to Tell the Story.” Take a few moments to reflect on these lyrics.

I love to tell the story, of unseen things above, of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love. I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true; it satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.

I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory, to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

Pastor Dave Ferguson shares a simple acronym that describes for us a practical way to B.L.E.S.S. our neighbors.

• B – Begin with prayer
• L – Listen
• E – Eat together
• S – Serve
• S – Share stories

I have spoke about “Begin with Prayer,Listen, and Eat Together.” Today, I want to address the fourth step and that is to Serve.

When Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples, he sets an example of service for us. He washes his disciples’ feet. He was the master. He was the teacher. You would think that it was the disciples who ought to wash Jesus’ feet. But there Jesus is stooping down to perform this modest but meaningful task.

After he finishes he says:

“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” (John 13:13–15, ESV)

Jesus goes above and beyond. He does more than is expected. And he tells us to do just as he has done.

There are many ways we serve. We all have responsibilities in life. There are expectations placed upon us. But to truly serve in the spirit of Jesus is when we go beyond what is expected. Serving in that way like Jesus is so uncommon. It catches people’s attention when they see it because it is not a common experience.

A second thing about serving like Jesus served is that we serve without expecting something in return. We don’t serve to be appreciated or to receive the praise of others. We serve simply to bless others with no strings attached. We serve to show others that they are important to us and loved by God.

How can you serve someone in an unexpected way today?