POD 021 | Eyes of Faith: Exploring the Advent Season and Christmas
Download MP3In this episode of theFormed.life podcast, host Paul Brandes sits down with our on staff guest, Johnny Daigle, to talk about the Christmas season. Together they explore Christmas through the eyes of faith and how sacrifice can be a powerful spiritual discipline during the holiday season. They reflect on the stories of characters like Ruth, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, and the Wise Men and shed light on the interplay of faith and sacrifice. Join them as they unravel the profound significance of these characters' experiences and discuss the hope for the listeners to identify their next step of faith during this special time of the year.
THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Seeing through the eyes of faith: Johnny and Paul emphasize the significance of seeing life through the eyes of faith, where faith is described as a form of perception beyond sight. It's about stepping beyond what can be controlled and facilitating God's work beyond human control.
- Sacrifice as a spiritual discipline: They highlight how sacrifice as a spiritual discipline is pivotal, emphasizing the importance of sacrificing for others and abandoning personal security to trust in God's provision. This perspective is connected to the characters in the Advent series, reflecting the idea of offering oneself to help others and experiencing God's provision.
- Living out the light of God with us: Johnny and Paul underscore the idea that the light of God with us should resonate throughout the year, not just during the Christmas season. The hope is to encourage individuals to identify their next steps of faith, embracing the call to sacrificially step into and experience God's presence in a deeper and more profound way.
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GUEST BIO:
Johnny was born and raised on the north side of Pittsburgh, PA, and met his wife Kelly at Wheaton College. They stayed in Chicago after graduating in 2015, and in 2019 Johnny began attending Trinity International University to pursue his Masters in Divinity. Johnny and Kelly have two children Benjamin and Zoe. In 2022 the Daigles moved to Kansas City and Johnny joined the Christ Community staff.
QUOTES:
“But when you stepped out on the reality of God, it is so much more blessed because God is there at the end. When you step out, you're stepping into the hand of God and he will uphold you. And that's what Jesus shows, and that's what we get to do."
— Johnny Daigle
"What does it look like for us to really sacrifice with an expectation and an eye on something that God can do far beyond what we could control or manipulate on our own terms?"
— Johnny Daigle
"Why do we do lights? Well, Jesus is the light of the world. Why do we give gifts? Because Jesus is the greatest gift ever given, and we rehearse that. And it's easy with the secularization of Christmas to kind of forget those fundamental truths."
— Paul Brandes
RESOURCES:
theformed.life
cckc.church/christmas
KEYWORDS:
podcast, Christmas season, family, traditions, faith, sacrifice, eyes of faith, Christmas lights, Christmas gifts, Christmas story, church, Jesus, Advent, characters, Ruth, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, Wise Men, spiritual discipline, sacrifice, fasting, light, God, compassion, wedding singer, escape rooms, sports broadcaster, soul
00:00 Popular Christmas house draws visitors from afar.
04:26 Christmas reminds us of Jesus through gifts.
09:40 First Christmas characters navigating chaos and faith.
12:31 Focus on Ruth's unique story and resources.
16:09 Connecting Ruth to Judges, both in context
17:31 Engage Christmas season famously, with gratitude and moderation.
21:05 Identify our next step of faith sacrifice.
