We Have Come to Worship Him Advent 2025 Devotional by Rev. Lauren Green Yates Austin Global Methodist Church Advent Memory Verse- “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2 NLT) Advent Week One- Hope November 30- Luke 1:26-56 Advent has begun. This is the time of year when children see gifts under the tree but have to wait to open them. ‘Tis the season to decorate for the arrival of future guests. Grocery

We just completed a two month long sermon series on becoming the Ekklesia (the Church on the move) and becoming a House of Prayer. Prayer is the foundation of a healthy, impactful church and nothing can be done apart from it. During these past two months, we have learned more about praying for miracles, praying the Armor of God over ourselves and our families, binding and loosing in Jesus’ name, praying for the lost, praying for the persecuted church, praying for our next loc

From August to the end of October, we will be prayerfully considering our next chapter at Austin Global Methodist Church. We know that we are called to be a House of Prayer (Matthew 21:13) and we are called to be the church/ekklesia (Matthew 16:18). We know we cannot be the church/ekklesia without the power of prayer. We’ve taken two weeks to talk about the importance of prayer, both personal and corporate, through studying the Lord’s Prayer and the Aaronic Benediction. We se

Galatians 3 What is faith? We sit in chairs we didn’t make. We ride on planes and do not know the pilot. We get in cars with strangers… Uber rides. We operate in faith more than we realize and yet many of us struggle to put our full faith in Jesus for our eternal salvation and the daily struggles of life. The people of God must learn to operate in faith and share that faith with others. So many people in our own neighborhood need to know that Jesus’ work on the cross can be t

Acts 19:1-7 Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? That was the question asked today. In Acts 19, Paul found people who had accepted the message of repentance from John the Baptist but not yet heard about salvation through Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We must live in the fullness of the Gospel, believing in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Like a flashlight without batteries, we will be without spiritual power apart from the Holy Spirit. We

There is a lot of uncertainty going on in the world. Many of us are going through stressful situations with health, work, and family. Who we are on our worst day is our witness to the world. Like Paul and Silas in Acts 16, will we still be able to praise the Lord on our darkest days? I pray no matter the circumstances our bold witness and our passionate praise will be a testimony to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us. Praise Report: we had 18 awesome kids at our first Va

This week was Pentecost Sunday, the day we celebrate the “birthday” of the Church and remember when God gave his people the Law and then later his Holy Spirit. I encourage all of you to remember that every day is Pentecost when you are filled with the Spirit. I witnessed the Spirit moving during our mission trip to Bulgaria. The churches there are devoted to the Word, prayer, giving, fellowship, and Holy Communion. It is evident revival is coming out of Bulgaria. Will we pr

On Aldersgate Sunday, we celebrated John Wesley’s heart being “strangely warmed,” likening it to the disciples on the Road to Emmaus. We reflected on whether our hearts burn for Jesus, urging us to share His living Word. We affirmed belief in the Holy Spirit, encouraging study of key Scriptures. The pastor will lead a prayer workshop in Bulgaria, while others preach locally. As a global church, we aim to spread Jesus’ love worldwide.

Today we concluded our journey through the Gospel of John with the final question: am I a shepherd? How is this church feeding the lambs (the next generation), shepherding the sheep (governing our church), and feeding the sheep (providing sound doctrine and discipleship)? At Austin GMC, we strive to do this. We offer childcare (Mini Methodists), Youth Connection, Sunday School classes, men’s ministry, women’s ministry, international mission trips, study the Catechism, preach

Pastor Lauren, a skeptical ex-cop, compares her evidence-gathering to John’s Gospel, written to prove Jesus’ resurrection. Thomas’ doubt turned to faith after seeing Jesus, inspiring bold witness. Austin GMC teaches all face Jesus’ judgment. Pray for our El Salvador mission team. Bring doubts to Jesus and believe!

He is risen!!! Jesus Christ is alive and this good news has changed our lives. Now we have been given to the sacred task to “go and tell” of the empty tomb. Holy Week has come to completion. We worshipped King Jesus on Palm Sunday. We challenged ourselves to take on the form of a servant and love one another like Jesus did on Maundy Thursday. We found ourselves at the foot of the cross with nails in our hands on Good Friday. It was not just “for” us that Jesus died but becaus

“Hosanna! Lord, save us! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD, we bless you.” These words from Psalm 118 were sung to Jesus over 2000 years ago and we shouted them again on this blessed Palm Sunday. Our lives, not just on Palm Sunday, should be characterized by worship. Are we people who can worship Jesus in the waiting, in our doubts, and even in our seasons of disappointment? I pray that we can fix our eyes on the King and worship Jesu

When I was in college, I had a short-lived career as a waitress. I learned quickly that the food service industry was not for me. “You didn’t want tomatoes? Okay, pick them off then,” said younger Lauren. Thank goodness for future sanctification and a deeper understanding of the importance of having a servant’s heart. To be a servant, one must humble themselves and look after the needs of others, as unto the Lord. Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, was a great example of

Fifteen years ago, we experienced a miracle in my family. Our oldest son was born with a cleft palate. The experts said it would require several surgeries. With great disappointment, my son had an unsuccessful reconstructive surgery at six month old. The doctor explained they were only able to realign some muscles but were not able to fix the hole in the roof of his mouth. We were so disappointed but we began to pray. What else could we do? Two weeks later, the surgery was he

Am I a Giver? This is the question we contemplated this week as we journeyed with Jesus in John 6 in the familiar story of the loaves and fishes. A little lunch was given that day and a big miracle came out of it. Thousands were fed. Would we be willing to give what we have to see others satisfied with Jesus? After all, Jesus is the Bread of Life. We should not keep this wonderful knowledge to ourselves. This week we meditated on question number 12 of the Global Methodist Chu

Lent is a time to prepare our hearts for the journey to the cross and the empty grave. Lent is also a time to turn the mirror of faith on ourselves and ask, “Am I a disciple? Am I a witness?” I pray that you have been inspired to follow Jesus more closely and to share your testimony with others so they may know the Living Word. This week we meditated on question number 11 of the Global Methodist Church Catechism: “How did the Son become human?” Our answer at Austin Global Met

The Lenten season has begun. Lent is an opportunity to prepare our hearts as we journey to the cross and the empty grave. This Lenten season we will be reading through the Book of John and asking ourselves, “What would I give up and what would I take on for a closer walk with Jesus.” Be sure to follow along with your church family as we journey through the Book of John. Here’s the devotional link: https://www.austinglobalmethodist.org/_files/ugd/f1ee81_a4050dd4b4184e5bbf426a2

This Sunday, we had a special guest preacher, Rev. B.J. Rogers, from Partners in Hope. He encouraged our mission-minded congregation to live out the sacraments and take on the servant mindset of Jesus. Pastor Emeritus, Rev. Tom Deviney, helped lead the service and communion in Rev. Lauren’s absence. It was strange for Pastor Lauren to not be in service but we are blessed to have technology available to watch from home in travel and sickness. This week we also meditated on que

Can I get a witness? It was a wonderful time at Annual Awakening at Coker Methodist Church in San Antonio. Twenty people were ordained, a new partnership with the Global Methodist Church in Rwanda began, we heard a wonderful report from our brothers from Bulgaria, our Lay Leader was called to share his testimony of God’s faithfulness in his life and at Austin GMC, and Pastor Lauren did two prayer workshops. We were left with the challenge to go and be witnesses to the uttermo

This Sunday, we read perhaps the most important prophetic chapter of the Old Testament: Isaiah 53. In this chapter, we learn so much about who the Promised One would be. He would not be especially majestic but rather a man well acquainted with sorrows. He would be the Suffering Servant. He would be pierced, bruised, punished, and striped for us. Like a Lamb, he would lay down his life but after his suffering, see the light of life again. Who else fulfills this but Jesus? This