Every family has some kind of traditions. Summer can mean camping and winter can mean skiing.  The whole world PA– USES on December 25.  Called selamat Natal in Indonesia or feliz Navidad for some.  We can see and notice and learn new things when we Pause. Dr. Jean Hess wrote a book to help us Pause for a few minutes during the six weeks prior to when many celebrate the arrival of Emmanuel. God with us, Jesus the Baby in the Manger.  For many there is a tradition of Pausing to meditate on this event – the arrival of Emmanuel on earth in Bethlehem.

Advent is a traditions of some churches and families. A time to intentionally pause and reflect and meditate on the fact that over 2000 years ago a baby was born who is famous.  Dr. Jean Hess is from Scotland and ordained in the Presbyterian Church.  But when she arrived in Colorado with her husband Rick Hess, she learned about a way to pause and pray and reflect on the coming of the Messiah to earth.  The book is titled JOURNEY TO THE MANGER WITH ST PATRICK AND FRIENDS – A six week Celtic ADVENT Devotional .  Now there may need to be a translation here for this title.

Advent was birthed in churches who evolve around a liturgy of seasons in our walk with God. You may have heard of lent which is prior to the crucifiction and resurrection of Christ. Advent is prior to the birth of Christ. There are prayers and scriptures to help us to meet with Jesus personally and have Him reveal new and old truths of who He is in our very lives, not in history but now.

Dr. Jean McLaughlin Hess will be speaking about her journey with Christ in personal stories and prayers for you and I to grow closer to Emmanuel.  Great book for families or small groups to snuggle up closer to the Baby in the Manger.  The broadcasts on www.1220kldc.com will air at 9:30 AM and Midnight MST and can be enjoyed around the world live.  Dr. Jean is co pastor of 316 Denver church – with her husband Dr. Rick Hess.

Dr. Jean McLachlan Hess

Jean is a native of Glasgow, Scotland. Her first career was in Business Management, followed by a fulfilling career as a stay at home mom. Jean was ordained by the Church of Scotland, and she has ministered nationally and internationally as a pastor and a speaker. Jean has spoken at general retreats, Spiritual Leadership retreats, workshops on Prayer and Spiritual Direction, and at many churches. She is a graduate of International Christian College and of Trinity College, Glasgow University. In 2007 she gained a Doctor of Ministry from Denver Seminary. Her project thesis was on Prayer, with an emphasis on physical and inner healing prayer. Jean has just completed a manuscript for a Devotional book that will be published in 2013. She will begin work on a second book early in the New Year.

Dr. Rick Hess

Rick teaches Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern languages at Denver Seminary. He earned a PhD from Hebrew Union College, an MDiv and a ThM from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a BA from Wheaton College. He has preached and taught at a variety of churches and universities in America, Great Britain, Korea, China and India, to name a few. Rick has published a dozen books, including commentaries and studies on the biblical books of Genesis, Leviticus, Joshua, and the Song of Solomon. At present, he is an editor for the New International Version Study Bible, and is also working on commentaries on the books of Genesis and Kings, an Introduction to the Old Testament, and the study of ancient Near Eastern texts related to the Old Testament.

Rick and Jean have two sons, two daughters in law, one daughter, one soon to be son in law, and five, almost six, grandchildren all of whom live in the Denver area.

You may think someone who is going to write about Advent and St Patrick might have been having a bit too much spiced wine.  Haha.  Well what a great time but now to learn some new things about the history and reality of other parts of the world beside USA for how we understand the Church around the world.   Dr. Jean Hess was on Going Deeper with God speaking about Celtic life regarding Evangelism. The podcast is available in archives of broadcasts.

Evangelism

The old saying that, “Christianity is more caught than taught” could very well be the banner statement for Celtic evangelism, as the Celtic model is based on helping people belong so that they can believe. John Finney, writing in his book, Recovering the Past: Celtic and Roman Mission, contrasts the Roman way of doing evangelism and mission and the Celtic way. Finney shows us this simple chart to highlight what he means:

Roman Model	Celtic Model
Presentation Decision Fellowship	Fellowship Ministry and Conversations Belief, Invitation to Commitment

Finney contends that the Celtic way is more effective with postmodern Western populations than the American evangelical Roman way. He states that:

“The Roman Model for reaching people says: 1) Present the Christian message; 2) Invite them to decide to believe in Christ and become Christians; and 3) If they decide positively, welcome them into the Church and its fellowship. The Roman model seems very logical to us because most American evangelicals are scripted by it! Presentation, Decision, Assimilation. Extremely logical.

The Celtic model for reaching people says: 1) you first establish community with people, or bring them into the fellowship, you engage in conversation, ministry, prayer, and worship. 3) In time, as they discover that they now believe, you invite them to baptism and discipleship.”

Finney reports that most people experience faith through relationships; that they encounter the Gospel through a community of faith; and that becoming a Christian involves a process that takes time.

The Celts lived a life of faith that showed those around them that Christ made a difference in their lives. The compassion and love of Christ was evident in their day-to-day living. Life was hard! Pain and suffering were all too often their reality, yet their lives were a witness and testimony to their God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). This ‘living’ testimony caused countless people to befriend them and then, in God’s perfect timing, become a follower of Jesus Christ.

The outreach and evangelism of 316 will have a strong Celtic flavor. We will always be ready to share our faith, but first and foremost we will seek to evangelize through Ceilidhs, Scottish and Irish culture events, and concerts.

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