Advent
From the Pastor’s Desk:
Advent
December 1st begins the Season of Advent. Advent means ‘to come.’ It is the time of year when we focus upon the coming of Jesus in two ways. This dual focus is upon the Second Coming of Jesus and preparing to celebrate again when Jesus first came to us in his birth. The Advent Wreath, the Christmas decorations, the hymns—all help us to prepare for and celebrate the coming of Jesus.
This year for Advent, I am planning on doing something a little bit differently. Rather than the lectionary, I am going to use a special series during Advent called ‘The Word made Flesh.’ The overall focus is based upon John 1:14 that states: ‘And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the Father’s only son, full of grace and truth.’ The series reminds us that Jesus came to us in the flesh and revealed his divine nature to us through the description of physical substances we experience on earth. Throughout the Season of Advent, we will be examining some of the physical substances we hear about in the scriptures. Below is an outline of the series:
December 1st: Bread of Life—Jesus is born in Bethlehem, the House of Bread, to nourish and strengthen us in our faith and feed us with his Word of truth to fill our lives.
December 8th: Salt of the Earth—Jesus calls us to flavor the earth and to savor the good things that come from him through his birth.
December 15th: Rock of Ages—Jesus is our rock, a solid foundation on which to build a life of joy.
December 22nd: Light of the World—Jesus brightens our lives through his birth, dispelling the darkness of sin to bring forgiveness to light.
December 24th: Born in a Manger—we celebrate and ponder the humble birth of Jesus as he rests in a manger of straw, though he is the Son of God. Jesus is the Word Made Flesh who is God with Us. {This service will be a candlelight service in the chapel at 8:30 PM.}
December 25th: Crowned with Glory—we rejoice that the little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay is our King of Kings forevermore. The Word made Flesh reigns over heaven and earth, and we are loved and forgiven members of the Kingdom of God to life everlasting. {This service will be on Christmas morning in the sanctuary at 9:00 AM.}
Join us this Advent Season as we explore the biblical background and impact of the earthly substances of bread, salt, rock and light. As we welcome the Baby Jesus during this season, our understanding of who he is and what he had done for us will undoubtedly expand through the study of these four earthly substances.
The truths of Christ as our provider, preserver, protector and pathfinder will be revealed, as well as many other characteristics of our Savior, which in turn will make our celebration of his birth in Bethlehem on Christmas even richer and more tangible for us and our faith. God bless you in this season of preparing for the coming of Jesus.