November 28, 2021

I know we are barely past Thanksgiving, but today is the first week of Advent. The season of Advent is a time for the church to reflect and prepare our hearts for the significance of the coming of Jesus. Too often Christmas sneaks up on us and the stress of all we have to do dominates our hearts and minds. Advent is an invitation to slow down and meditate on the meaning of Christmas.

During this season, we’ll be walking through four vignettes from the Gospel of Luke that surround Jesus’ coming, in a series we’re entitling The Greatness of Christmas. For those of you who would like to read along, here’s our schedule:

• November 28: “Great Expectations” (Luke 1:26–38)
• December 5: “Great Things” (Luke 1:39–56)
• December 12: “Great Joy” (Luke 2:1–20)
• December 26: “Great Light” (Luke 2:22–38)

Oh, and since we’re speaking of Christmas … remember to mark your calendars!

• Our Christmas Concert is December 12 at 6:00pm.
• Our Children’s Chorus Christmas Program, It All Happened in the Country, will be December 19 at 10:00am.
• Our Christmas Eve Service will be December 24 at 6:00pm.

You won’t want to miss these amazing opportunities to celebrate Christmas (and to invite a friend!). Christmas is a time when many people will come to church if you invite them. So let’s make the most of that opportunity!

Let’s pause and reflect on the wonder this Christmas! Jesus’ coming means we are loved, more than we know.