"Keep Christ in Christmas"
Dear Friends,
“Prepare the way, Emmanuel is coming! Will you be ready to greet our Lord and King?”
Those words remind us of what our focus should be on during the month of December. Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas, is a season of preparation – a time to focus on the reason for the season: Jesus Christ. In the midst of our busy lives, the season of Advent helps us to get ready to “greet our Lord and King.” The question you might have is how are we to prepare for the coming of Jesus once again this year? I came across this the other day:
Want to keep Christ in Christmas?
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the
the unwanted, care for the ill, love your enemies, and do unto others
as you would have done unto you.
You and I know how simple that is and how hard that is! That is why it is important to worship with your sisters and brothers in Christ on Sunday mornings and to participate, as you are able, in the life and fellowship of the church. Because to be involved in the church is to be challenged, supported, inspired, and loved by our fellow Christians as we, together, do our best to follow the One whose birth we celebrate this time of year: Jesus Christ.
To help us focus on the meaning of Christmas, I am pleased to invite you to participate with me in our Advent Study this year: Faithful: Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph, a new book by Adam Hamilton. This study will be offered on the Sundays of Advent following worship starting December 3rd. I hope you will join us as we look at Joseph’s place in the Nativity story containing valuable lessons for all of us.
Since Christmas Eve is on a Sunday this year, please note our worship schedule for the day. We will have our normal worship service and Sunday School at 10 am and one Christmas Eve candlelight service at 7 pm.
I hope to see you in church during the Advent and Christmas season as we prepare to come and worship the new born King, Christ the Lord!
Grace, Peace, and Love,
Pastor Bill
