Advent - A Light Shines in the Dark

The prelude to John's Gospel declares that Christ our Light has come, but sadly the world preferred darkness. However, to all who do receive him, the Lord gives new life as children of God. Advent is a time to receive the Light. It marks the start of the yearly Church calendar. It is a penitential season, like Lent, a natural time to take inventory of priorities and patterns, and it's a great time to renew your commitment to worship. Advent means "coming" from the Latin word adventus. Christ came once and has promised to return at some future date. Will we receive him with ready hearts? The four weeks of Advent focus on Jesus' future coming (Advent 1 & 2) and then his previous coming (Advent 3 & 4). The lectionary readings tie the themes of Advent together from the Old Testament and Psalms to the Epistles and Gospel passages. After all, the entire Bible is Christian Scripture and finds its fulfillment in Christ. We have created an Advent devotional that focuses on the various names for Jesus. Pick one up at the information kiosk this Sunday.