What is Advent?

I love this time of year; things are festive, people are joyful as they get back into church, songs are sung and hearts are merry. This Sunday kicks-off the season of Advent at FBC. What is Advent? Advent is a season observed in many Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas. It involves, readings, candle lightings and singing! For the next 4 Sundays, leading up to Christmas, we will take time in our service to prepare our hearts for the expected arrival of our King.....Jesus.

On this first Sunday of Advent, we will light the prophecy or hope candle. This candle reminds us of the hope that was provided from ages past, concerning the coming of Christ, the Messiah, who would soon arrive to give hope and provide salvation to a lost and hurting world. As you begin to prepare the way for the arrival of Jesus, I want to encourage you to read Psalm 62:5, Isaiah 9:2-7, Ephesians 1:12 and Luke 3:2-16. Spend some time over the next two days preparing your hearts and minds for the gift of God's Son, our Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

This Sunday also begins a week of prayer for international missions. While some will go, many will give, all must pray for the missionaries who have committed their lives to spreading the hope of Jesus to a lost and dying world. Why pray? In order to answer this question, we must understand that prayer is not just some ritualistic or mechanical exercise that we try to do every day. David Platt, President of the International Mission Board, said this about prayer, "God has ordained our prayer as a means to accomplish His purpose in the world. We've got to be aware that our praying for boldness for missionaries is actually going to affect whether or not they have boldness. When we pray, God works." Let's commit ourselves to being a part of God at work in our world.

See you Sunday.

Pastor Doug