First Sunday of Advent

It’s the season of Advent! Being raised in the Reformed Episcopal Church, I grew up celebrating this holiday. It all started with the ancient Christian church. Back then, they celebrated Advent as a way of anticipating and spiritually preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus. And so, at my church we celebrate Advent by lighting candles on the Advent wreath and singing special hymns (Ken and I are scheduled to light the first candle this morning at church)! But what’s most interesting to me, are the Advent readings — like today’s from Jeremiah 33 that marks the First Sunday of Advent: “The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made … I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” I realize that not many churches follow the ancient Church calendar nowadays, but there are many ways you too can prepare your heart to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. And to get you started, I’ve put together wonderful radio messages that will help you stay focused on Jesus this coming December. Oh, and if you have children, don’t forget to request your free CD of children’s Christmas Carols and download this fun Advent activity from our Kids’ Corner. This Advent season, let’s cultivate hearts that proclaim, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”!