Volume 2 Issue 25

Advent is a season of four weeks including four Sundays. ‘Advent’ derives from the Latin ‘adventus,’ which means “coming.” The season proclaims the comings of the Christ—whose birth we prepare to celebrate once again, who comes continually in Word and Spirit, and whose return in final victory we anticipate. Each year Advent calls the community of faith to prepare for these comings; historically, the season was marked by fasts for preparation. Each Sunday of Advent has its distinctive theme: Christ’s coming in final victory (First Sunday), John the Baptist (Second and Third Sunday), and the events immediately preceding the birth of Jesus Christ (Fourth Sunday). (The United Methodist Book of Worship, 1992, The United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville)
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The above provides a traditional explanation for the season that starts today for those of the Christian faith. Those of you who are being so kind as to invite this ministry into your life once again know that one of its goals is to go beyond mere tradition by employing a dynamic combination of scripture, reason and experience as well. Therefore, even though the focus of this first Sunday of Advent is the Christ as our Hope, I pray that today’s sermon may shed new light on where such hope is to be discovered. My thanks to those of you who continue to share this ministry with others, and I remind those who may be visiting for the first time that hard copies of the weekly newsletter and sermon can be sent to those without Internet access; just e-mail the name and address for the recipient to me: RevMAH@aol.com
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I can only hope that your Thanksgiving holiday was as happy and wonderful as was ours; a most appropriate prelude to the coming season of Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All People. I’m looking forward to reading the beautiful and inspirational sentiments related to this time of year that many of you will be posting to the Bulletin Board. Join with me in the weeks to come as we prepare together for the birth of Christ anew into our world.
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Until next week…….Shalom!