Good Sunday Morning,
You better watch out, You better not cry, You better not pout, I’m telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town . . . and so is someone else. Any idea who that might be? Got a thought already, really? OK, hold that thought, we’ll come back to that . . .
For all of you that are liturgical calendar challenged, we are smack dab (which is usually a good place to be) in the middle of Advent. Advent is a season of preparation. Theetymology of “advent” apparently comes from the Latin root, Adventus, which means ‘arrival’ through its root from the word “advenire” whereby ad – ‘to’ and venire – ‘come’. Advent is a period of spiritual preparation in which we make ourselves ready for the coming, or birth of our Lord, Jesus the Christ. But you knew that. You knew that because you have paid attention in the past; you listened and learned. And for that you get either an “at a boy” or an “at a girl” . . . your choice.
But perhaps what you didn’t know is that: (1) Advent does not always start on the same date. True, it always starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, it can begin as early as November 27 or as late as December 3 and (2) Hope has always been a predominant theme of Advent . . . the Israelites hoped for a Messiah to come . . . and Christ entered the world . . . and we too, should also be hopeful, for the arrival of Christ again into the world.
This time of year, it’s all too easy to blink, and then the next thing you know, it will be the end of December and you’ll realize that your opportunity for meaningful reflection has passed. Don’t let that happen to you. Be prepared for the arrival of Jesus and all that he brings. Be prepared for the reason for the season, not just the commercialized aspects of this time of year.
With that being said, and as we all move toward the end of 2020, I leave you with the words inscribed by our old buddy Tertius - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.. Romans 15:13
So, let’s try the song this way . . . You better watch out, You better not cry, You better not pout, I’m telling you why, Jesus the Christ is coming to town . . .
So, pour yourself a cup of coffee, sit back and relax, look in the mirror . . . ask yourself, am I prepared for Jesus? . . . and, if so, take solace . . and even it you are not ready, take solace in knowing that this is the day that the Lord has made; may you rejoice and be glad in it.
Jeff Bergstrom
P.S. Don’t forget your support for CLC, the community and the world by clicking here - https://clchr.ccbchurch.com/goto/giving.
P.P.S. What if the three wise men (or as one of CLC’s finest youth once said – the three wise guys) had an Amazon Prime membership?
