This weekend, we enter a new church year with the season of Advent and begin the yearly cycle of going through the promise of our Lord’s coming, His birth, perfect life, sacrificial death, glorious resurrection, ascension, outpouring of His Spirit, and promise to come again. During our school chapel service on November 29, I shared a slide which simply said, “Happiness is re-reading a favorite book.” For us who are followers of Jesus, the Bible is our favorite book. We never grow tired of the same family stories. What is more, the Holy Spirit has a wondrous way of helping us to appreciate something new each time we hear them.

As we have been doing the past few years, our Gospel readings for the next few weekends will go through Luke’s account of Gabriel coming to Zechariah, then to Mary, and finally Mary visiting Elizabeth and the two expectant mothers rejoicing in what the Lord is doing (a perfect reading for the Third Sunday in Advent as the pink candle of joy is lit on the wreath). We will again have special Family Advent Worship Services in the Boettcher Center on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm. Our school children will help tell the story of the best Christmas gift ever. We will sit around tables, as we might in our homes, listen to the story, pray together, and have a special interactive teaching time. (Christmas cookies may be involved as well.) Beginning on Monday, December 4, special Advent devotions will be available on our YouTube channel, offering a great opportunity for us as a family in our various locations to be unified around the Word and in prayer. Please take a few minutes Monday-Friday in Advent for time together celebrating our family story.

So why is there such a special emphasis during Advent on all these special opportunities for time in the Word? “Advent” means “to come.” We look forward to celebrating the birth of the One who once came born of the Virgin, who comes to us now through Word and Sacrament, and who will come again as Judge of the living and the dead. Think about the loving preparation of the Father in sending His Son at just the right time to be our Savior. Through our worship and time in the Word the Holy Spirit works in us a growing appreciation and love for Him who first loved us.

The advent of our King Our prayers must now employ, And we must hymns of welcome sing In strains of holy joy. O Zion’s daughter, rise To meet your lowly King, Nor let your faithless heart despise The peace He comes to bring. (Lutheran Service Book #331, vv. 1 and 3)