What is your favorite aspect of the holiday season?
Is it seeing the Christmas lights as you drive around Denver?
It is putting up the tree in your living room?
Is it snuggling in front of the fireplace to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie?
There is so much to enjoy this time of year.
Personally, one of the things I enjoy most is gathering to worship in our beautifully decorated sanctuary. There is something so special in being surrounded by the hand painted nativity scene (by our very own Carleen Prue!), the vibrant reds of the poinsettias scattered around the room, the luminous Christmon tree perched to the right.
As if the setting wasn’t beautiful enough, I love the songs from this time of year too. The lyrics are so powerful as they display the hope that is present in the world because of Jesus. For example, we sang O Come, O Come Emmanuel this past Sunday. Spend a bit of time with the opening verse:
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Place yourself in the position of Israel— feeling captive, in lonely exile. Surely there have been times in your life you have felt lonely or forgotten. But all of that changes when the Son of God appears. Then the exile turns into rejoicing!
Or consider the opening lines of a song we will sing this coming Sunday: O Come All Ye Faithful.
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem
O come and behold Him, born the King of Angels
The faithful are being called to gather together this advent season in joy and triumph. That includes us, the church! We are gathering with joy in our hearts on Sunday mornings together.
Why? Why are we gathering?
To behold the Christ child.
Behold means to gaze upon something especially remarkable or impressive.
When you come to worship on Sunday, you will be gazing upon something truly remarkable— God has come into our world. In all of the hustle and bustle of this season, slow down and behold our savior. Take time to truly contemplate the incredible news.
Calling all the faithful! It is time to gather and behold our king.
What an amazing time of year. What a joyous celebration.
Pastor Dana will be preaching this Sunday on the topic of hope. We will also celebrate the sacrament of communion.
Also, we have three more Wednesday Night Dinners before taking a winter break— Nov. 30, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14. Join us in the Fellowship Hall on Wednesdays at 5:45 pm.
See you on Sunday!
—Pastor David
