O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!

There is a great deal of busyness and excitement for many in our world today, as people prepare for the time of Christmas. So many seem to be in a rush to get to Christmas. Christians, too, prepare for this glorious celebration, but we take the time to do it through the season of Advent.

The sacred season of Advent marks the beginning of a new Church Year, and leads us to the joyous Festival of Christmas. Advent is a Latin word meaning, “the coming”. In these days we remember the Lord who came through His lowly birth in Bethlehem. We remember the Lord who comes to us as we gather together in worship in His name. And we remember that He will come again in triumph as the Lord and Judge of all.

For God’s people, these are special days. We observe them as days of penitence and repentance, as we prepare our hearts to meet the coming Saviour–a sort of spiritual ‘house cleaning’, if you will. It is also a time to remember Jesus’ promise: that our redemption is drawing near. We celebrate and rejoice in God’s love and goodness to us.

In the hustle and bustle of the next few weeks, remember what is most important in this time of year–the birth of Jesus Christ.