Sunday, November 2, 2008

My Advent Seasons Begins Today

Advent is a season in which Christ's disciples prepare spiritually for the celebration of His Incarnation. When I was pastoring in North Carolina, I realized the necessity to begin my own Advent season early so that I could lead the Church into its collective celebrations for four Sundays preceding Christmas. While not pastoring at present, beginning to privately meditate upon the the love of God demonstrated by becoming a man is something I could not do without. Advent is seen by many Christians to be a church rite with origins in pagan religious ritual. Before Seminary, if I was aware of Advent at all, I considered it very little, if at all. One of my debts to Wesley Biblical Seminary was to broaden my horizons concerning Church worship. The two Christmas's that I pastored we had short Advent celebrations during the services. Those that participated in them had never celebrated Advent before and to them this new practice had deep meaning for them. This year's observance begins a two or three years project of meditating on all sixty some verses put into musical form by Handel in "The Messiah." Not only do I hope to to be enriched by this exercise, I also intend to produce new Christmas sermons that will appear here on this blog so you can celebrate along with me. Also to be shared with you will be observations on a book of sermons on Advent I read a few years ago.

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