Advent & Christmas Greetings

Dear Brother’s and Sisters in Christ,
Advent is here once again. What a blessing it is to live in the light of Christ’s coming at Bethlehem and Holy Week, in joyful anticipation of His coming again to bring in the new creation He has won for us. With Advent comes our Advent Midweek Services. I wanted to let you know the theme for these Services this year.
 
There are different ways of looking at Advent. One way is to look at it as the season of God’s promises. God promises that He will send the Savior. In fulfillment, Jesus came at Bethlehem and will come again in glory on the Last Day. But just what is the nature of a promise? Answering this question will be the theme for the Advent Midweek Services. Specifically, this theme will look like this:

• Wednesday, December 1, 2021: “God Promises the Unexpected.” Whatever God promises regarding Jesus is not something that ordinarily happens. Thus, it should not be surprising when God promises something in Jesus that we would not otherwise expect to happen in the ordinary course of this world.
• Wednesday, December 8, 2021: “God Is Able to Do What He Promises.” God would not make a promise if He were not able to fulfill it. This teaches us to trust that “nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37) and that His purposes and plans for us—which are good—will prevail.
• Wednesday, December 15, 2021: “God Is Completely Committed.” God would not make a promise unless He was fully committed to it and fully intended to bring it to pass. This means that God is fully committed to us. Indeed, God is so fully committed to us in His promises that He invites us to count on His promises and hold Him to them. This is pure grace on God’s part.

I hope you have a wonderful Advent season as you prepare for the birth of the Son of God at Bethlehem in humility and grace. I also hope that you can find time to gather as Christ’s people on these Wednesdays, eat some good food together, and meditate on the nature of God’s promises to us in Jesus Christ, which as the Apostle Paul says are not “yes” and “no” but “yes” and “amen” to the glory of God (2 Cor. 1:19-20).
 
Blessings and peace to you in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, the Prince of Peace.
 
Pastor Westby