A Message from Pastor Jon Anderson

Isaiah 40:3-“A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

As I’ve said before, when it comes to this time of year, the church and the wider culture have two different ideas about what season it is. In the wider culture, there is something called “the holiday season” that begins shortly after Halloween (or even earlier) and ends abruptly on New Year’s Day. In the church, we have the Advent season which begins 4 Sundays before Christmas and lasts until Christmas Eve; the Christmas season, which begins Christmas Eve and lasts until January 5th; and Epiphany, the celebration of the visit of the Magi, or wise men, which is January 6th. And this year, because February 2nd falls on a Sunday, this year we will briefly revisit Christmas with the celebration of the Presentation of our Lord, which falls on that day each year, but is normally celebrated only when it falls on Sunday. Now I’m no Scrooge-I love Christmas carols, Christmas trees, Christmas specials on TV, etc., as much as anyone, so I’m not against the world’s “holiday season”. But I believe it’s important to also keep the liturgical seasons, beginning with Advent. The “holiday season” is about preparing our homes to celebrate Christmas with decorations and remembering our friends and families at Christmas with cards and gifts, but Advent is about preparing our hearts to welcome Christ, whenever and wherever we meet Him-not only in the manger on Christmas Eve, but in worship, in Word and Sacrament, and in our neighbors in need. Advent is the church’s way of reminding us what Christmas is all about-as nice as gifts and trees, decorations and holiday treats are, Advent reminds us that Christmas is about the coming of Christ, the greatest gift of all. I wish you all a blessed Advent and a very Merry Christmas.

Pastor Jon Anderson