Advent

Dear Weekly Readers!

God’s Peace!

Yesterday I used the text from Matthew 3, Verse 1-12, for the sermon in my home church.  In this text John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord!  What was the message of John the Baptist?  Repent.  The Lord is coming.  Is your heart prepared for His coming?  How is one made ready?  By Repentance!  There is nothing that we can do of our own that will prepare us.  We can act in whatever way we want, but nothing is acceptable, except that we acknowledge that we are sinful people, and we humble ourselves and turn toward our God in daily contrition and repentance!  Acts 2:38

 ³⁸ Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

God’s Word has all the answers!  We must read it, and believe it by faith!  Let us pray that God through His Holy Spirit would reveal it to each of our hearts.

Please enjoy the article below by Pastor Orval Wirkkala

 

Dearly beloved,

"For I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Genesis 3:15. Through the Promise given in the Garden of Eden after mankind fell into sin, God has revealed that He is for us.

We are now in the season of Advent, a word that means arrival or coming. It is a time of expectant waiting, a time of joy and of excitement.   And as we continue in this Advent season, and as we await the celebration of the first coming of Christ to His world, we experience a growing expectation, excitement and anticipation as we attend worship services, go caroling together, gather with family and friends, or read, meditate and pray over Advent and Christmas texts from Bible. There is a sense of excitement in the air, even in the dark winter nights of life, that our brighter day of joy is coming soon. Even though we have had many Christmas celebrations come and go, nevertheless each year it is as if it is the first one all over again.  For God is coming to be with us. (Isaiah 7:14)

Isaiah by faith 700 years before Christ, was able to peer into the future of the effects of the first coming of Christ, for he spoke of being able to draw water out of the wells of salvation (12:3) and of how the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35:10) For God not only is for us, but He came to be with us so that He might be in us.

Having experienced the forgiveness of sins through Christ's atonement through faith, we live under the covering of Christ's righteousness and through His indwelling Spirit we belong to Christ alone.  Because we are His, our desire is to follow Him......so then watching and praying is a natural outflow of our union with Him.  It is not a must, a have to, but I want to and I will.......

We are like a child awaiting the day when they will be able to open their Christmas gift, that sits under the tree and which has their name on it.  We are waiting and longing, waiting and longing......

May we have a blessed Advent season and a Merry Christmas!

Pastor Orval Wirkkala