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God wants us to know him. He is more than a judge and more than rules. The incarnation shows us that the same God who will judge the world is also full of life-giving truth and grace. In Jesus, who is both one with the Father and the Son, God became flesh and dwelt among us; then he died to save us. And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

Reading for December 4: John 1:1-13

Reflection: Man's Response to the Incarnation Shows Us Our Need for it.

Our first advent reflection took us back to the beginning, or at least near the beginning, of our story. We considered the events in the Garden that brought the curse on man and on the rest of creation, and we heard God’s first gospel promise. Today’s reading takes us back even further, to the edge of time itself. These few verses are a profound mixture of majesty and mystery, of surprise and hope. Instead of introducing us to the babe…

After the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, Peter spoke of God's plan for history and its accomplishment through his son Jesus. With Christmas approaching, this reminds us where the babe in a manger that we are soon to celebrate was always destined: glorious king, seated on the throne, all things in increasing subjection to him, until he delivers the kingdom to the Father.

To know the glory of God and treasure Him above all things is what we were made for, but from the beginning we fell grievously short, treasuring created things above God. But God sent His son to be born for us; to be tempted, suffer, and die for us, bearing the weight of our sin and the punishment we deserved. And when the day of judment is done, those who are in Christ will live forever where the streets shine with the glory of the Lamb—because that very Lamb, once a babe in Bethlehem, has saved us.

As those who share in the sin and death of Adam, we ought to sing God's praises without end because he has provided salvation in Jesus Christ whom Paul calls "the last Adam" (1 Cor. 15:45). All that is destroyed in the Garden is redeemed in Jesus Christ. He is the great Answer to the greatest of all problems.

For the Advent season this year we are doing something special. First, we are providing a set of Bible readings to go along with each day of Advent (December 1-25). Second, someone from the church will be providing a reflection on each day's reading. Our intention is to have these posted first thing each morning, maybe even the night before if things go extremely well. Here are the readings and authors for each day of Advent.

In case you hadn't noticed, the Christmas season is here. Today is Black Friday, and I'm just about to head out for some shopping. We all have about twenty-seven parties scheduled in the next thirty days, and in stores and homes in that same period we'll hear about a thousand different versions of Carol of the Bells. I don't write this as a Scrooge. I love Christmas. But what I love above all the family traditions and celebrations is the Event at the center of it all: The Advent of the Messiah.

If it’s true that grief leaves you with a limp, then we must have been quite a disabled crew. Each Monday for thirteen weeks, we trudged in from the cold to pray, listen, and process the reality of our unique losses, ranging from the natural (and still devastating) loss of mothers and fathers, to the tragic and sudden loss of young life. But if you had peeked in the window at 401 Upchurch St. those evenings, you wouldn’t have only seen tears.

I want to make sure that everyone is aware of a relatively new resource that is available in the church bookstore. There is a section on the wall opposite the checkout desk that is now serving as our library. These books are available to church members to checkout and take home at no charge. The selection is rather modest, for now, but there are some great books available, and Lord willing the selection will grow over time.

Several couples from church attended the tenth annual Hand of Hope fundraising banquet on November 5. Close to 300 people attended the dinner in support of Hand of Hope's ministry. Pam Tebow served as the banquet's guest speaker this year, and the evening was filled with encouraging stories from Pam and several Hand of Hope volunteers and clients of God's power and mercy and goodness working through the prayers and activity of his people.