GFC Community,

Yesterday marked the beginning of a new season – and no, not the season of Christmas shopping, music, and movies… the season of Advent!

For those unfamiliar with the term, Advent is the name of the season, long recognized by many churches over the last two thousand years, dedicated to preparing our hearts to celebrate the coming of Christ at Christmas.

As the song Joy to the World puts it, “Let every heart prepare Him room.” That is the goal of Advent!

Here’s a question worth pondering today – what would it look like for you, amidst the hustle and bustle of the next several weeks, to make room in your heart for contemplating the incarnation of Jesus? For those interested, here is a link to a short video series by the Bible Project on the key themes of Advent that might help serve as a guide for your reflection.

As a church community, part of how we’re preparing our hearts is through continuing our teaching series, “Revealed,” about Jesus in the Old Testament. As Sally Lloyd Jones puts it in the Jesus Storybook Bible, “every story (in the Bible) whispers his name.” Don’t miss these next three weeks as we keep building towards the fullness of the revelation of God in the face of Christ. If you missed yesterday’s message, you can view it here.

I love what Rich Villodas says, “The Good News of Advent is not that we are faithful in our waiting, but that God is faithful in His coming.” Let’s meditate on that truth this week as we seek to prepare Him room.

Grace and Peace,

Matt

P.S. I can’t wait to celebrate the arrival of Jesus with you on Christmas Eve! We will be gathering onsite and online at 11 am, 4 pm, and 6 pm on December 24. For more details click here. No onsite services will be taking place on Sunday, December 25, but we will be sending out a Christmas message via email.