The Advent Season is upon us. As far as the world is concerned, Advent, if acknowledged at all, is merely the run-up to Christmas. We see that when we look at most of the items marketed as "Advent Calendars." They start on December 1, whether that day is the beginning of Advent or not. This year is the exception - Advent does begin on December 1.

Advent is a season focused on preparation. It has the two comings of Jesus in view: that's why you'll hear preaching that looks at scriptures that lead up to Jesus' first coming as well as others that consider his expected second coming. John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for Jesus. His message was, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near!"  That's a message we still need to hear today. Sure, repentance isn't popular. The call to repentance wasn't popular a generation ago with the "I'm ok, you're ok" movement and it sure isn't now in an age of assertive self-righteousness. And yet it's the message we need to hear. Repentance isn't just something for "not yet" Christians; one of the key teachings of John Wesley was the role of repentance in the ordinary life of the Christian.  As we interact with grow in sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, we become increasingly aware of our need to turn from our sin and to the gracious God ready and willing to transform us into the image of Jesus.

The Advent and Christmas seasons (Christmas, as you know, is a twelve-day season that starts, not finishes, on December 25) are a great time to share Jesus with others. We can share a testimony of his work in our lives. We can practice generosity as we look for ways to meet the needs of others (we'll let you know of some opportunities here at church, others you'll discover as you go about life). We can invite people to join us as seek Jesus together.

Here are just a few of the events in December that will be great opportunities for inviting people:
> Chili Cookoff - After morning worship, December 15
> Children's Musical - 6 pm Sunday evening, December 15
> Christmas Eve Worship - 5 pm December 24
There's another event in December that focuses on Hardy's life and ministry, our annual Church Conference. At this meeting, 6:30 pm Monday, December 9th, we'll hear reports on the ministry of the church, vote on matters of leadership for 2025, and celebrate our connection with the Global Methodist Church. All members are invited to come and participate.

1 Corinthians 15:58
Rev. Richard Heyduck