A Word From Pastor Matthew

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"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; 

he is the Messiah, the Lord." (Luke 2:11, NIV)

Did you know that the Christmas season does not begin until the worship service on Christmas Eve? What the rest of our culture calls the Christmas season (the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) is the season of Advent for the Christian Church. The Christmas season runs for the 12 days between December 25th and January 6th, which explains the reason for the Christmas song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

The season of Advent is a time of preparation. During this time, we prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ. We remember when he came to Earth that first Christmas morning. And we anticipate the second coming of Jesus Christ when he comes again to usher in the new Jerusalem.

To help our church prepare for Christmas this year, I have prepared an Advent Devotional based upon the Christmas carol, "O Little Town of Bethlehem". This song was written in 1868 by Bishop Phillips Brooks, an Episcopal priest. He wrote the carol in response to his experience of visiting the town of Bethlehem during the Christmas season in 1865. 

As I was thinking about this carol and studying to preach sermons using it as a template, I became impressed by the imagery that it contains. The more I studied, the more I was drawn to the idea of putting together a daily devotional that members of the church could use to prepare to celebrate the Christmas season. 

The daily devotional will explore the images of the carol. Hopefully, it will allow us to discover the richness of the Advent season individually and collectively. And maybe it will help us to be open to the true meaning of Christmas. As the fourth verse ends the song:

O come to us, abide with us,

Our Lord Emmanuel!

In Christ!

Pastor Matthew

Print copies are available at the church. They will also be posted daily on our Facebook page and on the church website at yorktownchurch.org. The devotions began on Monday, November 27th and continue through Christmas Day, December 25th. It's not too late to start.