Before Jesus, there was John the Baptist. He had a very strange ministry out in the country calling people to repentance and baptism. People said all kinds of strange things about him: he ate locusts and wild honey and wore clothes made of camel hair. There’s no question about it, he was a strange guy. Yet, God used him to prepare the way for Jesus.
John’s message was pretty simple: “Get ready because the Lord is coming.”
This is still the message of Advent. We take these four weeks to get ready.
Throughout Advent, we will learn from John the Baptist, the trailblazer who prepared the way for Jesus. I hope you’ll join us in worship each week at 9 or 10:30 am, and especially on Christmas Eve, as we prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus, not just as a baby, but as the King who is coming to make everything new. In the next few pages, you’ll also find weekly Advent devotionals by writers who are part of the Schweitzer community. I encourage you to discuss these with your family, friends, or small group.
The Advent season, including our Christmas Cantata and Christmas Eve services, is one of the best times to invite new people to church. In our sermon series, Prepare the Way, we will talk about being ready for Jesus. A key point of this series is that everyone is invited to come and experience the goodness of God found in Jesus Christ.
I can’t wait to share this season with you.
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service
has been completed, that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Isaiah 40:1-5
