The First Sunday in Advent

REFLECTION

This coming Lord’s Day will be the first Sunday in Advent. The season of Advent doesn’t actually include Christmas Day but leads us to it and so Advent is an entire season of waiting. As the expectation and anticipation of Advent builds, each Sunday we will light candles and read scripture that lead us to the commemoration of that glorious, and even scandalous, event wherein our Redeemer left His heavenly throne and all that was His.

The words of Phil. 2:6-8 lay it out perfectly: “6…though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

FIRST CANDLE OF ADVENT :: Prophecy

The first candle we light is called the “Prophecy Candle”. It symbolizes faith in God keeping his promises to humanity to send a Redeemer and rescue His people. God is faithful an our hope comes from God!

Matthew 1:22–23 says it this way: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (ESV)

WORSHIP IN SONG

O COME, O COME EMMANUEL

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel, shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heavenly home
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery

GOD CALLING US TO WORSHIP AND GIVING US HOPE :: Isaiah 7:14

[14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (ESV)

GOD’S WORD PREACHED :: Matthew 1:18-25

[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. [19] And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. [20] But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: [23] “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”(which means, God with us). [24] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, [25] but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (ESV)