Lakeside Community Presbyterian Church

As we come to the middle of our Advent preparations, I want to leave a poem for you to read on what we might bring to the baby Jesus. The bitter-sweet poem (which is also a favorite hymn of mine and of the broader church) reminds us that the best gift that we can give to Jesus is our heart. May this poem help you in your Christmas preparations to remember the true meaning of Christmas. (If you want, you can listen to the hymn here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBCYZ9jIJkI)

In the Bleak Mid-Winter
Christina Rossetti

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan;
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty —
Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom Cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk

This Sunday marks the second Sunday of Advent, which for the Christian church is a time of waiting and preparation for the arrival of the birth of Jesus.

During this coming Sunday’s sermon, we are preparing for the birth of Jesus by looking at different people of the Christmas story whose lives were disrupted because of His arrival.

On the first Sunday of Advent, we looked at Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and how his life was disrupted when the angel Gabriel visited him while he was performing his priestly duties in the Temple.

This week we are looking at Joseph, the step-father of Jesus, and seeing how his life was disrupted by the birth of Jesus. So, bring your Bibles and open your hearts to hear the Christmas story in a slightly “disrupted” way.

Hope to see you this Sunday.

This Sunday will mark the first week of Advent which is a time to prepare for the “arrival” of Jesus and the celebration of His birth on Christmas.

Advent (which has its root meaning from the Latin word adventus which means “coming”) is a part of the Christian church calendar. The season of Advent is an invitation for us to grow closer to God, so as you prepare for your Christmas celebrations and Christmas gift giving, consider taking time to prepare spiritually for Christ’s arrival as a babe but also prepare for His second coming and the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom here on earth, as it is in heaven.

One of the ways that I do this preparation each year is by subscribing to the daily devotional from Biola University’s Center for Christianity Culture and the Arts (Here is the link to the CCCA Advent Project devotionals to subscribe and have it delivered to your in box: https://ccca.biola.edu/events/2023/dec/2/advent-project-2023-online-devotional-series/ )  These devotionals, (which include scripture readings, poetry, art, and music) are one way that we can prepare for Christ’s coming. Let me invite you to make this devotional a part of your Advent preparations.

Hope to see you on Sunday.