Words of Advent

Prepare! Watch! Wait! Rejoice! Hope! Love! These are the words of Advent. The four Sundays before Christmas help us prepare for the coming Messiah. Yes, the baby in the manger that we adore and for whom we sing our lullaby carols, but we also prepare for the day when Christ will come again, just as he promised. We watch now for signs of his coming. Just as God’s kingdom broke into the world when baby Jesus was born, God’s kingdom continues to break in with signs of life—forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, and hope.

Last month when tornadoes ravaged the Midwest yet again, one reporter said, “...