O come, O come, Emmanuel

This Sunday we enter the season of Advent, that time of anticipation and expectation when we watch and wait for the birth of the Christ child.

Perhaps now more than any year in recent times, we need Advent. We are living in a world that seems to be situated atop shifting sand. The economy is weakening rapidly. We hear of wars and rumors of wars. And many people are unsure of what the future holds for them.

I reflect on the importance of Advent in my new UM Reporter column, "Advent message needed amid 21st-century fears." At this time of the year, we have the opportunity to pause and reflect on the wonder and mystery of the Incarnation. I think at times we tend to be overly-sentimental about the familiar story of Jesus' birth. While it is good for us to know this story in our very bones, it's also good for us to look afresh on what it means for God to come into the world in human form, so that we might be saved from this world of sin and death.

At my church this Sunday, we will light the first candle in the Advent wreath, sing the great Charles Wesley hymn, "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus," and remember anew the great promise of Christ's coming through the rich liturgy of the church.

He is coming. Hallelujah!