"O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadows put to flight.

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


Dear Friends:

Advent is the beginning of the church year. It is the season in the life of the church in which we express our longing for God to come among us.

The church year begins as the calendar year draws to a close and winter approaches. As the days become shorter and darkness falls, God comes to save us. I have always found this juxtaposition of the dawning light of Christ and a darkening world to heighten our awareness of both our need for redemption and our hope in the coming of Christ our Savior. The darkness that falls upon us can be seen this Advent in the continuing wars around the globe, the need for work and financial stability for many people we know, the hunger and insecurity that threatens so many, the conflicts within families and communities and the spiritual need, illness and personal problems that we face.

Christ comes in the midst of this darkness to bring the light of God to shine among us and within us. John said, "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." As God's people, we bear witness to the light. Christ comes as a child in Bethlehem; Christ comes in the Holy Spirit to abide with us; Christ shall come again at the end of history to reconcile all things unto himself. This Advent, Christ comes to bring peace to our troubled world, our wounded hearts and our broken relationships. May we open our eyes to see him. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel!

Yours in Christ,

Dr. Lewis F. Galloway
Senior Pastor