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Thursday, December 1, 2011

O come, O come, Emmanuel – A Prayer for the Future


Advent (from the Latin word adventus meaning "coming") is the season of looking forward and preparing for the coming of the “Babe of Bethlehem” with was called “Emmanuel” which means “God with Us”.  We adorn the church in blue as a symbol of hope, looking forward to the future.  This coming that we are looking for is not just the simple remembrance of that first Christmas morn that our savior entered the world; instead it is the second coming of Christ from heaven to bring life eternal to all believers and putting an end to all earthly strife. 
Right now looking forward in hope is difficult if we focus too much on the troubles of the world.  There is a lot of conflict in the political and economic realms, and it does not look like these conflicts are going to be resolved anytime soon.  The result of sin entering into the world was a broken world that is not able to find peace only sorrow.  As the church then we take up the blue banners of advent and stride forward knowing that even as we walk forward into great tribulation, we have the Lord of Life with us at all times.
This advent season’s theme uses the great hymn of advent “O come, O come, Emmanuel” and the Epistle lesson for each week and focusing on the church in prayer.  We renew our prayer for the one “God with Us” because this earthly life is too much for us to bear on our own.  Each week we will look at how God hears our prayers for Wisdom, our prayers for Life, and our Prayers for Answered Prayers.  We can pray all these things in confidence because Christ has already come and will come again.
God's Blessings,
Vicar Shupe

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