From The pastor's Desk....December, 2006
By Hal Polk, BraceBeagling 
December 19, 2006

By the time you read this we'll be near the beginning of the season of Advent. This is, the time in which Christians celebrate the "advent" or coming of Jesus Christ.

It's a period rich with meaning for those who know who Jesus is and understand that He came to give His life as that sacrifice that would become the ground upon which our just and merciful God is willing and able to forgive the sins of those who seek Him and His mercy.

For those ignorant of these most important facts and for those who neglect them, then Advent is just a secular holiday, the joys and satisfactions of which relate only to time and not to eternity.

There's an Advent hymn I particularly enjoy, not for the richmess of its music or the depth of its poetry, but because it focuses attention on the central question of the season. It's first line is, "Who is He in yonder stall, at whose feet the shepherds fall?"

May the answer of our minds and hearts and celebrations be that of the hymn:

"'Tis the Lord ,O wondrous story! 'Tis the Lord, the King of Glory!
At His feet we humbly fall; crown Him, crown Him Lord of all!"