Second Sunday of Advent: December 10, 2023

As the season of Advent begins, Christians turn toward the celebration of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. This year, our Advent theme is The Weary World Rejoices. It comes from a line in the beloved song O Holy Night. For a weary world weighed down by fear and anxiety and violence and sin, Christ’s birth signaled a time for rejoicing.But what does that mean for the weary world, now?That’s a question I’ve been asking myself as we prepare for this Advent season. I think the answer lies in the words just before and after… about the thrill of hope heralded by Christ’s arrival… for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. No matter our perspective on this time of year, for “people walking in darkness,” our hope for the coming Christ child carries us forward. We move into the night, trusting the dawn will come, and with it, a new day. There is no better time than Advent and Christmas to remember that in the midst of the weariness of the world, there is always cause to rejoice.-Pastor Daniel