Prepare the Way - Isaiah 9- Advent
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Story of Christmas Card
2008 - Cammy and I had been married for around 5-6 months
Mom sent out Christmas cards to friends and relatives - and on each of the cards was a series of pictures of our family.
One of the pictures was a picture of Cammy and me from our wedding day
- While putting together her card design on Shutterfly, Mom found a Christmas card template that had the first part of on it… it read: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…
Now, perhaps your average person would get that card - and they would observe the nice pictures, read the little note that mom had included to update everyone on the happenings of the family, maybe put it on their fridge and go on with their day.
But there are some in the Prine family that are not your “average” person…
My aunt, who had received the Christmas card in the mail proceeded to pick up the phone and call my mom, leaving her a message of congratulations on the impending birth of the first grandson…
After a while of trying to figure it out, we realized that my aunt had read the words from Isaiah, and thought that the card was a Christmas card AND a baby announcement.
The worst part is that my mom never corrected her…
Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of year.
As a kid, my Christmas preparations began sometime in October, as I began building my wish list for Santa…
There were endless possibilities of things that I could ask for and the relentless Christmas advertising was just fuel for the fire.
Preparing for Christmas was all about looking forward to the gifts I was going to get.
Since I was saved, Christmas has taken on new meaning for me, and the preparation for Christmas has been something that I cherish deeply.
It is no longer about presents and time off, but rather about taking an extended period of time to ponder the fact that Jesus came to this earth in the first place.
The fullness of God, wrapped up in rags, laying on a bed of hay…
it’s a beautifully divine paradox of the King of Kings entering His creation in the most humble way possible.
But why?
So that He might know what it is like to be left out in the cold - forgotten… ignored.
Christmas time is about celebrating one of the greatest events in all of history.
Today marks the first day of Advent and we are starting a four week series titled “Prepare The Way” as we journey towards Christmas Day.
Perhaps many of you have not had an opportunity to celebrate Advent before, and maybe you have heard of Advent but do not really quite know what it is all about.
For those that don’t know, Advent is meant to be a time of preparing your heart for the celebration of Christ’s birth.
While we will be devoting our time on Sunday morning to Advent, there are things that you can do each day leading up to Christmas to prepare your hearts
Daily Advent readings.
Advent wreath with candles.
Activities with kids to help them understand the true meaning of Christmas.
But Advent is more than just looking back at something that happened in the past…
But Advent is more than just looking back…
It is about looking forward to, and longing for the return of Christ.
As we celebrate Advent, we look forward to, and long for the return of Christ.
The Lord promised that Jesus would one day return and put all things right - and so as we begin our advent season, I pray that you would be
Our prayer for you is that this series would be a part of what the Lord would use this Advent to help you to experience Christmas in a deeper more robust way.
We are starting our four week Advent series today as we
When I was a kid growing up, Christmas time was my favorite time of year.
My elementary school did a pop-up shop on campus, before pop-up shops were even a thing, and with money supplied by my parents, I bought them Christmas presents made from cheap plastic imported from China.
Houses would be decorated with Christmas lights and decorations - and we would drive through neighborhoods that were consuming megawatts of electricity to power their displays.
There was the eager expectation of some time off of school and no responsibilities.
And the most important thing in my life - presents!
My Christmas list would begin sometime in October and went through about 14 drafts before I finally submitted my proposal to Santa each year.
My parents were big into Santa - to the point that I remember my mom putting me and my brothers to bed while my dad was standing on the roof with bells in 30 degree weather.
My parents really played up the whole Santa thing - and I was convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that a large man in a red suit would be entering my house to leave presents for me.
This may have been due to the fact that there were Christmas Eves where my mom would put us to bed while my dad was out on the roof in 30 degree weather ringing bells.
He even went as far as to use his big boots to leave footprints in the carpet that we could examine and see where Santa had walked.
It was exhilarating to think about all of the things that I was going to get - and then on Christmas morning, ripping through the pile of gifts with abandon....
Background on the Text
Background on the Text
Open in Prayer
Open in Prayer
Today we are diving into one of the big OT prophecies about the birth of Jesus.
Pray for Advent season
They say that hindsight is 20/20, and so reading this, it is easy to say - well of course Isaiah was writing about Jesus!!
Ask the Lord to speak to us through me
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace… Yeah - It’s Jesus!
In fact, the entire book of Isaiah is completely filled with prophecies about the coming Messiah!
Pray for hearts to be awoken to the hope that they can find in Christ.
What we must keep in mind is that this was written some 700 years before Christ was even born.
The people of Israel did not have their own personal copies of the 66 books of the Bible, but rather were operating off of what they might hear read from the scrolls of the Law.
Getting into the Text
Getting into the Text
So in many respects, a message about a coming savior would have been a pretty crazy thing to hear and comprehend.
We are going to be in the book of Isaiah this morning, walking through
Who is this person that Isaiah is talking about and when is He coming??
Furthermore, things were upside down in Israel in Isaiah’s day.
We will walk through
This text is one of the more famous prophetic passages, talking about the coming of Christ.
Things were absolutely crazy!
To give you a bit of perspective here, Isaiah penned these words around 700 years before the birth of Christ
The people in Isaiah’s day would not see these promises fulfilled for generations.
Israel had split into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel and Judah - and they didn’t care much for one another.
They were looking forward, and we look back back towards a picture of God’s redemptive plan for the world
The Northern Kingdom had embraced the leadership of Jeroboam - thereby rejecting the kingly line of David.
I read passages like this and marvel at the fact that the Lord spent such a great deal of time in the OT pointing people towards the coming Christ.
Many of the people were rebellious and they had devoted themselves to making their own way, worshipping pagan gods, and had pretty much completely lost any faith or trust in the Lord.
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During the time of the earlier chapters of Isaiah (where we will be today), the Northern Kingdom was facing constant Assyrian threat of invasion.
By the end of the book, many in Israel had been taken away into exile and captivity.
There were many that were longing for a word from the Lord - is He still moving, does He still see His people, can He do anything about their situation?
It makes sense that the Lord would use someone like Isaiah to bring news of hope for people who were in desperate need.
But we cannot forget that this message of hope was still so far from being realized.
It would be another 700 years before this promise of a savior - the birth of the Messiah - would be realized.
Keep in mind, things only continue to deteriorate for the people living during Isaiah’s time.
I am not sure people were as impatient back then as we are today, but that is a LONG time to wait for a promise to be realized.
We don’t do well with this do we?
If we order a pizza from Domino’s Pizza, we click the button on our stopwatch and if that delivery dude is 30 seconds late - we want our $9.95 for our larger pepperoni pizza back!
If I promise my kids that we will watch a movie sometime soon, its no more than a few minutes before they are asking if it is time yet…
So as we walk through the text today,
So with as we walk through the text today, I want you to keep in mind, the Lord makes this big promise of a savior who is coming - the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace - but things only go further downhill for the people during Isaiah’s time.
What are the huge truths that we can draw from this text that will deepen our devotion to the Lord this Advent season?
What are the huge truths that we can draw from this text that will deepen our devotion to the Lord this Advent season?
1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
Point #1 - The Lord’s Dwelling Place is in our Struggle (vv. 1-2)
Point #1 - The Lord’s Dwelling Place is in our Struggle (vv. 1-2)
The text starts off with this cryptic message about these two lands - Zebulun and Naphtali who are in gloom, anguish and contempt.
Almost immediately, the text starts off with this cryptic message about these two lands - Zebulun and Naphtali who are in gloom, anguish and contempt.
Zebulun and Naphtali were mentioned intentionally…
Zebulun and Naphtali were mentioned intentionally…
Both of these tribes were in the Northern Kingdom.
They had split from the tribes in the Southern Kingdom and both kingdoms were walking in rebellion against the Lord.
Many of the people at the time were suffering and in need of a savior…
So why were Zebulun and Naphtali singled out?
They were two of the twelve tribes of Israel - descendants of the sons of Jacob.
To answer that, I want to dig into the meanings of their names.
Zebulun = Dwelling Place
Naphtali = My struggle
You might remember, when we were walking through Genesis, and Matt Ullrich was preaching thru , Naphtali was the one that Jacob called a doe - or a female deer.
The Lord singled these two out, because their names give away the Lord’s plan for entering into people’s lives...
Weird thing to think about during Christmas time -
The Lord’s plan for His people, was to move into their greatest place of need - into their struggle.
Point #1 - The Lord’s Dwelling Place is in our Struggle (vv. 1-2)
Point #1 - The Lord’s Dwelling Place is in our Struggle (vv. 1-2)
I know… this is a strange point for a Christmas message… hang with me for a few
When we think about Christmas, we need to not just think about the joy of the season… there is a flip side to this coin!
Christmas is the story of the Lord making His dwelling place in my struggle.
I think that we have largely sanitized the Christmas story.
We have this picture of Mary and Joseph calmly bringing this baby into the world while animals watch quietly…
The reality is that Jesus was born into utter squalor and poverty.
This is the hope of Christmas, and the thing that makes Christmas so unbelievably special - that the Lord sent Jesus not to address the parts of our hearts that we deem to be relatively “put together” but rather the parts that are desperately in need!
Mary placed Him in an animals feeding trough because no one would bother to let a laboring pregnant woman and her husband take their room.
Christ was born as an outcast and rejected - which prepared Him to go after those who were themselves outcast and rejected.
The Christmas story begins with struggle and starts a path towards a brutal death…
The Baby Jesus, lying in a dirty, dusty, dank manger rested in the shadow of a bloody rugged cross.
Before you get depressed about that, this is the very hope of Christmas - and the reason for us to be overcome with joy!
Jesus wasn’t born for the best parts of you that you can muster up… He was born for the worst parts!
And, it was His JOY to do so - according to
He modeled what His intentions were in our lives by how He entered this world - not coming as a king might, but rather as a peasant.
He sees the worst part of you and He lovingly but powerfully drops His bags there!
We must reject this cookie cutter Christianity that tells us that we need to have all our stuff in order when we come to the Lord.
Because He
We must refuse to present ourselves to the Lord as being pretty good - as if He is going to be the icing on our proverbial cake.
No, we are wretched, broken, dead!
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
The thing that blows my mind is that a just, holy, perfect, pure, all powerful and eternal God would even think about handling the rotting corpse that we are - and not just handle but breathe HIS life into - making us alive together with Him!
Sometimes an overpowering voice tells me that I can never let Him into that part of my heart…
“It’s too wicked. It’s too dirty. It’s too shameful. What has been done to me was too awful.”
“If I let Him have the key to that room, He will surely be disgusted and leave me...”
Jesus wasn’t born for the best parts of you that you can muster up… He was born for the worst parts.
And, it was His JOY to do so - according to
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Application point
Application point
See Jesus as He is!!
Refuse to celebrate Christmas with a sanitized Jesus who only wants to be at your Christmas party after you have cleaned up your house and prepared a feast for your guests…
Reflect on the dirty closets of your soul… the hidden places… the things that you think that you will never be free of and remember that is precisely where the Lord intends to dig in His heels.
If you have only given Jesus access to the parts of your heart that are well kept, then you will miss out on the fullness of what the Lord has to offer.
Lord, I am more broken than I could possibly verbalize, but You love me more than I could possibly know (in spite of those things).
Seek to know His love experientially rather than theoretically.
He removes the shame.
And He doesn’t love you any less because of that sin and shame.
In fact, as you allow Him to do this, you come to more fully know His love experientially.
If you experience Advent like this, then you are experiencing a fuller picture of God’s grace this Christmas.
Let’s look at vv. 3-5
3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
They were both part of the Northern Kingdom - just West/Southwest of the Sea of Galilee.
Both of them had disobeyed the Lord when He instructed them to remove the Canaanites who were dwelling in the land.
Instead, they saw an opportunity to turn the Canaanites into indentured servants.
The result was that the nations had become largely filled with “gentiles” or non-Jewish people and the people had become corrupt, embracing foreign gods and rejecting the Lord.
So they have found themselves in this really difficult spot - in need of the Lord’s rescue - and they had become so hardened that they didn’t even know how badly they needed Him.
It is interesting that Isaiah writes as though these things have already happened!
What does this mean for us?
How does this impact how we see the future reign and rule of Christ in the world and our lives?
Did you see this incredible shift in the tone of the passage?
So we have these two tribes, Zebulun and Naphtali who are in gloom, anguish, and contempt and there is this incredible shift in the tone of the passage…
God has multiplied the nation and increased its joy… They rejoice over a harvest… They have had the yoke of their burden broken and their oppressor has been stripped of their power.
Notice the past tense that we are seeing in this passage…
notice the past tense here…
God has multiplied the nation and increased its joy… They rejoice over a harvest… They have had the yoke of their burden broken and their oppressor has been stripped of their power.
But none of this had happened for these two tribes…
Because none of this had happened for these two tribes…
In fact, quite the opposite - their darkness was not only still there, it was settling in deeply.
So whats going on here?
Isaiah was looking forward to a joy and harvest that was yet to come.
Point #2 - The Lord brings hope out of hopelessness (vv. 3-5)
Point #2 - The Lord brings hope out of hopelessness (vv. 3-5)
How does He do this?
There is an interesting reference here that compares what the Lord is going to do to a previous event “as on the day of Midian.”
The reference is to the story of Gideon in .
The reference is to the story of Gideon in .
Gideon is facing the army of Midian 135,000 warriors strong.
He has assimilated his own army of about 32,000 men, but don’t think Seal Team 6 type soldiers…
Think farmers with pitch-forks and teenagers with sticks - and they’re terrified…
The odds of an army with 32,000 against one of 135,000 aren’t good.
But the Lord says to Gideon - “whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.”
And immediately, 22,000 men run home - needing to change their undergarments...
Then the Lord tells Gideon to take the remaining 10,000 men down to a spring and watch them drink…
He tells Gideon to take the remaining 10,000 men down to a spring and watch them drink…
He then whittles the numbers to 300 men, based on how they drink.
This turned out to be only 300 of the 10,000 men remaining.
300 versus 135,000
Long story short, they circle the camp of Midian, smash jars, blow trumpets and wave torches and it sends Midian into a frenzy.
They begin killing one another and those that don’t die end up fleeing, only to be pursued by Israel and killed.
What’s the point?
This prophecy in is about the Lord overcoming seemingly impossible odds to win the victory.
Out of the hopelessness of despair, the Lord brings decisive victory, using unexpected means!
God’s people were under a yoke - carrying a heavy burden...
They were oppressed and dominated by their enemy - and the Lord speaks of this yoke as having already been broken and the rod already stripped from the hands of the oppressor.
Even though this would not
The story of Midian was an illustration of what the Lord’s plans were through the Messiah.
Isaiah uses the story of Midian as an illustration of what the Lord’s plans were through the Messiah.
This is the story of a baby born to take on the sin of the world.
The answer to the chasm that stood between humanity and the Lord would be found in a baby - born in poverty and complete obscurity.
What does it mean for us?
In human understanding you don’t send a baby to fight a seemingly un-winnable war… You throw everything that you can at it.
But that is not what the Lord did…
But the Lord’s wisdom confounds our own…
How does this speak to our own lives? What does it mean for us?
No longer would we be left to rely on ritual and sacrifice to present themselves as holy - which didn’t work anyway - but in Christ, they would rest in a final and complete sacrifice… One in which the blood of bulls and goats could never secure!
Our hope would be found in this baby who would live the life that I could not live and die the death that I deserve - all to purchase my freedom and give me access to the Lord.
How does this speak to our own lives? What does it mean for us?
It means that if we are in Christ, there is no darkness that is dark enough to extinguish His light and nothing that can overcome Him.
It means that His plans for us have been secured through the finished work of Jesus, and no matter how bad things get, the Lord is still in charge.
Application point
Application point
This enemy is more powerful than we could ever hope to be in our own strength.
The odds are a lot worse than 135,000 vs. 300…
In fact, our odds are hopeless.
Reflect on the fact that Jesus has won the war (even when you walk through days where it doesn’t feel like it… preach this over and over again to your soul!
But the answer to all of it is found in the birth of this Messiah!
We answer our most fierce enemy with the story of a child being born… the story of Jesus lying in a manger.
Application point
Application point
Reflect on the fact that Jesus has won the war (even when you walk through days where it doesn’t feel like it… preach this over and over again to your soul!
Remember
Remind yourself of the fact that this is an ongoing process for us.
Don’t forget that 700 years…
Remember that the victory that Christ has won doesn’t always free me from the struggle right now
Jesus was born, and it was 33 years before He endured the cross and then rose from the dead.
I am not sure why, but the victory that Christ has won doesn’t always immediately free me from the struggle right now.
The victory that Christ has won doesn’t always immediately free me from the struggle right now - and it is so that He can accomplish something that wouldn’t happen otherwise.
When it doesn't, it is always so that He can accomplish something in your heart.
There is a haunting yet hopeful verse…
So much of this life is about trusting that the Lord will set all things right - but there are some things that we will endure in the interim.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
What is this saying to us?
Don't be so eager to look for the exit door out of darkness that you miss the treasure that He has for you there…
Gospel transformation takes time, and hope may seem fleeting…
We will go through seasons of walking in victory and other seasons where we feel like we are being beaten every step of the way.
We may not immediately be freed from the sting of a sin, or the trauma of an event.
It is possible that we may even endure a lifetime of sorrow that is connected to the brutality of our enemy...
But there is a day coming where the sun will rise fully - eradicating our sorrow, leaving nothing but His glorious peace in our hearts.
We can have hope in this because of the fact that the Lord proved Himself to be faithful in how He sent Jesus.
The objects of war that were used against us will be burned as fuel for the fire and the only thing that will remain is the healing light of Christ.
Look at what He said about Jesus’ birth in vv.6-7
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Point #3 - We look back at Jesus’ birth to look forward to His Return (vv. 6-7)
Point #3 - We look back at Jesus’ birth to look forward to His Return (vv. 6-7)
For the people in Isaiah’s day, this would have been an incredible message to hear!
God is going to bring the answer to all of our needs!
He is sending a King who will be the perfect King who will be our Wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God, our Everlasting Father, and our Prince of Peace - and there will be no end to His reign!
The problem here is that generations would come and go, and the people would not even see the beginning of this promise fulfilled.
Generations would come and go, and the people would not even see the beginning of this promise fulfilled.
For us, we look back at what the Lord did - we clearly see Him talking about Jesus here.
At least we get to look back at what the Lord did - and they had only to speculate about what that life would be like when the Lord brought it to pass.
Point #3 - We look back at Jesus’ birth to look forward to His Return (vv. 6-7)
Point #3 - We look back at Jesus’ birth to look forward to His Return (vv. 6-7)
Check out all that we get to look back at!!
First - this promised child is the only hope…
Without this child being born - there is no salvation for the people of God.
He is the conduit by which gloom is lifted and joy poured out!
The child is the conduit by which gloom is lifted and joy poured out!
Second - this is a non-contributory arrangement for God’s people.
Second - this is a non-contributory arrangement for God’s people.
They do NOTHING to bring this about, they are simply benefactors.
The emphasis here is on what the Lord gives - not what the people do!
The emphasis here is on what the Lord gives - not what the people do!
Application
Third - He has assumed the burden of leadership and rule
in v. 4, Isaiah wrote that the yoke of the people’s burden and the staff for their shoulders was broken.
In v. 6, we find that the burden will be transferred from the people’s shoulders to HIS shoulders.
Fourth - His names reflect His character
Wonderful Counselor - He possesses wisdom and guidance that is greater than any that can be found elsewhere.
Mighty God - He is no mere human, but He is the God of all creation with us - Immanuel.
Everlasting Father - There will no end to His rule and He will never let His children down.
Prince of Peace - He is the one who will bring Shalom - peace - wholeness - to His people.
Fifth - His Kingdom has no end
The Lord’s reign will never stop.
In just two verses, Isaiah unpacks this incredibly huge picture of God’s redemptive plan for the world!
In just two verses, Isaiah unpacks this huge picture of God’s redemptive plan for the world!
additionally, we can put our own names in there...
Jesus is Matt’s only Hope… Matt does not contribute to Jesus’ work… Jesus has broken Matt’s yoke, and taken the burden on Himself!
Jesus given without
We look back at what he said here, and clearly see Jesus And His incredible work
This is reason to celebrate, and should be a major part of our celebration of Advent!
He came!
He did what He said He was going to do through the prophet Isaiah!
And we lift that up and rejoice that He is a God of His Word… because this means that there is something else for us to look forward to…
he kept His word back then and He will keep his word today!
We look back at Jesus’ birth to look forward to His return.
We look back at Jesus’ birth to look forward to His return.
Much like Israel during the time of Isaiah, we are waiting for Jesus’ arrival.
Much like Israel during the time of Isaiah, we are waiting for Jesus’ arrival.
The people of Israel were waiting for the one who would free them from the oppressive regimes that held them captive
we are waiting for the return of the one who will finally put an end to death and mourning and free us from the bondage of sin.
Remember what He has done, but look forward to what He is going to do - and do not lose heart, believer!!
Application
Application
We must fight against our flesh and the tendency to assume the Lord isn’t doing anything when things appear to remain the same!
We want the result of the promise without the grind of the road to get there.
Application
Application
He is working, no matter how dark and hopeless it seems to have become, He has not left you and will not abandon you.
Understand that Christmas
Closing
Closing
As we begin Advent today
Our prayer for you is that you would spend time celebrating well with your family and those around you.
Open presents
enjoy a great meal
sip hot chocolate
go look at Christmas lights
watch some awful hallmark movies
enjoy some age-old family traditions.
But please stay moored to the truth of WHY we celebrate Christmas at all…
Do not reduce Advent to a joy that is rooted in family, or tradition, or time off, or some fleeting feeling that will be gone by January 1st…
Celebrate Advent as the remembrance of the King of Kings who stepped humbly into human history and will come back spectacularly to set everything right.
In fact, if this is what Christmas is all about for you, it would be better that you not celebrate anything at all!
In fact, if this is what Christmas is all about for you, it would be better that you not celebrate anything at all!
Gifts will never accomplish what Jesus can in your life…
The message of Christmas is one of joy because Jesus has made is dwelling place in our sorrow. (point 1)
We cannot have the story of Christmas without the story of our pain.
The message of Christmas is that He can bring hope out of the hopelessness because He enters into it!! (point 2)
Do not forget that no matter the odds that you are facing, He is better!! (point 2)
There will be treasure for you to find in the darkness
There will be treasure for you to find in the darkness
The message of Christmas is about looking back at Jesus’ birth, SO THAT you can look forward to His return. (point 3)
Do you know Him
What is it that we look forward to?
And here is what He says:
Rev 21:
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
I intend to make this Christmas about longing for God like this, albeit imperfectly...
Longing for him to wipe away every tear
Longing for the removal of death, mourning, crying and pain
And KNOWING without a doubt that He will do it, because He said He was going to do it.
Do you know Him like that?
Have you ever surrendered your heart to the reign and rule of Christ?
If you haven’t ever done that, you can now.
We will have prayer team members available to talk with you about following Christ.
This Advent season could be a celebration not just of the fact that Jesus came into the world and will return, but that this would be the day/season that He would come into your heart.