Worship Services & Sermons

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Fleming Rutledge writes, “Advent begins in the dark and moves towards the light.” Before we get to the lights and cheer of Christmas, we need to be honest about the darkness. We all feel it. As the sun sets early and rises later, we physically feel the darkness. But we also feel it relationally and emotionally, feeling the sadness of lost or fractured relationships or the loneliness of missing loved ones. The prophet Isaiah wrote at a time of great darkness. Israel had divided into two nations, only to be ruled by a mix of wicked and mediocre kings. Their enemies surrounded them and were a constant threat at the doorstep. And Isaiah had been called to the lonely, often hated work of a prophet, bringing messages of judgment no one wanted to hear. What does this have to do with Christmas, you might wonder? In the midst of this darkness, God spoke to Isaiah some amazing and beautiful promises for His people…promises of hope, future peace, great joy, and steadfast love. And these promises all point us toward one defining moment that would change the world forever; the birth of the Messiah, Jesus. This Advent, we’ll journey with Isaiah to see what He saw…that through the future birth of the Messiah, Immanuel, God would bring hope, peace, joy, and love to a world that was stuck in darkness.