In a column written
for InterVarsity’s Online Pulpit website, pastor Craig Loscalzo talks about
the value of preaching on Advent themes. You can read the entire column at http://www.gospelcom.net/ivpress/churchlink/onlinepulpit/1996-11.php.
He observes:
“Advent comes
from a Latin word meaning ‘coming’ or ‘arrival,’ and marks the four Sundays
preceding Christmas as a time to prepare for celebrating Christ’s birth. Advent
is a season for Christians intentionally to remember their need for God to come
again in their lives. It is a time for us to express a desire for what God alone
can give. Advent is also a time for Christians to anticipate Christ’s second
coming. We look forward to that day and wait expectantly for Christ to come
again. In a culture that so commercializes and trivializes Christian holidays,
we need all the help we can get in preparing ourselves, our families, and our
congregations to celebrate Christmas authentically.”
View more sermon illustrations for inspiration for your next message.