The joy and thanksgiving for God’s work in and through the Philippians makes this text an opportunity to express your pride and love for your congregation.
I regularly hear this phrase in my head and heart: Somebody has to tell them. Someone must speak this truth into their situation, and there are a lot of occasions when I wish it were not me.
The reality is Christ will come again with glory, to judge the living and the dead. We do our people and our communities no favor by hiding the truth of this coming Day.
Our waiting and longing for Christ’s return teaches us to long for real relationship with other believers, even when that relationship must be sustained at a distance.
Advent is something of a liturgical speed bump that slows us down lest we rush to Christmas but forget that the baby born in Bethlehem will return with glory and power to judge the living and the dead.
On this last week in the church year, we are to awaken our congregations to Christ's return and fix their drowsy eyes on the salvation promised by our glorious, crucified Lord.