Newsbrief: Advent!

I’m warning you in advance, it is going to sound funny when I say it this Sunday.

But I’m going to say it anyway. In fact, I’m going to practice right now. Are you ready? Here we go…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

See, it sounds funny, right? After all, we know that this Sunday is the last one in November, not the first day of January. So why would I start worship this coming Sunday morning by bellowing out, “Happy New Year!”

Well, it is because this coming Sunday is the start of a new year for us in the church. At least, it is a new year in our worship cycle.

You see, at FCC Scottsdale (like so many other churches) we follow the Liturgical Calendar which assigns certain church events to certain days and designates particular scripture readings for each Sunday service. With the Liturgical Calendar the church year doesn’t start with Christmas or Easter or Pentecost. The Liturgical Year doesn’t start with January 1 or the first day of School either. The Liturgical Calendar Year starts with the First Sunday of Advent -- the season of anticipation and expectation where we as a church prepare ourselves all over again to welcome Christ into our hearts and into our world. And this coming Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent!

We’ll spend the next four Sundays preparing ourselves for the miracle of Christmas. We’ll celebrate the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. And it all starts this coming Sunday! Happy New Year, church! I’ll you see on Sunday morning!

Yours in the Journey, Rev. Brian