He's On His Way to Set Things Right!

As Christmas approaches, our minds go a thousand directions -- decorating, shopping, baking, parties and programs, Christmas cards (do people still do those?), favorite movies and carols, plans for Christmas day. These concerns are added to an already stunning array of things to think about -- keeping up our homes (our furnace isn't working this morning, brrr), keeping our kids fed and clothed, health, family finances, relationships, balancing schedules, kids struggling at school, how to pay for fill in the blank with whatever you're dealing with right now (let's hope it's not a new furnace), healthcare costs, violence in our neighborhoods and cities, poverty and hunger around the world, wars and natural disasters -- to name just a few of the things that occupy our minds.

On Christmas day we celebrate the Incarnation, when God became man and moved into the neighborhood (John 1:14, The Message). But that didn't just happen one day, without warning. The world was in a dreadful mess and had been for centuries. Throughout scripture we read that God promised a remedy for the world's woes and we even see Christ foretold as early as Genesis 3 when God spoke to Adam, Eve and the serpent after the Fall. 

The season of Advent calls us to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. Into a desperate world of hurt and need, Jesus came. And today, into our desperate world, we welcome him. We are reminded of the words from 1 Chronicles 16:33b (The Message), he's on his way to set things right!

But first, Advent. Preparation.

I asked my musician friend Jerry Piger if he would suggest some Advent music I might consider using this season. Of the 25 titles he sent me, I knew only three! So I researched them and have chosen five or six wonderful songs of Advent, songs that prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, to feature on the Sundays of Advent and on Christmas day. Most may be unfamiliar to you, as they were to me, but I found wonderful arrangements that will minister to you as you listen. 

For today, I want to share O Come, O Come Emmanuel, a more familiar hymn. As you listen, allow the words to soak deeply into your heart. Whatever is on your mind these days, be assured, he's on his way to set things right! Rejoice!

If you'd like an Advent reading guide, you might be interested in this one that features a different hymn for each of the 28 days of Advent.