Advent season is upon us. This year we will be using a series from Concordia Publishing House on Wednesday evenings titled, His Name Shall Be Called. The author describes it this way, “During the season of Advent, we prepare to celebrate the birth of God’s Son, who was given the name Jesus—a Hebrew name that means “God saves.” In addition to His earthly name, Holy Scripture calls Jesus by various titles which describe something about His person or work. In this year’s Advent series, we are going to examine four titles given to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6. Those titles are “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” and “Prince of Peace.” We will learn how each of these titles describes something about who Jesus is and what He did for our salvation.”
The author also provides a synopsis of each Advent week. Our first midweek Advent sermon is “Wonderful Counselor”— the first title given to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6. We will learn how God rescues us from the cunning counsel of the devil and blesses us with the wonderful counsel of His Son whose Word of truth sets us free from sin and its damning deception (see John 8:31).
Our second midweek Advent sermon is “Mighty God”—also a title given to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6. We will learn from Scripture that Jesus is more than a mere human who was a great teacher or a popular hero. Jesus was and is God in human flesh. We will also learn why it is important for us to believe that Jesus was and is God in human flesh.
Our third midweek Advent sermon is “Everlasting Father”. We will learn why Jesus is called “Father” even though He is the eternal Son of the Father. We will also learn why Jesus is called “Everlasting.” Finally, we will learn why Jesus’ title “Everlasting Father” is such a great comfort to us—especially when we face trials or suffering in this world.
Our Christmas Eve sermon is “Prince of Peace”— the fourth title given to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6. We will learn why we long for peace in this world but fail to obtain it. We will also learn how Jesus, the “Prince of Peace,” gives us peace with God through His sacrifice for us, which also results in believers being at peace with one another.
I pray that you will be able to attend worship services each Wednesday evening at 6:30pm during the Advent Season. The youth are raising money for the National Youth Gathering by hosting Soup Suppers starting at 5:15pm, with help from the Fellowship Team. Lessons and Carols will be 12/24 @ 5PM, followed by Candlelight Service with Communion at 7pm. We will have one Christmas Day service @ 10am. I look forward to joining you as together we prepare for the arrival of our Newborn King.
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Al
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