ADVENT AND THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

Advent is a season of preparation at the intersection of the already and the not yet. It’s the beginning of a new year in the life of the Christian and an invitation to rest in the space between Joy to the World and Come Thou Long Expected Jesus. For many, Advent is preparation for Christmas, but more than that, it grows within each of us a deeper desire for the one who was born for us to come again making everything new.

The season can feel like a rush to the finish line… one, two, three, smile everybody! It’s Christmas! But what if the Church could show the world that it’s not the Church? What if we allowed ourselves the breathing room to be governed not by the commercial calendar but by the Christian calendar?

Where Advent is a season of expectation and preparation, the 12 days of Christmas give us the space to rejoice in the beauty of the Incarnation, extending the feasting (and even the gift giving) all the way to Epiphany on January 6.

Within these pages, we hope you find an invitation to a slowed-down spirituality. With every page, our prayer is that Jesus, the fully human one, will make us a little more human, too. Eugene Peterson once wrote that “the Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.” For 126 years, Cliff Temple Baptist Church has been a respite in an ever-changing neighborhood. As everyday missionaries of his self-giving love, we offer community for the community. May we make room in our hearts for the words written here as the community of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit extend our hearts into every living heart.

Let heaven and nature sing for Jesus only.

Gannon Sims
Senior Pastor