Dear Friends,
The Advent season begins today and with it, our hopes and
dreams for this season. No, I’m not
talking about your Christmas list of things you want and things you have to
do. I’m talking about the wonder of God
becoming flesh and dwelling among us.
Advent is a time of preparation that leads us to Bethlehem
and the unmatched story of God’s love and grace displayed in the birth of a
baby.
Our celebration at Westwood this year will include the
sanctuary choir’s performance of George Frederick Handel’s timeless oratorio, Messiah, Sunday, December 15 at 11 a.m.
In preparation for this performance, I taught a Church Family Night
Seminar based on Roger Bullard’s book, “Messiah: The Gospel According to
Handel’s Oratorio.” In conjunction with
these observances, I have chosen to base the Advent Devotionals this year on
the texts of Handel’s Messiah, with some description of the music, stories, and
life of Handel. Whether or not you have an appreciation for this great oratorio,
my prayer is that these brief daily devotionals will help you, through this
season of preparation, to celebrate the wonder of God’s love in the birth of Bethlehem ’s
baby.
The format for this series of devotionals will be Monday
through Friday, beginning December 2 and concluding on Christmas Day. For those receiving these devotionals by
email, I will send a new offering every night, Sunday through Thursday, in
preparation for the next day.
Handel wrote Messiah
in just 24 days. His musical genius, along
with the libretto Charles Jennens adapted from scripture, have left us a
powerful story of God’s great love at work in the promise and fulfillment of
the One whose coming has truly changed the world. May God guide our thoughts as together we
share in this Advent celebration of Messiah.
With Great Anticipation,
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