A note from Pastor regarding his sermon:

Our Gospel readings for the second and third Sundays in Advent help to contrast the way the Church approaches its celebration of Christmas with the way it is celebrated in a more secular way in the surrounding community. While the world at large tries to emphasize a general feeling of peace and joy and togetherness when Christmas approaches, our lectionary gives the preaching of John the Baptist a central role in preparing Christians to welcome their Lord and Savior.

John’s message is not one that most people outside of the church would think is very Christmas-like, but it helps to warn us of the danger of trying to have the Gospel without the Law. John boldly and directly reminds us of the reason our God and our Savior has come to live among us in human flesh: We are sinners, deserving nothing but eternal punishment, and we are incapable of freeing ourselves from this sinful condition. We wait to welcome our Savior’s appearance and anticipate the blessings He will bring, but we do so remembering what we are most in need of: forgiveness and salvation from our sins!