United Church of Christ

The season of Advent is upon us once again. These four weeks leading up to Christmas invite us to slow down—just a little—in the midst of a world that rarely slows down at all. Advent offers us a sacred pause, a chance to prepare our hearts and lives to receive again the Good News that God chooses to draw near to us. Even in a world that feels crazy and chaotic, even in a world marked by conflict and uncertainty, Christ comes. Advent asks us to ready ourselves to notice the ways Christ is born again today.

This year, our Advent worship series will be shaped around a familiar question—a question lifted straight from the beloved carol: “What Child Is This?” The hymn’s melancholy melody and searching words invite us to go beneath the surface of the Christmas story. Rather than letting our minds drift to soft manger scenes and candlelit nostalgia, we will spend time uncovering the world into which Jesus was actually born.

It is easy to assume that the first century and the twenty-first century have little in common. We imagine that life was simpler “back then”— less complicated, less burdened, less rushed by the pressures we feel today. But the truth is far more complex. When we look closely, we see striking parallels.

There were tyrants trying to rule the world by fear and force.
There were oppressed people longing for liberation and living under the weight of empire.
There were courageous voices crying out for justice, risking themselves on behalf of the vulnerable.
There were horrors unfolding in plain sight and hidden in the shadows—violence, uncertainty, grief, and displacement.

Into that world—much like our own—God chose to be born.

So in this Advent season, we will ask together: How do we bear faithful witness to the realities of our 21st-century world? How do we refuse to look away from suffering, injustice, or fear—and still boldly proclaim the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love that Christ brings?

Advent does not ask us to pretend the darkness isn’t real. Instead, it reminds us that the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. As we journey through this season, my prayer is that we will discover anew who this Child truly is—Emmanuel, God with us—and how His presence continues to transform the world, beginning with us.

May this Advent be a time of honest reflection, courageous hope, and deepening love. I look forward to walking this sacred season with you.