December 2023

Pastor’s Note and Intro to Knox News:

There are certainly times when we’re not up for hosting because the house is a mess, or the apartment is unfinished.

Even if we give some time to cleaning things up and getting things ready, we might still wonder if our guests will look in the closet or see the dust bunnies under the couch.

Maybe we wonder at the dawning of the Advent season, do we really want to prepare the way of the Lord - knowing full well that Jesus will most likely notice the mess we’ve made of things.

Seems like we’re never quite able to get it all together. We’re in a mess in Israel / Palestine, Ukraine / Russia, the civil war in Sudan and the rising refugee crisis around the globe. We’ve made a mess of things globally, locally, internally.

So maybe that’s where we begin the Advent season. 

Maybe the best way to prepare for Jesus is admitting that we need Jesus.

He has always known the messes we get ourselves into and happened to arrive in a context of hostility, violence, and confusion. So, knowing He is the Prince of Peace, we make room and receive His peace. We get honest this season and name the mess, confess the sin, and repent of harmful ways. We’re tired of pretending and trying to hold it all together and getting life spotless. We need Jesus, and we are ready to prepare room for Him in our messy world. We’re ready for change, growth, and joy to the world. Come, Lord Jesus.

Tom

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”   Matthew 3:3

Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven, and heaven and nature sing. 

- Isaac Watts, 1719