“When Everything is Wrong”
This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent! I know that advertisers have been trying to get us to jump to Christmas since before Halloween, but Advent says, “Not so fast! We need time to prepare!” Where did Advent come from? The word comes from the Latin word adventus, and it means, “coming” or “visit.” Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas, and ends on Christmas Eve. Advent marks the beginning of the church year for Christians, and during this season, we take time to prepare for – and anticipate – the coming of Christ. We take time to remember the longing of Jews for a Messiah, and our own longing for and need of forgiveness.
This year, in addition to our usual Advent festivities, we will focus on the coming of Christmas through a very familiar figure… The Grinch! Do you remember the Grinch? Here’s a refresher:
Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot
But the Grinch who lived just North of Whoville did not!

The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.

It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right.

But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
Our Advent sermon series and Advent Bible Study will be about finding faith in the story of The Grinch. In addition to the usual Advent Scriptures, we will read Matt Rawle’s book, The Heart That Grew Three Sizes. (Copies are available in the church office – our Bible Study will begin Dec. 1)
We know the end of the story – that the Grinch has a transformation, and his heart grows three sizes! But…we don’t need to rush to the end…like we don’t need to rush to Christmas. Why is the Grinch so miserable in the beginning of the story? Why does he hate Christmas? Matt Rawle writes in the introduction of the book, “Sometimes we are melancholy during Christmas season and it’s difficult to understand precisely why. Whether we appreciate it or not, it’s easy to identify with the Grinch’s aggravation.” (p.7)
Sunday, we will kick off the season by hanging the greens, lighting a candle, and by hearing the words of the prophet in Isaiah 64: 1-2, 6-7. We will consider how we can be expected to be joyful when “everything is wrong.”
See you Sunday,
Pastor Sam