2018 Worship Guide

Page 20 2018 Worship Guide LINCOLN DAILY NEWS Wednesday, December 5, 2018 The good news is that if we take our preparations seriously, they happen every day. It isn’t like having to frantically clean the house if company is coming because we are already ready. It is here those charges to keep awake and be alert come into play. If we think about it, those around when Jesus was born could have used that same suggestion. So many people missed what was happening because though they were awake physically, they were not alert. They were so focused on one particular thing that they missed everything else happening around them. As we get closer and closer to Christmas, let us also consider how we might merge these two ideas. We prepare for family celebrations with decorations and presents and food. We prepare by coming to worship, singing familiar songs, and hearing familiar scripture. But we also prepare by living as Christ’s hands and feet in the world. Helping to shine the light of God that first shone so brightly over a manger in Bethlehem. It is then we will discover that we really don’t have to wait to celebrate Jesus’ arrival after all. We can find him arriving even now. Pastor Candida Turner Immanuel Lutheran Church