Welcometo NazNet's Advent and Christmas Celebration
Please click on the midi player to hear the music, A Christmas Medley. [Note: Some of these pages are still formatted for low resolution display; they are in the process of being reformatted for wide screen display.] |
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Advent Celebration
G. R. "Scott" Cundiff "At the heart of the Christian faith is the declaration that our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man for our salvation. This affirmation is expressed succinctly in the term incarnation. This word is of Latin origin and simply means 'invested with flesh.'" (In "God, Man, and Salvation") Simply put, Christmas is the celebration and observance of the incarnation. Such an event calls for rejoicing, bright lights, and happy gatherings. It also calls for reverence, reflection, and a deep sense of awe. Christmas is such a big event for Christians that they anticipate the day for weeks in advance. That period of time is called "Advent," which merely means "coming." During the weeks leading up to the observance of the "first coming" or "Advent" of Jesus, believers across the centuries have decorated their churches in special services featuring the "hanging of the greens" and observed special candle lighting ceremonies on the Sundays leading up to Christmas. Beyond the anticipation of celebrating the First Advent of our Lord, this season also reminds us of the yet-to-come Second Advent. Dr. Dennis R. Bratcher describes the dual nature of The Advent Season: "The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent." NazNet is an on-line community of friends, many of whom are members of the Church of the Nazarene, but also including Christians from various church traditions. In the articles that accompany this introduction, you are invited to consider the Advent thoughts of several NazNet regulars. John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" -- these devotionals center on this unfathomable truth. Click on the appropriate ornament below
to go to the Advent Devotional for that day. During Week Four, go to
the lower right ornament for Christmas Eve.
The Christmas Celebration continues with devotionals for
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