Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:4-7 NKJV

Imagine the pressure on an innkeeper in a small village swelling with the ranks of King David’s descendants arriving for the census. Then a young couple, the very pregnant woman on a donkey, arrived at his door. The best this innkeeper could do was to offer shelter in what passed as a stable. Unaware that the baby who would be born there was the Messiah written of centuries before.

Advent is a season of commemoration of Christ’s first coming and the anticipation of His second coming. Taken from the Latin adventus (coming, arrival, invasion), Advent proclaims the coming of Christ in two ways: it celebrates His long-awaited arrival as Messiah over 2,000 years ago, and it anticipates His imminent return as King of kings and Lord of lords. Christians often speak of Christ’s “first advent” and “second advent”; that is, His first and second comings to earth. His first advent was His birth in Bethlehem (the Incarnation) that we celebrate as Christmas. In 2025, Advent begins on November 30th and runs through Christmas Eve December 24th. This year our Advent focus is on supporting players in the Christmas story: Zechariah, Elizabeth, John, Gabriel, Augustus, Herod, the Innkeeper, Simeon and Anna.