Theme of the Day: A Real Christmas Requires Remembering Why Christ Came
It is easy to get so caught up in the imagery—a tiny newborn baby, lying in the straw filled manger under a star-filled sky—that we forget the why. Why did the Son of God come into our world and take on human flesh? So that he might die as the sacrifice for our sins. One Christmas carol puts it this way. “Neither crib nor cross refuses, all he suffers for your good to redeem you by his blood.”
Advent marks the start of a new Church Year. We begin at the end, watching Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey colt, knowing full well that he would be killed before the end of the week. The events of Palm Sunday serve as a microcosm for all Jesus’ work, proving the Son of God was willing to humble himself and endure anything for our salvation. That is precisely why Christ came. And a real Christmas requires remembering why Christ came.
Luke 19:28-40
Jeremiah 33:14-16 – The LORD promised that a descendant of King
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Psalm 24A
302 – Prepare the Royal Highway
301 – Savior of the Nations, Come
303 – O Bride of Christ, Rejoice
360 – Behold, a Branch Is Growing
313 – Hark the Glad Sound! The Savior Comes
Prayer of the Day: Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Protect us by your strength, and save us from the threatening dangers of our sins; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia. See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey. Alleluia.