Dear family in Christ

Today is the first Sunday in Advent, the liturgical season focusing on the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ. It is a season of spiritual reflection, marked by times of quiet meditation upon God’s Word and also deep conversations with Abba Father in prayer.

Advent is an opportune time to involve our children in devotion activities at home that directly connects with the worship of God in church. I encourage all parents to use the Advent-Christmas Devotional Guide to teach and transmit the Christian faith to your children by involving them in reading the Scriptures, lighting the Advent wreath candles and times of interaction and prayer. This Advent devotional was distributed to church members in recent years. If you need a soft copy, pls email admin@patmos.org.sg to request for it.

There is a double focus in Advent. Firstly, it is the joyous celebration of the birth of Jesus the Messiah in his First Advent 2000 years ago. We celebrate the revelation of God’s redeeming love in Jesus Christ in his First Advent for the purpose of reconciling our fallen sinful world to God the Father. Secondly, it is the anticipation of Jesus’ impending return as King in his Second Advent. Having known God as Abba Father and walking in obedience with Him daily, we now look forward eagerly to the Second Advent, where Christ the King will come in power to judge and rule the world.

As we live in between the two Advents, we are called to live godly and holy lives. We are to be faithful stewards of the gospel entrusted to us as God’s people. In our spiritual journey as committed disciples of Jesus Christ, we have an important responsibility to live a life that brings glory to God and to share about Jesus Christ through the gospel message and our loving deeds.

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”   Revelation 1:5b-7

Maranatha
Pastor John