Advent 2017 series
Friday 17 November, 1:50pm
Our new preaching series for Advent 2017 will focus on Jesus – the gift of love. Join us on Sundays in December at Harehills Lane Baptist Church!
An Advent adventure
“Adventure is scary and exciting, a journey into the unknown. What dangers, what discoveries await us, wrapped in the folds of the future, we do not know. This advent adventure is different. Something comes towards us through the darkness; our candles are tokens of unimaginable light.”
Frances Copsey
Unexpected circumstances
The unimaginable light in the form of a gift that keeps on giving. A gift that lasts forever, it is for life and not just for Christmas. A gift should last forever and be cherished, not thrown away or abandoned when it no longer works the way we want it to. Jesus comes to us often in unexpected circumstances, in situations we thought we would never face. But he comes to us all the same to show us a better way, a way towards the Father. He explains this to Thomas in John 14:6, “I am the truth the way and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me”. Previous to this, at the beginning of chapter 14, he comforts his disciples as he says “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me”.
Adventus
The Latin for advent is ‘adventus’ and means “arrival” or “coming”. This season as we begin the services we will light one of the advent candles, we will hear how the Prophets foretold of hope of the one to come, see two people uniting together in the toughest times through love. We will be able to rejoice with joy at the telling of the great news through the voices of children with the nativity story, and hear how the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all. God’s grace so freely given to all who are willing to accept it today and for all our tomorrows.
Follow the series and find all the scripture passages and resources on HLBC’s Worship and Word blog. You can also listen again to sermon recordings from past morning services on our Recent Sermons page.