Philippians 3:7-11

I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. (Philippians 3:8, NRSV)

We are deep in the middle of Advent. We are preparing for, or even already enjoying Christmas celebrations. As we do this, I invite you to pause. Pause with the thought: I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Nothing… else… matters. As you pause with that, sing this Advent Carol to yourself a few times and allow yourself time to breathe… time to think… time to pray… time to realize that nothing but knowing Christ matters.

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear

Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave (Refrain)

O Come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And earth’s dark shadows put to flight. (Refrain)

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery. (Refrain)

Amen!

– Pastor John Sipf, St. Peter’s Ev. and St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Churches