This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent! We begin again a new cycle of the Christian year, retelling the most important story of our lives. Advent means “arrival.” We look back on those who waited for the coming of the Messiah, and we look ahead as those who continue to wait for his return. This Sunday we are excited to begin a new Advent series called “The Mothers of Jesus.” We’ll be looking each week at one of the five women who are named in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew chapter 1, and what each of them tells us about the mystery of the incarnation and the grace of God. Our pastoral resident Elisabeth Hayes put this series together, and she’ll be preaching the first message this Sunday on Tamar.