Childhood memories tell of excited preparations for a visit by the British Royal family. Does Advent bring any similar excitement? Like John, we are called to prepare the way. God's message through John was "Get yourselves ready to hear. Get rid of everything in your lives that closes your mind of God. Be baptized as a sign of this change, of the washing away of all the things that have claim on your lives and wait for God to act." Advent is a time for repentence. [ Organ/Choir - Advent 2 ]

With the message of salvation, Christians have much to shout about. We can shout for joy in God's power and redeeming care for us. Secondly, we shout for mercy for our failure to recognise our Saviour, and to serve him. Finally, we can shout about his glory, and his raising us up to share his heavenly feast. [ Organ/Choir - Advent 1 ]

Because we live in the messy middle, between God's perfect creation and his perfect re-creation of all that is, it can be hard to keep our bearings. Today John hands on an ecouraging vision of the end of the story. Knowing this end can help us make sense of what happens in our lives. [ Organ/Choir - Christ the King ]

Three Biblical stories come together under today's theme in a sermon preached to a children's BibleSong service. [ Instrumental (BibleSong) - Pentecost 25 ]