For many, the year 2020 has been like no other. Most of us enter Advent with a deep weariness and a desire for relief.
Here is the good news: this is what Advent is about. As people of faith we are invited to wait and live into the hope that something better is on its way. Advent is about God making and fulfilling His promises of a better world, a new kingdom and a perfect Savior.
This season, we encourage you to remember the true purpose and meaning of Advent. Allow the Lord to fill you with great joy and strength for today and for the days ahead.
Throughout December, Westmont College invites you to journey with us toward the celebration of Jesus’ birth on Christmas Day. We have a series of planned devotionals and companion short concerts which we pray will prepare our hearts for Advent.
For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11
Merry Christmas from Westmont!
A Christmas Blessing from Westmont
Watch a Christmas greeting from President and Mrs. Beebe and Westmont College.
Celebrating Advent with Westmont
This year, we have four wonderful opportunities to celebrate each week of the Advent season. Due to the pandemic, Westmont's 16th Annual Christmas Festival, featuring the Westmont choir and orchestra, was made available online on December 4. You can find the concert here and at the bottom of this page. Advent concerts will be broadcast December 11, 18 and 24.
Steve Bell has written a seven-book series based on the Christian calendar year called Pilgrim Year. Selections from his book Advent will be made available to view along with a companion concert. The theme of each concert is drawn from chapters in his book.
We are Waiting, Friday, December 11
"Advent begins with focused attention to the agony of our deepest longings. The task is to let the truth behind those longings rise to the surface before suppressing them with lesser fare, because the longings themselves may be the first reliable indicators of the One thing that leads to true fulfillment, satiation and joy..."
The Feast of Saint John of Kronstadt, Friday, December 18
It is remarkable that if you take a rod of iron and place it in a fire, the properties of the iron are such that it is able to take on the qualities of the fire...“as we lay our lives in the fire of God’s divine love, we become by grace what God is by nature.”
The Threefold Coming of Christ: Eve of the Nativity, Thursday, December 24
“When we consider the Christian season of Advent, what is the content of our waiting?… How do we ready our lives to receive the gift of Christ fully, and do so with meaning—with the deepest joy and reverential awe that we suspect ought to accompany such an astonishing event?”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Steve Bell is a Canadian Christian songwriter and storyteller. He is a dear friend of Westmont who has blessed us in many settings with his deeply personal and uplifting performances. Steve has produced 21 solo CDs and won numerous music-industry awards, including Gospel Music Association of Canada Covenant Awards: 2018 Album of the Year (Where the Good Way Lies); 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award; 2018 Collaboration of the Year (Where The Good Way Lies); and 2018 Inspirational Song of the Year (Wait Alone in Stillness). He has performed more than 2,000 concerts to more than a half million people in 15 countries. Steve recently released his newest album, Wouldn't You Love to Know?
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Christmas Festival
The 16th annual Christmas Festival, "Ris'n with Healing in His Wings," presented a special online event this year due to the pandemic. This year's theme, "Ris'n with Healing in His Wings," offers a response to the current pandemic. The music and readings remind us of God's presence and grace in all things, even if we don't understand the trials. This year's festival featured lively and festive music, including "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "Carol of the Bells" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."
You can find the Christmas Festival here