This week’s Advent message moves from “Christmas in the Beginning” to “Christmas in the Land”—from Genesis to Israel’s longings. The land of Israel isn’t just a location on a map; it’s where God’s promises took root through covenant, worship, prophecy, and expectation. The Messiah didn’t arrive unannounced or detached—He came exactly as God promised, through the people God preserved, in the place God chose.

We see this through five big themes:
• God remembers His people (Hannah in 1 Samuel): God “remembering” is not forgetfulness—it’s God choosing to act. Hannah’s answered prayer becomes a key link in God’s redemptive plan, leading to Samuel, David, and ultimately Jesus. Waiting isn’t wasted—waiting is worship.
• God dwells with His people (Solomon’s temple in 2 Chronicles 6): The temple foreshadows something greater—God wouldn’t just dwell in a building, but would one day dwell in a body. Jesus is the true temple: God with us, accessible, near, and present.
• God shines light into darkness (Isaiah 9): Israel’s darkness—political, moral, and spiritual—was met not with a policy or program, but with a Person: “Unto us a child is born.” Jesus doesn’t merely bring light; He is the Light.
• God comforts the weary (Isaiah 40): Biblical comfort isn’t sentimental—it’s certainty. God’s comfort is a promise that the story isn’t over and the King is coming. Comfort is not anesthesia; it’s redemption that rewrites reality.
• God gives a Shepherd King (Micah 5): The King comes from unlikely Bethlehem, showing God writes epics in overlooked places. This King is eternal, incarnate, and He Himself is our peace.

The message closes with five applications for “Land Advent”: believe God remembers you, live with Emmanuel as present reality, walk in light instead of fear, receive God’s comfort as truth (not just emotion), and follow the Shepherd King into peace—because Christmas isn’t Plan B. It’s the fulfillment of God’s long-prepared promise.

In this week’s message, Pastor Landon reminds us that the Christmas story doesn’t start with shepherds in a field or a baby in a manger — it starts in the beginning.
Long before Bethlehem, long before Mary and Joseph, long before “Let there be light,” Jesus was already there.

Journey with us through Genesis as we discover how creation, promise, judgment, and covenant all point to Christmas. We see:
• Jesus as Creator in Genesis 1
• The first Christmas promise in Genesis 3
• The ark as a picture of Christ in Genesis 6
• The lamb God provides in Genesis 22
• God’s covenant promise pointing toward the coming Messiah

Christmas is not the beginning of Jesus — it is the unveiling of Him.
The eternal Word who spoke the universe into existence stepped into His own story to redeem us.

Join us as we look at Christmas through the first pages of Scripture and rediscover the wonder of a Savior who was planned, promised, and present from the very beginning.

ComeToFreedom.com

Advent isn’t just a countdown to presents—it’s an invitation to slow down, number our days, and fix our hearts on Jesus. In this message, Pastor Landon kicks off the Advent season by contrasting “carnal Christmas” (hurry, hype, comparison, consumption) with an eternal, Kingdom-minded Christmas rooted in gratitude and purpose.

Drawing from Psalm 90:12, Daniel 1 & 6, and Revelation 21, he shows how Daniel lived as a godly witness in a “Babylon” culture full of pressure, distraction, and compromise—much like ours today. Daniel had purpose in his heart, rhythms of prayer, and a lifestyle of gratitude, even under threat. Pastor Landon challenges us to do the same this December: to let gratitude “set the speed limit,” guard our hearts from carnal Christmas, and fuel natural evangelism as we share Jesus with neighbors, coworkers, and family.

You’ll hear practical ideas for:
• Building simple daily habits (Scripture, prayer, gratitude)
• Creating margin with holy “no’s” so you can say holy “yes’s”
• Using Advent as a “tasting party” to remember the goodness of God
• Turning a crowded December calendar into a consecrated mission field
• Inviting others to encounter the hope of Jesus this Christmas

Advent isn’t about surviving December—it’s about stewarding it well. Trade carnal Christmas for Kingdom Christmas: hearts grateful, habits grounded, and lives glowing with the good news of Jesus, who came… and is coming again.

CometoFreedom.com