This Sunday we begin a new sermon series entitled “The Journey to Christmas” based on an Advent series created by Pastor Adam Hamiltion of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. Each Sunday from now until January 1 we’ll share in the journey taken by the primary characters in the Christmas story. On November 27th we begin in Nazareth with Mary, the angel Gabriel, and “The Annunciation.” The announcement to Mary of God’s grand plan of a Kingdom without end, established through a son she would carry in her womb, could not have been easy for her to comprehend or accept. She was troubled and wondered about its meaning. Still, she submitted to the will of God and his purpose for her life. What is God announcing to us on our journey to Christmas and our journey through life? Are we open to God breaking in on our carefully laid plans and dreams and doing the unexpected?