Life hands us difficult experiences that weigh us down: despair, anxiety, regret, darkness, and feelings of meaninglessness. In the midst of all this, God holds out precious and life-giving gifts – hope, peace, joy, love, light, and purpose. This Advent season, as we prepare for gift exchanges with friends and family, we will reflect on the gifts given to us by the greatest giver of all and how can we receive and embrace those gifts even in the most difficult of times.

Week 1: Despair for Hope | Psalm 121: 1-8
Week 2: Anxiety for Peace | John 14:27
Week 3: Sorrow for Joy | Psalm 30
Week 4: Fear for Love | 1 John 4:7-19
Christmas Eve: Darkness for Light | Isaiah 9:2-7
Week 5: Meaninglessness for Purpose | Jeremiah 29:11

Advent & Christmas

Anyone who has hosted a Christmas dinner or party can tell you, there is a ton of preparation that goes into throwing these holiday celebrations. Many of us find ourselves doing lots of preparing in this busy season of lights, tinsel, and wrapping paper. Yet, what are we really preparing for?Who are we really preparing for? This Advent, hear God’s call: “Prepare!” – for the coming one, Jesus. Hear this imperative as an invitation to strip away all the fuss and ready your heart and life for the change that is coming when Jesus gets here. Coming soon!

Week 1: Keep Awake | Mark 13:24-37
Week 2: Get Ready | Mark 1:1-8
Week 3: Testify | John 1:6-8, 19-28
Week 4: Be Courageous | Luke 1:26-38
Christmas Eve: Go! | Luke 2:1-20
Week 5: Worship and Bless | Luke 2:22-40

Advent & Christmas

Prophets are painters. They paint pictures of a time to come when people will be at peace with one another, hope will be made real, and all will shout for joy! Even if that time seems far off, we know it has already begun in Jesus, who is love come down to transform our lives and the world. This Advent season, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we celebrate how he has made possible what once seemed impossible – peace, hope, joy and love!

Week 1: Peace Made Possible | Isaiah 2:1-5
Week 2: Hope Made Possible | Isaiah 11:1-10
Week 3: Joy Made Possible | Isaiah 35: 1-10
Week 4: Love Made Possible | Matthew 1:18-25
Christmas Eve: The Impossible Made Possible | Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Week 5 (After Christmas): God Found in Impossible Places | Matthew 2:13-23

Advent & Christmas

In the season of Advent, we prepare to welcome Jesus, the Messiah in God With Us. This year, as we await our Lord, we will put ourselves in the place of the first people who awaited and celebrated Jesus’ birth. Through their stories, we will learn what it meant for God to be with them, and we will open our eyes to experience God with us, too.

Week 1: God with Zechariah, the Skeptic | Scripture: Luke 1:5-16, 23-25, 76-80
Week 2: God with Joseph, the Dutiful | Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25
Week 3: God with Mary, the Faithful | Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
Week 4: God with the Shepherds, the Dismissed | Scripture: Luke 2:8-20
Christmas Eve/Christmas Day: God with Us | Scripture: Luke 2:1-20
Week 5: God with the World | Scripture: Luke 2:25-35