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

God creates, knows, loves, and sees all of us in our full humanity. But as people, we can fall into the habit of assuming everyone is the same or everyone is like us. While we share a common humanity, these assumptions can be harmful and prevent us from truly seeing other people and listening to their perspectives. By looking at Biblical stories, this series will help us learn how to listen to, respect, affirm, and act for and with others. In doing so, we can also come to know God even more fully.

Week 1: Hearing Other Voices | Scripture: Mark 10:46-52
Week 2: Sisters Are Doing it for Themselves | Scripture: Numbers 27:1-11
Week 3: R.E.S.P.E.C.T. the Stranger | Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:14-22, focus verses: 10:17-19
Week 4: Diverse People, One Vision | Scripture: Revelation 7:9-17

We invite you to be part of a summer of love – no, not the 1960s version! 1 John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” But what does that mean? Through this series, we will look at four different ways we can love God and the people around us by following the example and teaching of Jesus. Embrace your inner Hippie!

Week 1: Loving Friends | Scripture: John 21: 3-4, 10-17
Week 2: Loving Community | Scripture: John 6:1-13
Week 3: Loving Family | Scripture: Luke 10:38-42
Week 4: Loving God | Scripture: Mark 2:23-28

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