Advent is a season of waiting, like on a long road trip, when you inevitable ask the question, are we there yet? This advent, we are going to lean into this tension from scripture, a hear messages of hope, joy, love, and peace. We are going to hear that God’s promises for Hope, joy, love, and peace are real for us today, even in the imperfect world that we find ourselves in.
November 30- Hope Luke 1:46-55
Alone. Vulnerable. Scared. Now what? All of these would be normal feelings for Mary to feel at the announcement of Jesus’ birth, yet her prayers sound much different. Mary reminds us of the Hope we can have in God’s plan.
December 7- Isaiah 64:1-9 Love
Relationships are great until they are not. It’s great to feel love and be known, it is hard when those same people cause you pain, grieve, and stress. Isaiah cries out to God, knowing the pain he feels every time we turn our back on Him and sin. Isaiah asks, are you still there God, and is this going to get any better?
December 14- CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
December 21 Joy Psalm 126
You are 6 hours into the 4 hour road trip. You are well on the way, but not there yet. We hear from scripture a set of instructions for that middle time, an encouragement that we can have peace as we wait for Jesus to come again into our broken world.
December 24- Luke 2:1-14, Titus 2:11-14
On Christmas we celebrate Jesus birth, and the great things it must mean, and then we leave Christmas service to reminders of the imperfections of the world we find ourselves in. So what does it mean? What did the arrival of a little baby in Bethlehem mean?