IT'S ALL GIFT: The Season of Advent
GIFT
All of life is a gift. Every moment can be received - even the challenging ones, the painful ones, the moments of loss, or wondering, or sorrow - God meets us when we are present in our experience. This Advent we will be asking, "What is the gift in this?" as we explore the stories of Hannah and Mary, in our year of questions. Who is the God and what is God up to in the lives of Hannah and Mary? How do they ask, and answer, What is a good life, and how do I live it?and what can we learn from their own relationships with God? Where is the gift for us in their stories?
Come to worship in Advent -we will receive a gift symbol to carry with us throughout the season, helping us to seek the gifts God has for us in life.
WHAT IS ADVENT?
The word Advent means "coming." In Advent we wait in the darkness before the dawn (so we use dark blue to represent this). It's like sitting vigil on behalf of the world, patiently holding and gently lifting up our hearts, and the world's pain and longing, to God, trusting God to come in.
As people who believe there is more going on than we can see, we wait and pay attention, we watch in trust and honesty, for the fullness of God's hope, peace, joy and love to be revealed in real, actual life. No matter how things look at any given moment, God is still at work, bringing salvation.
SINGING THE LITURGY
In Advent, we sing the liturgy as an embodied form of worship. Each time we gather, our service follows the same pattern, with each part of the service sung by the whole congregation. In doing this we join an ancient practice of the church, stretching back thousands of years, and still carried on today by many traditions.
Come, Lord Jesus!
ADVENT WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Join us in worship to to seek the gifts God has for us in the stories of:
All of life is a gift. Every moment can be received - even the challenging ones, the painful ones, the moments of loss, or wondering, or sorrow - God meets us when we are present in our experience. This Advent we will be asking, "What is the gift in this?" as we explore the stories of Hannah and Mary, in our year of questions. Who is the God and what is God up to in the lives of Hannah and Mary? How do they ask, and answer, What is a good life, and how do I live it?and what can we learn from their own relationships with God? Where is the gift for us in their stories?
Come to worship in Advent -we will receive a gift symbol to carry with us throughout the season, helping us to seek the gifts God has for us in life.
WHAT IS ADVENT?
The word Advent means "coming." In Advent we wait in the darkness before the dawn (so we use dark blue to represent this). It's like sitting vigil on behalf of the world, patiently holding and gently lifting up our hearts, and the world's pain and longing, to God, trusting God to come in.
As people who believe there is more going on than we can see, we wait and pay attention, we watch in trust and honesty, for the fullness of God's hope, peace, joy and love to be revealed in real, actual life. No matter how things look at any given moment, God is still at work, bringing salvation.
SINGING THE LITURGY
In Advent, we sing the liturgy as an embodied form of worship. Each time we gather, our service follows the same pattern, with each part of the service sung by the whole congregation. In doing this we join an ancient practice of the church, stretching back thousands of years, and still carried on today by many traditions.
- Why Singing? Singing is referred to over 400 times in the Bible, and commanded over 50 times - "to sing" is one of the most common verbs in scripture. Throughout human history in every culture and age, singing has played a significant role. To sing expresses emotion, connects us with each other in a common spirit, and sinks us into our souls where we feel sometimes beyond what can be expressed in words. When we sing our hearts join our words and our soul is engaged. We sing lullabies to babies, we sing in celebration and honor, we sing in joy, we sing in sorrow. It is even said that when a group of people sing together, their heartbeats syncopate.
- Love at the Center St. Augustine said, "Cantare amantis est", "Singing is a lover's thing." The Church's singing is rooted in love; it comes from our love for God and helps us receive God's love for us. Pope Benedict XVI said, "It is the utter depth of love that produces the singing." The Holy Spirit is the verb of the love of the Father to the Son, and the Spirit draws us into that Love and moves that Love through our midst when we sing. This Advent, as we sing our liturgy each week, we are drawn into the music of life that is already and always being sung in the cosmos and the heart of God.
- Singing as Prayer As we move toward Christmas singing is our form of prayer. We sing to express our deep longing for Love to come fully among us, within us and through us. And we sing to let our souls connect with the Love at the core of all life- the timelessness of our deep humanity and our great hope that is to come. Singing our way through Advent shines light in the darkness, and invites us to wait the darkness instead of fleeing it. "There is no love in fear. Perfect love casts out fear," 1 John 4:18. Singing comes from love, and resists and dispels fear. And so it helps us wait for our Lord, on behalf of the whole world.
Come, Lord Jesus!
ADVENT WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Join us in worship to to seek the gifts God has for us in the stories of:
- Hannah. Hope. Advent 1. 12/1, 10:30 am. with all-Church, all ages preparation for Advent at 9:00 am.
- Hannah. Peace. Advent 2. 12/7, 5:00 pm. Advent Evening Prayer.
- Mary. Joy. Advent 3. 12/15, 10:30 am. with Adult Ed, Youth Group, Sunday school & Central Bible Study at 9 am.
- Mary. Love. Advent 4. 12/21, 5:00 pm. Advent Evening Prayer.
- Jesus - Emmanuel, God with us. CHRISTMAS EVE! December 24, 4:30 pm
Check out the link below for some resources and ideas for celebrating Advent at home or as a family
