As the calendar year comes to a close, a new church year rushes in. Christ’s birth ushers us into new ways of living and loving – and yet, we feel the weight of many things coming to an end. What are the reminders we will need in order to move forward faithfully through the threshold?
This year’s Advent theme is filled with blessings, with the words we need to hear again and again as we begin a new season. These words are meant to be held close. Like a quilt, they provide protection and warmth. They stitch us to the history of generations. They tell our stories.
As we move through new chapters in our stories, both personal and societal, may these words for the beginning renew us and remind us of the ways we are called to live out our faith. No matter what you are facing, no matter what this new day brings, let love be your beginning.
First Sunday of Advent – December 1
you are a blessing
Luke 1:26-38 / Isaiah 43:1-7
Mary is described as “blessed among women.” She is neither wealthy nor powerful, and yet she is chosen to bear God’s child. Her story begins with blessedness, and so does ours, for the prophet Isaiah declares that we are claimed by a God who calls our name. We are a blessing because we belong to God. When blessedness if our beginning, we begin to see the world – and others – through the eyes of a God who says, “You are precious in my sight.”
Second Sunday of Advent – December 8
Do the Good That Is Yours to Do
Luke 3:7-16 / Isaiah 58:9b-12
As John the Baptist is teaching about bearing good fruit, the crowds, tax collectors, and soldiers ask him, “What, then, should we do?” His answer to each group is slightly different, but ultimately the same: “Do the good that is yours to do.” We can each bear good fruit through acts of justice and righteousness. We can all be what Isaiah calls “repairers of the breach” by satisfying the needs of the afflicted.
Third Sunday of Advent – December 15
We Can’t Go Alone
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
One of life’s most essential lessons is that we are never meant to go alone. Beloved community is a gift of God. The Covenant Choir will remind us of the preciousness of this gift through their presentation of The Many Moods of Christmas, arranged by Robert Shaw and Robert Russell Bennett. This arrangement of our favorite carols will warm our hearts and open our eyes to the love we share.
Fourth Sunday of Advent – December 22
Hope Is Worth the Risk
Matthew 1:18-25 / Luke 1:46-55
Hope is vulnerable and can feel like a tremendous risk, especially if you’ve experienced loss or trauma. But Mary shows us a resilient hope that takes risks – she risks her body to bear a son who will become the hope of her people. Similarly, Joseph makes a risky choice to stay with Mary; dismissing her quietly would have kept him safe. But instead, he chooses hope. He chooses to trust the angel, and it makes all the difference. It can feel safer and easier to be a cynic, but the world doesn’t need more cynics. It needs people who say, “It can be better” and make it so.
Christmas Eve Worship 4:00 pm – December 24
Love Knows Your Name
Luke 2:1-20
Christ’s birth makes the vastness of God personal. The God who made the seas and the stars is also the God who made your beautiful hair and striking eyes. The God of creation takes on flesh, which means you are fully known. When the angels visit the shepherds in the fields, their message is global but also personal; “To you…a savior is born.” This birth is good news for everyone, especially those who are ignored or disenfranchised. On this night, God is born, and this God of love knows your name.
1st Sunday of Christmas 10:00 am – December 29
Don’t Forget to Laugh
Matthew 1:18-25 / Luke 1:46-55
The birth of Christ brings good news of great joy to all people which is cause for celebration. On this Sunday after Christmas, we encourage you to be playful, to not take yourself too seriously, to laugh. For laughter is like hope – it has a ripple effect. It’s one of many ways we live and share the good news.
Epiphany Sunday – January 5
The Road Isn’t Straight
Matthew 2:1-12 / Isaiah 43:16-21
Too often we’ve been told that a successful life is a linear one. But in reality, our lives unfold with many unexpected twists and turns. The Magi follow a star, embarking on a long journey into a foreign land in order to honor the newborn Christ. Instead of returning to Herod as commanded, they trust their dreams and go home by another way. Their road isn’t straight, but God “makes a way in the wilderness” as they follow their intuition and diverge from the expected path.
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