Advent-Christmastide 2015

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Advent/Christmastide 2015-2016 Unless otherwise noted, all I John: Darkness & Light Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. I John 1:5

In elementary school, we learn that ordinary light can be split up into many colors (seven, to be exact). All of these colors combine wonderfully to give us the full spectrum light we experience each day in the rays of the sun. Full spectrum light is full, complex, and rich. It brings life and ﬂourishing everywhere it travels. Take it away, and the world would eventually be enshrouded in death.

Each year as fall turns into winter and the days get progressively shorter, many of us begin to experience the toll that darkness takes upon us. Our mood sinks and we can ﬁnd it harder to go about the daily tasks of life. We begin to long for the return of the healing light of the sun. Certain types of artiﬁcial light try to mimic what the sun can do, but they are, in the end, cheap and garish substitutes for the real thing.

The biblical narrative tells a story of a world that was enveloped in darkness―a darkness of sin, prideful autonomy, and foolish efforts to create our own light. And, into this great darkness, God―the true Light―has come.

Jesus is the Light that has come into our darkness. His light is full, complex and rich. He brings life and ﬂourishing everywhere he is received. HOW TO USE THIS BOOKLET

Adapted from Born a Child and The days leading up to Christmas are ﬁlled with distractions. There are Yet a King from Christ the King presents to buy, parties to attend, dinners to plan, cards to send, family to see, Presbyterian Church, songs to sing, movies to watch, and traditions to follow. We need help to cut Raleigh, NC. through the many distractions of this time of year if we are to focus our attention on Jesus.

In addition, for many of us, this is a tremendously painful time of year. It can be a reminder of unmet longings, relationships gone awry, and bring with it a profound sense of loneliness. For many, this time of year can be one where we are tempted to go numb and just try to survive until January. We need help ﬁnding Jesus in the midst of our pain.

This booklet is designed with the realities of distraction and pain in mind. We have created it to be used by individuals, community groups, couples, small gatherings of friends, and families with children.

Each week will have a couple of scripture passages along with a short meditation. Reﬂection questions will take you deeper into the texts and your own story. These questions can be used by individuals during their own devotional times, or would also make great community group discussions.

In addition, each week there is a section called Children & Family Resources and Activities that has creative activities to help others, particularly children, engage in considering and experiencing God’s presence. Feel free to pick the activities that would be most meaningful for you. The resources and activities listed for each week will be centered around two themes: receiving God’s good gifts as his children, and living out of that light in service to others. To get started on the imagery that will develop over time to include representations and symbols of God bringing life and light into the world and the Christmas story, choose one of the project options on page 2 (tree, diorama, etc). When the season is ﬁnished, if you would like to share your visual art with the community, please contact Heidi Hansen, [email protected].

Finally, there will be a prayer and a song for the week.

It is our hope that God will use this booklet to draw you closer to him, and discover that Jesus is, indeed, the Light of the world.

May the Lord be with you during this time. TABLE OF CONTENTS

FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT: WALKING IN DARKNESS 3

SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT: WALKING IN THE LIGHT 7

THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT: WALKING IN CONFESSION 11

FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT: WALKING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND LOVE 16

CHRISTMAS EVE 21

FIRST WEEK IN CHRISTMASTIDE: WALKING IN DISCERNMENT 25

SECOND WEEK IN CHRISTMASTIDE: WALKING IN JOYFUL FELLOWSHIP 30

GALLERY 36 SUPPLIES LIST CHILDREN & FAMILY RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES

Advent Tree ‣ a collection of bare branches in a jar (consider painting branches black) ‣ card stock ‣ hole-punch ‣ ornament hooks or ribbon ‣ scissors ‣ glue ‣ markers ‣ lights

Advent Diorama ‣ a shoe box or slightly larger box covered in black paper or paint ‣ tempera or acrylic paints ‣ model ﬁgures ‣ construction paper ‣ scissors ‣ glue ‣ string

Advent Collage ‣ a piece of black poster board, or large canvas painted black ‣ magazines ‣ pictures ‣ glue ‣ paints ‣ small found objects ‣ string ‣ artist tape

Advent Praying in Color Journal ‣ blank pages, sketch books or white poster board ‣ markers, colored pencils or crayons

Advent Candles

2 Advent Week 1 FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT: WALKING IN DARKNESS NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 5 Genesis 1:1-5; I John 1:1-5; 2:15-17; 5:21

There's a darkness upon me that's ﬂooded in light And I'm frightened by those that don't see it.

The Avett Brothers, Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise, from the album, I and Love and You

When I say that evil has to do with killing, I do not mean to restrict myself to corporeal murder. Evil is that which kills spirit. There are various essential attributes of life — particularly human life — such as sentience, mobility, awareness, growth, autonomy, will. It is possible to kill or attempt to kill one of these attributes without actually destroying the body. Thus we may "break" a horse or even a child without harming a hair on its head…

Evil then, for the moment, is the force, residing either inside or outside of human beings, that seeks to kill life or liveliness. And goodness is its opposite. Goodness is that which promotes life and liveliness.

M. Scott Peck, People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil

Meditation

Prometheus was an important figure in Greek mythology, but he is something Adapted from Working the of a trickster figure. He is responsible for giving great gifts to human beings; Angles, by Eugene Peterson but, ironically, these gifts also bring about a significant amount of our suffering.

After creating human beings, Prometheus is said to have hidden from each person the day of their death, which apparently everyone knew the exact day of their death before. This had the profound effect of removing from us the sense of any limits. Instead of knowing the day of our death, our “mortality” has become a vague notion that can be easily denied. In addition, Prometheus stole ﬁre from the gods and gave that to humans as well. Fire, as we all know, is a very powerful tool and makes many wonderful things possible. It also can feed our delusions that we can do anything we set our minds upon.

The story of Prometheus is only a myth, but Peterson points out how it gives us a way of understanding life in the modern world. We have increasingly become:

“...unmindful of limits, setting goals unrelated to the actual conditions of our humanity, and possessing the technical means to change the conditions under which we live. We don’t have to put up with the way things as they are. Things can be better; we have the means to accomplish whatever we want to do. Fire provided the energy that became technology―the machine. Consequently, we humans don’t know that we are human; rather, we think we are gods and act like gods. The awareness of our mortality is lost to us. A sensitivity to the results of our actions is lost to us.”

4 If you could pick one word that described the feel of modern life, I think a good word to pick is autonomous. We desire to be in control. We desire to have no limits. We seek to solve our own problems. Autonomy is the shadow side of human dignity.

In the biblical story, our desire for autonomy is a manifestation of darkness. We were created by God to, ﬁrst and foremost, be grateful receivers of his love and leadership in our lives. Yet, we are marked and shaped by a fundamental desire to deﬁne ourselves in other ways.

Questions for Further Reﬂection

1. Have you experienced being in a room or outdoor setting that was completely dark? What was it like for you? What emotions did you experience? 2. Darkness is the absence of light. How is that reality more hopeful than if darkness was its own entity? 3. Are there places in your life right now that feel dark or without hope? Are you engaged in a conversation with God about those places? 4. Read Psalm 139:7-12. What does this say about God’s relationship with darkness? How does reading this passage impact you? 5. Can you think of ways you resist opening yourself to the light of God’s presence? What happens when you try to manage the darkness in your life on your own? 6. What is one step you can take this week to open your heart to receive the light of God’s presence? Write a prayer expressing what you want in your life and in relationship with Him.

Children & Family Resources and Activities

Read: Genesis 1: 1-2, I John 1:5

Light the ﬁrst candle of Advent.

Talk About: When God made the world, at ﬁrst there was nothing, just darkness and no life beyond him. Before Jesus came to earth, people suffered in spiritual darkness because they did not have the light of God’s love in Jesus to give them life and hope. Dim the lights for a few minutes and blow out the candle. Consider the darkness around you. How do you feel? Would you want to live like this always? Have you ever felt a kind of emptiness, or sadness, or darkness? Have you ever felt like God was not near to you? What was that like? What did you want to be different?

For Others: What is something you can do this Advent as a family to address an area of “void” in your neighborhood or city? Is there a charity you can give to in different ways?

Are there any speciﬁc people or families you know that are suffering that you can commit to praying for and caring for in special ways this season? 5 Create: Gather materials mentioned on page 2 and design your initial darkness or “void” scene. For the Advent Praying in Color Journal, pick a person, place, or social issue to pray for each day. Write a name or word to describe each day’s prayer on a page or small area on poster board, then spend 10-15 minutes doodling and decorating around the name as you pray. Connect your body, mind and heart as you color and pray.

Prayer

Almighty God, give us grace to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility; so that when he shall come again in his glorious majesty we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel O Come, O Come Emmanuel E‹ G/B G A‹ G/B D E‹ D 12th C. Latin (Trans. John. M. #4 Neale 1851) & 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 15th C. French “Veni œ Emmanuel” 1. O come, O come, Em - man - u - el, and 2. O come, Thou Day - spring co - me and cheer our 3. O come, Thou Wis - dom fro - m on high, and 4. O come, De - sire of na - tions bind, all G G/B C G/B A‹ E‹/B B‹ E‹ A‹ # œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙™ ran - som cap - tive Is - ra - el that spi - rits by Thine ad - vent here. Di - or - der all things far and nigh; To peo - ples in one heart and mind. Bid A‹ E‹/G D/F© E‹ B‹ C D E‹ # & œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙™ mourns in lone - ly ex - ile here un - sperse the gloom - y clouds of night, and us the path of know - ledge show, and en - vy, strife, and quar - rels cease. Fill D B‹ G G/B A‹ G/B D G # & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙™ til the Son of God ap - pear. death's dark sha - dows put to flight. cause us in her ways to go. the whole world with hea - ven's peace. D D E‹ B‹ G A‹ G/B D E‹ D # & œ ˙™ œ ˙™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Re - joice! Re - joice! Em - man - u - el shall G G/B C G/B A‹ E‹/B B‹ E‹ # & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ ™ 6 come to you, O Is - ra - el. Text: Latin, 12th cent.; composite Tune: Processionale, 15th cent.; adapt. Thomas Helmore, 1854 LM with refrain VENI IMMANUEL www.hymnary.org/text/o_come_o_come_emmanuel_and_ransom Advent Week 2 SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT: WALKING IN THE LIGHT DECEMBER 6-12 I John 1:1-5; 2:12-14

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the ﬂesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became ﬂesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:9-14

Meditation

God Covenant by Margaret Halaska knocks at my door seeking a home for his son.

Rent is cheap, I say.

I don’t want rent. I want to buy, says God.

I’m not sure I want to sell, but you might come in to look around.

I think I will, says God.

I might let you have a room or two.

I like it, says God. I’ll take two. You might decide to give me more some day. I can wait, says God.

I’d like to give you more, but it’s a bit difﬁcult. I need some space for me.

I know, says God, but I’ll wait. I like what I see.

Hm, maybe I can let you have another room. I really don’t need that much.

Thanks, says God, I’ll take it. I like what I see.

I’d like to give you the whole house but I’m not sure…

8 Think on it, says God. I wouldn’t put you out. Your house would be mine and my son would live in it. You’d have more space than you’d ever had before.

I don’t understand at all.

I know, says God, but I can’t tell you about that. You’ll have to discover it for yourself. That can only happen if you let me have the whole house.

A bit risky, I say.

Yes, says God, but try me.

I’m not sure— I’ll let you know.

I can wait, says God. I like what I see.

Questions for Further Reﬂection

1. Read I John 1:5. How does it impact you that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”? 2. What is it like for you to receive a gift (or compliment, afﬁrmation, etc.)? Is there anything difﬁcult about receiving for you? 3. Are there parts of your life you are ashamed of and/or try to hide? What fear(s) do you have about acknowledging these areas and bringing them out before God? 4. Read John 8:2-11. Imagine yourself as the woman caught in adultery in this story. What do you feel as you imagine your secret life being exposed before Jesus? What are the voices of the crowd saying? What is Jesus’ posture toward you? What is He saying or doing in relationship to you? What is your response to Him? 5. What is one step you can take this week to step toward Jesus to receive what He wants to give you?

Children & Family Resources and Activities

Read: Genesis 3:6-9, I John 1:5

Talk About: God seeking his people and wanting them to come out of darkness. In Genesis he says, “Where are you?” to Adam and Eve. He is wanting them to be aware that he sees them and wants them to live in his light in the world. In I John, we hear the message that Jesus brought God’s light into the world for all people. We live in that now!

Are there times you want to hide from God, or others? Are there secrets that you keep because talking about them feels too scary or like no one would understand?

With the lights dimmed, light the second Advent candle and notice how much it illuminates. Take two minutes for silent prayer to hear God. Ask, “Where are 9 you?”. Then, let your heart speak to God about the things you’ve kept hidden. With the lights dimmed, light the second Advent candle and notice how much it illuminates. Take two minutes for silent prayer to hear God. Ask, “Where are you?”. Then, let your heart speak to God about the things you’ve kept hidden.

For Others: Is there someone in your life that would be helped by you taking time to talk to them or befriend them this week?

Create: Depending on which visual expression you have chosen, add the next layer of “light” however you want to create that. Advent Tree: Add string of lights, or make ornaments that resemble stars or the sun. Advent Diorama: Add sunlight, or starlight with paint, or poke small holes to push in strand of lights through box roof and walls, or use construction paper to represent the coming of the light into the world. Advent Collage: Using magazines and paint, represent light as the next layer of the collage. Advent Praying in Color Journal: Continue to add to your prayers each day.

Prayer

Praise and honor to you, living God; you chose the Hebrew people and brought them step by step to look for a redeemer, and hope for the Christ. Give us grace to see our need and recognize salvation when it comes. Amen. Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus Come Thou Long Expected Jesus F G‹ C F/A D‹ Charles Wesley 1744, Rowland H. Prichard 1830 b3 j ˙ ˙ œ & 4 ˙ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ 1. Come, thou long - ex - pec - ted Je - sus, born to set thy 2. Born thy peo - ple to de - li - ver, born a child and G‹ C F F G‹ C b j ˙ & œ œ œ ˙™ ˙ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ peo - ple free; from our fears and sins re - lease us, yet a King, born to reign in us for - e - ver, F/A D‹ G‹ C F A‹ F D‹ b ˙ œ ˙ œ œ œ & ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙™ œ let us find our rest in thee. Is - rael's strength and now thy gra - cious king - dom bring. By thine own e - G‹ C7 C7/E F D‹ B¨ C(“4) C &b ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙™ con - so - la - tion, hope of all the earth thou art; ter - nal spi - rit rule in all our hearts a - lone; F/A G‹ F C C7/E &b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ dear de - sire of ev - ery na - tion, by thine all suf - fi - cient me - rit, F B¨ F/C C7 F b ˙ œ œ œ œ & ˙ œ ˙™ joy of ev - ery long - ing heart. 10 raise us to thy glo - rious throne. Advent Week 3 THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT: WALKING IN CONFESSION DECEMBER 13-19 I John 1:5-2:6

Sometimes I can feel my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I’m not living.

Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I spent a lot of years trying to outrun or outsmart vulnerability by making things certain and deﬁnite, black and white, good and bad. My inability to lean into the discomfort of vulnerability limited the fullness of those important experiences that are wrought with uncertainty: Love, belonging, trust, joy, and creativity to name a few.

Brené Brown

All is quiet on the Western front, there appears to be a lull. John and Jane Doe are sleeping well tonight with the little thoughts inside their skulls. Salome she's undressed to the nines although a few pounds fatter. She's got Pavlov's bells on her ankles and wrists, she coming at you with her platter. I stole down to the waterfront to escape the desert heat. What on earth you gotta do around here to try and get yourself a drink Heard John the Baptist preaching ‘Make way for the King, but if you wanna recognize him, you gotta tell me all your sins.’

Vigilantes of Love, Welcome to Struggleville, from the album, Welcome to Struggleville

Meditation

One of the great difﬁculties of community life is that we sometimes force Essential Writings by Jean Vanier people to be what they are not: we stick an ideal image on them to which they are obliged to conform. We then expect too much of them and are quick to judge or to label. If they don’t manage to live up to this image or ideal, then they become afraid they won’t be loved or that they will disappoint others. So they feel obliged to hide behind a mask. Sometimes they succeed in living up to the image; they are able to follow all the rules of the community. Superﬁcially this may give them a feeling of being perfect, but this is an illusion.

In any case, community is not about perfect people. It is about people who are bonded to each other, each of whom is a mixture of good and bad, darkness and light, love and hate. And community is the only earth in which each can grow without fear toward the liberation of the forces of love which are hidden in them. But there can be growth only if we recognize the potential, and this will never unfold if we prevent people from discovering and accepting their

12 gifts and their wounds. They have the right to be rotters, to have their own dark places, and corners of envy and even hatred in their hearts. These jealousies and insecurities are part of our wounded nature. That is our reality.

There is before us the ideal presented by Jesus, which is a great ideal, and at the same time we try to accept the reality that we are terribly weak and unable to reach the ideal.

Not only are we weak, but we are continually hiding our own weakness. In our civilization we cannot say we are weak. If one admits to weakness, he admits death. We have a need to be right, to be conscious of our capacity and even more to convince others of our capacity, and to prove that we are someone…

It is difficult to accept that we make mistakes. When for example, we as cooks burn something, we become angry or we find it difficult to accept, whereas in reality, the cook should be allowed to burn things from time to time. Instead of being able to say simply, ‘Well, today I’m not a good cook,’ we cut ourselves off from other people. The fact is, maybe we aren’t very good cooks, but we can take the cookbook and grow in cooking.

We must try to look at reality, the reality of our own weakness and then allow each other to make mistakes, trying with the help of the Holy Spirit to accept each other.

Questions for Further Reﬂection

1. Have you ever tried to walk in the dark? Describe the difference of experience between walking in the dark and walking with lights on. 2. Read I John 1:7. What does it mean to walk in the light? What are some ways we can step toward the light of God’s presence and ways we can avoid it? 3. What does it mean to confess our sins? What does I John 1:8-10 reveal about why confession is important for our spiritual health? 4. Read Psalm 51. What does this psalm say about the impact of confession on our lives? 5. Read I John 2:1-2. How does it impact you to know that Jesus is your Advocate when you sin? What does that mean? 6. What is one step you can take toward practicing confession in your life?

Children & Family Resources and Activities

Read: I John 1:8, Proverbs 28:13

Talk About: Confessing our sin, or telling the truth to God about our wrongdoing, opens our hearts to receive forgiveness and mercy from him. Because of God’s promise to forgive our sins through Jesus Christ, we can always tell him the truth and always be loved.

13 Light the third Advent candle and spend two minutes in confessional prayer.

For Others: Because God gives grace to us, we can also apologize to people we have hurt or wronged. Is there anyone you feel like you should say “I’m sorry” to and seek to make things right with them with God’s help? Is there anyone you can try to forgive this week?

Create: Advent Tree: Create ornaments that reﬂect honest confession and forgiveness. What colors, shapes, or images do you think of? Many people think a cross is a symbol for this.

Advent Diorama: Using paint, construction paper or small ﬁgurines, depict a scene of forgiveness and God’s grace.

Advent Collage: Using a variety of materials, create an area that expresses confession and forgiveness. What would it look like to go from a hidden secret to open and honest in color and form?

Advent Praying in Color Journal: Continue to add to your prayer pictures each day.

Prayer

Almighty God, you sent your servant John the Baptist to prepare the way for the coming of your Son; grant that those who proclaim your word may so guide our feet into the way of peace, that we may stand with conﬁdence before him when he comes in his glorious kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Judge and our Redeemer. Amen.

14 Comfort, comfort you my people Benjamin P Smith-Chenovick 2011 Isaiah 8th Century B.C. Comfort, Comfort You My People arr. by Jess Alldredge, 2012 Adapted from Isaiah 40:1-5 B¨ E¨ G‹ F E¨ B¨ Smith, Alldredge b4 5 © 2012 Grace Church Seattle &b 4 Œ Œ œ ˙ 4 œ™ œ œ œ 1. Comœ - fort,˙ com - fort you my peo - ple,˙ 2. For the her - ald's voice is cry - ing 3. Make you straight what once was crook - ed, B¨ C‹ D‹ C‹ D‹ E¨ B¨ B¨ E¨ bb 4 Ó Œ Œ 5 & œ ˙ œ œ œ 4 œ ˙ 4 tellœ of peace, thus says our God;˙ comœ - fort˙ those who in the de - sert far and near, bidd - ing us to make the rough pla - ces plain; let your hearts be G‹ F E¨ B¨ B¨ C‹ D‹ C‹ D‹ E¨ b5 2 &b 4 œ™ œ œ œ œ ˙ j œ œ œ 4 sit in da - rk-ness˙ bowedœ be - neath opœ - pres - sion's great make re - pen - tance since the Lord's king - dom is true and hum - ble, as be - fits God's ho - ly B¨ B¨ C‹ D‹ C‹ D‹ E¨ B¨ bb2 5 4 Ó & 4 ˙ 4 œ œ ˙ j œ œ œ 4 ˙ load. Speak you to Jeœ - ru - se - lem here. O that cry, hear and o - bey! reign. For the glo - ry of the Lord G‹ F E¨ B¨/D E¨ B¨/D B¨ b j j 2 4 &b œ™ œ œ™ œ 4 œ œ 4 Ó of the peace that waits for them;˙ Now pre - pare for God a way; o'er the earth is shed a - broad; B¨ E¨ G‹ F E¨ B¨ b 5 &b Œ Œ œ ˙ 4 œ™ œ œ œ tellœ them˙ that their sins I co - ver,˙ let the va - lleys rise in mee - ting and all flesh shall see the to - ken B¨ C‹ D‹ C‹ D‹ E¨ B¨ b 4 &b œ ˙ œ œ œ 4 ™ andœ their war - fare now is oœ - ver.˙ and the hills bow down in greet - ing. that God's word is ne - ver bro - ken.

15 Advent Week 4 FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT: WALKING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND LOVE DECEMBER 20-23 I John 2:3-11; 4:7-12

Sin is like a river, if you swim with it, you won’t feel the pressure. If you swim against it, you will feel a strong opposition.

John Owen, Indwelling Sin

Because nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff. We don't have to be like, 'Oh yeah that purse is okay' or like, 'Yeah, I like that band's early stuff.' Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can't-control- yourself-love it. Hank, when people call people nerds, mostly what they are saying is, 'You like stuff', which is just not a good insult at all, like 'You are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness'.

John Green

The sum of all we have said since we began to speak of things thus comes to this: it is to be understood that the plentitude and end of the law and of all the sacred Scriptures is the love of a Being which is to be enjoyed and of a Being that can share that enjoyment with us...That we might know this and have the means to implement it, the whole temporal dispensation was made by divine Providence for our salvation…Whoever therefore thinks that he understands the divine Scriptures or any part of them so that it does not build up the double love of God and of our neighbor does not understand it at all.

Augustine, On Christian Teaching

Meditation

Excerpt from Henri Nouwen’s, When you are aware that you are the beloved, and when you have friends Moving from Solitude to Community around you with whom you live in community, you can do anything. You're not afraid anymore. You're not afraid to knock on the door while somebody's dying. You're not afraid to open a discussion with a person who underneath all the glitter is much in need of ministry. You're free.

I've experienced that constantly. When I was depressed or when I felt anxious, I knew my friends couldn't solve it. Those who ministered to me were those who were not afraid to be with me. Precisely where I felt my poverty I discovered God's blessing.

Just a few weeks ago a friend of mine died. He was a classmate, and they sent me the tape of his funeral service. The ﬁrst reading in that service was a story about a little river. The little river said, "I can become a big river." It worked hard, but there was a big rock. The river said, "I'm going to get around this rock." The little river pushed and pushed, and since it had a lot of strength, it got itself around the rock.

17 Soon the river faced a big wall, and the river kept pushing this wall. Eventually, the river made a canyon and carved a way through. The growing river said, "I can do it. I can push it. I am not going to let down for anything."

Then there was an enormous forest. The river said, "I'll go ahead anyway and just force these trees down." And the river did.

The river, now powerful, stood on the edge of an enormous desert with the sun beating down. The river said, "I'm going to go through this desert." But the hot sand soon began to soak up the whole river. The river said, "Oh, no. I'm going to do it. I'm going to get myself through this desert." But the river soon had drained into the sand until it was only a small mud pool.

Then the river heard a voice from above: "Just surrender. Let me lift you up. Let me take over."

The river said, "Here I am."

The sun then lifted up the river and made the river into a huge cloud. He carried the river right over the desert and let the cloud rain down and make the ﬁelds far away fruitful and rich.

There is a moment in our life when we stand before the desert and want to do it ourselves. But there is the voice that comes, "Let go. Surrender. I will make you fruitful. Yes, trust me. Give yourself to me."

What counts in your life and mine is not successes but fruits. The fruits of your life you might not see yourself. The fruits of your life are born often in your pain and in your vulnerability and in your losses. The fruits of your life come only after the plow has carved through your land. God wants you to be fruitful.

The question is not, "How much can I still do in the years that are left to me?" The question is, "How can I prepare myself for total surrender so my life can be fruitful?"

Our little lives are small, human lives. But in the eyes of the One who calls us the beloved, we are great—greater than the years we have. We will bear fruits, fruits that you and I will not see on this earth but in which we can trust.

Questions for Further Reﬂection

1. What comes to mind when you hear the word “obedience”? 2. There is a story about a young boy who was asked to sit quietly by himself to think about his disobedience to his parents. His response was: “I may be sitting down on the outside but I’m standing up on the inside!” What is the difference between obedience and compliance? 3. Read I John 2:3-6. What does this passage describe as the relationship between our love for God and obedience to His commandments? How is this similar to or different from how you have thought about obedience to God in the past?

18 1. What is your visceral response to obeying God? Is it something you desire, feel like you should do, don’t want to do, etc.? Spend some time talking with God about your response to these questions. 2. Read I John 2:7-11 and 4:7-12. What does this passage say is evidence of the light of God’s presence in our lives? What is evidence of darkness in our lives? As you reﬂect on your relationships with others, do you see more light or darkness? 3. What is one step you want to take to receive and give God’s love this week?

Children & Family Resources and Activities

Read: 1 John 4:7, Isaiah 9:6-7

Talk About: Walking in the light of Christ means growing in obedience to the Lord. What words from the Isaiah passage about Jesus help us to grow in obedience? Know that obedience is ultimately best lived out as a form of love.

Light the last advent candle. Repeat the bible passage 3 or 4 times, and sit in quiet contemplation of its truth for you.

How, or when, do you feel most loved? What would you like your parents or siblings to do to show you love?

How does God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit help you to love others?

For Others: Can you think of something kind and loving to do for someone this week? Make cookies for your neighbor, shop for gifts for foster kids, or do an extra chore at home to help your family? Be generous with your hugs and “I love you’s” with your family this week.

Create: Advent Tree: Make ornaments with symbols of love this week along with pictures or symbols of the birth of Jesus to put on the Advent tree on Christmas Eve.

Advent Diorama: Prepare your diorama for Jesus’ birth. Create a manger, animals, shepherds and Mary and Joseph out of paper or small toys and objects.

Advent Collage: Add shapes and colors of the nativity to your collage this week.

Advent Praying in Color Journal: Continue to add to your prayer pictures each day.

19 Prayer God of all hope and joy, open our hearts in welcome, that your Son Jesus Christ at his coming may ﬁnd in us a dwelling prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

George Weissel, 1642 Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates! trans. by Catherine Winkworth, 1855 Tune: TRURO = 142 q Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates! Psalmodia Evangelica, 1789 C F G A‹ George Weissel, 1642 4 j ˙ &4 œ ‰ œ ˙™ œ ˙ ˙ ™ œ 1. Lift˙ up your heads, ye might - y gates! Be - 2. O blest the land, the cit - y blest, where A‹ F C/E G & ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙ ˙ ˙™ œ hold, the King of glo - ry waits; the Christ the Rul - er is con - fessed! O G D/F© E‹ C D G A‹ F ˙ ˙™ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ & ˙ ˙™ œ ˙ œ œ œ King of kings is draw - ing near, the Sav - ior of the hap - py hearts and hap - py homes to whom this King in G(“4) G A‹ F G(“4) G

& ˙ V V V V V V V V V V V V world is˙ here.w tri - umph comes!

20 Christmas Eve CHRISTMAS EVE DECEMBER 24 I John 3:1-3

Meditation

This excerpt describes the Great was their surprise when a little later, they heard Mr Beaver's voice calling breaking of the White Witch’s to them from just outside the cave. spell over Narnia in the C.S. Lewis book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe "It's all right," he was shouting. "Come out, Mrs Beaver. Come out, Sons and Daughters of Adam. It's all right! It isn't Her!" This was bad grammar of course, but that is how beavers talk when they are excited; I mean, in Narnia - in our world they usually don't talk at all.

So Mrs Beaver and the children came bundling out of the cave, all blinking in the daylight, and with earth all over them, and looking very frowsty and unbrushed and uncombed and with the sleep in their eyes.

"Come on!" cried Mr Beaver, who was almost dancing with delight. "Come and see! This is a nasty knock for the Witch! It looks as if her power is already crumbling."

"What do you mean, Mr Beaver?" panted Peter as they all scrambled up the steep bank of the valley together.

"Didn't I tell you," answered Mr Beaver, "that she'd made it always winter and never Christmas? Didn't I tell you? Well, just come and see!"

And then they were all at the top and did see.

It was a sledge, and it was reindeer with bells on their harness. But they were far bigger than the Witch's reindeer, and they were not white but brown. And on the sledge sat a person whom everyone knew the moment they set eyes on him. He was a huge man in a bright red robe (bright as hollyberries) with a hood that had fur inside it and a great white beard, that fell like a foamy waterfall over his chest.

Everyone knew him because, though you see people of his sort only in Narnia, you see pictures of them and hear them talked about even in our world - the world on this side of the wardrobe door. But when you really see them in Narnia it is rather different. Some of the pictures of Father Christmas in our world make him look only funny and jolly. But now that the children actually stood looking at him they didn't ﬁnd it quite like that. He was so big, and so glad, and so real, that they all became quite still. They felt very glad, but also solemn.

"I've come at last," said he. "She has kept me out for a long time, but I have got in at last. Aslan is on the move. The Witch's magic is weakening."

22 And Lucy felt running through her that deep shiver of gladness which you only get if you are being solemn and still.

"And now," said Father Christmas, "for your presents. There is a new and better sewing machine for you, Mrs Beaver. I will drop it in your house as I pass." "If you please, sir," said Mrs Beaver, making a curtsey. "It's locked up."

"Locks and bolts make no difference to me," said Father Christmas. "And as for you, Mr Beaver, when you get home you will find your dam finished and mended and all the leaks stopped and a new sluice gate fitted."

Mr Beaver was so pleased that he opened his mouth very wide and then found he couldn't say anything at all.

"Peter, Adam's Son," said Father Christmas.

"Here, sir," said Peter.

"These are your presents," was the answer, "and they are tools not toys. The time to use them is perhaps near at hand. Bear them well." With these words he handed to Peter a shield and a sword. The shield was the colour of silver and across it there ramped a red lion, as bright as a ripe strawberry at the moment when you pick it. The hilt of the sword was of gold and it had a sheath and a sword belt and everything it needed, and it was just the right size and weight for Peter to use. Peter was silent and solemn as he received these gifts, for he felt they were a very serious kind of present.

"Susan, Eve's Daughter," said Father Christmas. "These are for you," and he handed her a bow and a quiver full of arrows and a little ivory horn. "You must use the bow only in great need," he said, "for I do not mean you to ﬁght in the battle. It does not easily miss. And when you put this horn to your lips; and blow it, then, wherever you are, I think help of some kind will come to you."

Last of all he said, "Lucy, Eve's Daughter," and Lucy came forward. He gave her a little bottle of what looked like glass (but people said afterwards that it was made of diamond) and a small dagger. "In this bottle," he said, "there is cordial made of the juice of one of the ﬁreﬂowers that grow in the mountains of the sun. If you or any of your friends is hurt, a few drops of this restore them. And the dagger is to defend yourself at great need. For you also are not to be in battle."

"Why, sir?" said Lucy. "I think - I don't know but I think I could be brave enough."

"That is not the point," he said. "But battles are ugly when women ﬁght. And now" - here he suddenly looked less grave - "here is something for the moment for you all!" and he brought out (I suppose from the big bag at his back, but nobody quite saw him do it) a large tray containing ﬁve cups and saucers, a bowl of lump sugar, a jug of cream, and a great big teapot all sizzling and piping hot. Then he cried out "Merry Christmas! Long live the true King!" and cracked his whip, and he and the reindeer and the sledge and all were out of sight before anyone realized that they had started.

23 Questions for Further Reﬂection

1. What is it like for you to wait in line or in trafﬁc? 2. What is one thing you are hoping God will change in your life or circumstances? Spend some time talking with Him about your desire(s) for change. 3. Read I John 3:1-3. Verse 2 describes a tension of being “God’s children now” and yet “what we will be has not yet appeared.” What is it like for you to live in this tension of being beloved as God’s child and yet waiting for the fullness of being transformed into His likeness? 4. How does it impact you to be called “beloved”? (v. 2) Describe how you usually imagine God’s posture or expression toward you? 5. I John 3:3 talks about the role of hope in the process of transformation. How hopeful are you about your future as a child of God? Spend some time talking with God about this and asking for the grace to trust His love for you.

Children & Family Resources and Activities

Read: Luke 2:1-20

Light the white “Christ” candle. Read the nativity text.

Attend service (Grace services are at 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM) or share in reading the liturgy from Lessons and Carols.

Anticipation is everything tonight. Take a moment to experience that from a child’s view. Are you that eager to be nearer to God and rejoice in gratitude for his closeness to you?

Prayer

Son of God, light that shines in the dark, child of joy and peace, help us to come to you and be born anew this holy night. Amen.

24 Christmastide Week 1 FIRST WEEK IN CHRISTMASTIDE: WALKING IN DISCERNMENT DECEMBER 27-JANUARY 2 I John 2:18-27; 4:1-6

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of afﬂiction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Then you will deﬁle your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”

Isaiah 30:18-22

Whatever else sin ‘is’ and whatever other effects it has on a Christian’s relationship with God, I have begun to think that one useful way to look at it is as simply a waste of time, a colossal waste of time.

At times when I am contemplating sin, I know that I will be asking forgiveness for it later. I know that I will go through an all too familiar cycle of sin, sorrow, perhaps numbness (if the sinning is persistent), perhaps depression, then a quickening, repentance, tears, restoration. As I write this, I realize how brazen it is to go into sin knowing you will receive forgiveness. In some articulations of theology, during the period between sin and repentance, I would be out from under the protection of grace, effectively, I would not be a Christian. In the reformed tradition, of which I am more rather than less, a participant, if I am a believer and fall into sin I continue as a believer in my standing before God, but like the prodigal son (and this is a parable about two sorts of believers) I have willingly removed myself from the rich blessings of my Father. ...sin is such a waste of time, not only of time that we might be using to witness or worship or some other Christian ‘activity,’ but of time that we get to simply ‘be,’ to be creatures, to be sons and daughters, in right relation to God, being made ever more ﬁt to return to the blessings and bliss of Eden.

Neil Das

Meditation

We ask that you may be ﬁlled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord.

Colossians 1:9–10 NRSV

Discernment is a spiritual understanding and an experiential knowledge of Henri Nouwen’s Discernment how God is active in daily life that is acquired through disciplined spiritual practice. Discernment is faithful living and listening to God’s love and direction so that we can fulﬁll our individual calling and shared mission.

26 Deﬁnitions are a good place to begin, but let me sketch out some of the core afﬁrmations and practices necessary to discernment. When I was living in a Trappist monastery as a temporary monk, seeking to discern whether I was called to live the contemplative life or a more active life of teaching and ministry, I remember walking through a building where I hadn’t been before. I came across a reproduction of Hazard Durfee’s beautiful painting The Flute Player framed with an old but familiar text by Henry David Thoreau:

“Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed, and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”

As I studied the quiet, concentrated face of Durfee’s musician, I realized that discernment is like hearing a different drummer. I remembered that one of the books about Thomas Merton is called A Different Drummer. Merton stepped away from the active, academic life and chose a contemplative life. I wondered if I was called to make that kind of move myself. When I reflected on The Flute Player, I knew myself as restless and searching. I felt I was stumbling over my own compulsions and illusions way too often. During my time at Genesee, I began to understand that when we listen to the Spirit, we hear a deeper sound, a different beat. The great movement of the spiritual life is from a deaf, non-hearing life to a life of listening. From a life in which we experience ourselves as separated, isolated, and lonely to a life in which we hear the guiding and healing voice of God, who is with us and will never leave us alone. The many activities in which we are involved, the many concerns that occupy our time, the many sounds that surround us make it hard for us to hear the “still, small voice” through which God’s presence and will are made known (1 Kings 19:12). Living a spiritually mature life requires listening to God’s voice within and among us. The great news of God’s revelation is not simply that “I am,” but also that God is actively present in the moments of our lives at all times and places. Our God is a God who cares, heals, guides, directs, challenges, confronts, corrects. To discern means first of all to listen to God, to pay attention to God’s active presence, and to obey God’s prompting, direction, leadings, and guidance. I stepped away from my teaching to slow down for a time in intentional community. It was hard for me to see God at work in my life when I was running from class to class and traveling from place to place. I had so many classes to prepare, lectures to give, articles to finish, people to meet that I had come quite close to believing myself indispensable. Still I was frightened of being alone and having an unscheduled day, even as I longed for solitude and rest. I was full of paradoxes. When we are spiritually deaf, we are not aware that anything important is happening in our lives. We keep running away from the present moment, and we try to create experiences that make our lives worthwhile. So we fill up our time to avoid the emptiness we otherwise would feel. When we are truly listening, we come to know that God is speaking to us, pointing the way, showing the direction. We simply need to learn to keep our ears open. Discernment is a life of listening to a deeper sound and marching to a different beat, a life in which we become “all ears.”

27 Questions for Further Reﬂection

1. Have you ever noticed something that’s not new but that you’ve never noticed before in your neighborhood, work environment, daily commute, etc.? How would you describe your response to seeing it for the ﬁrst time? 2. How do you make decisions about how you will spend your time, energy, money, etc.? What are some criteria you use for making these decisions? 3. Read I John 4:1-6. The word discern comes from the Latin word discernere, which means “to separate,” “to distinguish,” “to determine,” “to sort out.” What does this passage reveal about the process of discernment? 4. What do you do when you feel confused about a decision or how to handle a situation in your life? What is your response to John’s guidance in I John 4:1-6? 5. Read John 14:25-15:9. What does this passage say the Holy Spirit will give us? What does this passage say about how we receive guidance from the Holy Spirit? 6. What is one step you can take toward being more attentive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance in your life?

Children & Family Resources and Activities

Read: I John 2:24, James 1:5, Matthew 2:1-15

Talk About: Life with God means he wants to lead you by his spirit to live wisely for his glory and your joy. How do you feel about this? What part of this is hard for you? What are some areas in your life you want God to grow more wisdom in you?

For Others: Write a thank you card or letter to someone that has been a good role model or teacher to you. Tell them what they have meant to you or taught you.

Create: Advent Tree: Create ornaments with images of the three wise men and their gifts to Jesus.

Advent Diorama: Add the wise men’s visit to your scene.

Advent Collage: Add three special cutouts or line work with tape to show the three wise men or their gifts to Jesus.

Advent Praying in Color Journal: Add prayers of thanks to your journal or poster.

28 Prayer

O God, you wonderfully created and yet more wonderfully restored the dignity of human nature; grant that we may share the divine life of your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

SOPRANO ALTO Joy to the World! The Lord Is Come

Joy to the World! Isacc Watts, 1719 D A7 D G 5th verse: John Haralson, 2012 # 2 œ j j j & #4 œ™ œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ™ 1. Joy to the world! the Lord is come: let earth re - 2. Joy to the earth! the Sav - ior reigns; let all their 3. No more let sin and sor - row grow nor thorns in - 4. He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the A D ## œ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ j & ™ J J œ œ œ™ œ œ J œ œ œ™ œ œ œ ceive her King. Let ev - ery heart pre - pare him room, and songs em -ploy, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains re - fest the ground;he comes to make his bless ings flow far na - tions prove the glo - ries of his right - eous - ness and A ## & œ œ œ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ heaven and na - ture sing, and heaven and na - ture peat the sound - ing joy, re - peat the sound - ing as the curse is found, far as the curse is won - ders of his love, and won - ders of his D D/A A7 D # j # j œ œ œ j & œ™ œ œ œ ™ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ sing, and heaven, and heaven and na - ture sing. joy, re - peat, re - peat the sound - ing joy. found, far as, far as the curse is found. love, and won - ders, won - ders of his love.

CM with repeats Text: Isaac Watts, 1719; based on Psalm 98 ANTIOCH Tune: Lowell Mason, 1848 www.hymnary.org/text/joy_to_the_world_the_lord_is_come

This hymn is in the public domain. You may freely use this score for personal and congregational worship. If you reproduce the score, please credit Hymnary.org as the source.

29 Christmastide Week 2 SECOND WEEK IN CHRISTMASTIDE: WALKING IN JOYFUL FELLOWSHIP JANUARY 3-9 I John 1:3-4

Cynicism is our shared common language, the Esperanto that actually caught on, and though I'm not ﬂuent in it―I like too many things, and I'm not envious of enough people―I know enough to get by.

Nick Hornby, How to Be Good

I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you ﬁnd my beloved, that you tell him I am sick with love.

Song of Solomon 5:8

Meditation

Carly Gelsinger, Stop Deﬁning Yourself by what You Don’t Like, “I hate Twilight,” I blurted to my coworkers a few months back. “Not only is the in Relevant Magazine plot shallow, the character development is pathetic, and seriously, Stephenie Meyer needs a thesaurus. The fact that the books are bestsellers reveals just how stupid our nation has become.”

I’ve never read any of the Twilight books, so these musings weren’t based off experience. They were unoriginal, regurgitated vitriol I’d previously read on Internet forums, newspaper columns and book reviews.

I decided I hated Twilight from the moment I ﬁrst heard about it, so while I refused to read the books, I read negative material on them to “build my case.” If I hate something, it’s important that I understand why so I can defend my opinion to others and publicly decry the object of my loathing. I do my research. And then I talk.

I am constantly blabbing to others about all the things I dislike. I can quickly come up with a list of things I don’t care for and am liable to launch into a rant about any one of them at any time. Certain politicians. Several different musicians. A popular frozen yogurt chain. School district boards. McMansions. People whose life choices don’t reﬂect my personal values. Hummers. Ben Afﬂeck as host on Saturday Night Live.

Here I go again.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went to our local bookstore on a quick date away from our 6-month-old daughter. I instantly picked up a book on a particular parenting philosophy that I’m vehemently opposed to and spent the next 30 minutes poring over the passages I most disagreed with. This will help me explain to others why I’m against this parenting style, I rationed.

My husband, who knows me too well, recognized my maneuver right away.

31 “Why don’t you pick out a book that you do like?” he said. “Instead of getting all worked up about something you don’t?”

His words, which annoyed me at the time, lingered with me long after we left the bookstore that night.

Why do we love to talk about what we hate? What compels us to draw a line in the sand and separate ourselves from the things that we ﬁnd repellant, tasteless or wrong and then make our opinions known to our coworkers, our friends and our Twitter followers?

Perhaps it’s about insecurity.

If I openly bash teen vampire books, maybe I’ll be perceived as someone who appreciates ﬁner literature. If I rant about parenting methods I ﬁnd repulsive, maybe nobody will ask me about what type of parent I do want to be. It’s safer, in a sense, to share with people impassioned negativity than to share with them something closer to our hearts: the things we like. Or daresay, the things we love.

On a larger scale, the Church does this too.

We often deﬁne ourselves by the things we stand against, thinking it makes us special. We talk a lot about sin. About the things we’re not supposed to do. About the things our culture does that we, as a Church, denounce.

There’s a scene in Liberal Arts, a nostalgic coming-of-age indie ﬁlm directed and starred by Josh Radnor (of How I Met Your Mother), where 35-year-old Jesse, a self-proclaimed literature aﬁcionado, is negative and judgmental about a book that his college-aged, free-spirited girlfriend enjoyed.

"You think it's cool to hate things,” she tells him. “And it's not. It's boring. Talk about what you love, keep quiet about what you don't."

The Apostle Paul addresses the issue in scripture.

Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as ﬁts the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

It may be awkward at ﬁrst (especially for those of us who have skated through our 20s on a decade-long wave of cynicism) to share our authentic self with others. It might feel kind of uncomfortable to put ourselves on the line and talk about our passions, our dreams and the things that ﬁll our hearts with joy.

As I attempt to cleanse my mind from the constant negativity I spew, I’m focusing thoughts on the things God put in this world that make life rich, like love and grace and swimming on a hot day and a perfectly brewed cup of coffee. I’m going to start thinking on those things—and talking about them too. I’m challenging myself, and the Church, to start talking about the things we love.

32 Questions for Further Reﬂection

1. What are some things that make you feel loved? 2. Can you think of a time when you sensed God leading you to give yourself in some way (to love) but you chose not to? How did you feel about your decision afterward? 3. Love is a word that can be over-used and lose the power of its meaning. Read I Corinthians 13. List all of the words and phrases Paul uses to describe and deﬁne love in this passage. What do you feel as you read this description of love? How does it compare to how you think about love? 4. Read I John 4:7-21. What does this passage say is the source of love? How does this compare/contrast with the messages in our culture about the source(s) of love? 5. John 15:11 and I John 1:4 talk about joy being full and complete as a result of being in relationship with God and others. Can you think of a time when you gave yourself in response to God’s prompting (to love)? How did you feel as a result of your obedience? Compare your responses to questions 2 and 5. What stands out to you? 6. What is one step you can take to root yourself in the soil of God’s love and to be connected in fellowship with others who are also seeking to grow in God’s love?

Children & Family Resources and Activities

Read: I John 1:3-4, Romans 15:13

Talk About: What does joy mean to you? Why do you think God made it an important part of life? What gets in the way of joy in your life?

For Others: Living joyfully with God means being generous with others sometimes. Can you think of something you can give to someone this week that would bless them? A hug, a donation to a charity, an act of service?

Create: Advent tree: Write messages about your hopes for the next year. Save these to look at next Christmas to reﬂect back on what God has done.

Advent Diorama: Put an image of yourself into the scene and write a short description of your work.

Advent Collage: Pick 3-5 words to describe life with God to add to your collage. Consider adding a layer of varnish. Give your work a title and write a short description of it.

Advent Praying in Color Journal: Add doodles and decorations that picture joy for you.

33 Prayer for the Week

Heavenly Father, tender and compassionate, create in us your family love so true and deep that in this broken world we may be a sign of unity.

Look on your family our God, and teach us to care for one another, for you are child and parent, you alone are love’s source and secret. Amen.

q = 116 O Come, All Ye Faithful F G‹ C/E F C/E F B¨ F/C C D‹ James Montgomery 1816, Henry Smart 1867 b4 œ œ œ ˙ & 4 œ ˙ œ œ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ 1. O come, all ye faith - ful, joy - ful and tri - um - phant, O 2. Sing, choirs of an - gels, sing in ex - ul - ta - tion, 3. Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this hap - py mor - ning, D‹ C G C F C/G G7 C &b œ œ j ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ™ œ w come ye, O come ye to Beth - le - hem; sing, all ye ci - ti - zens of heaven a - bove; Je - sus, to thee be all glo - - ry given; F G‹ F B¨ F C/E F D‹ G‹ C F &b ˙ œ œ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ j œ œ™ œ œ œ Come and be - hold him, born the King of an - gels; O glo - ry to God, all glo - ry in the high - est; Word of the Fa - ther, now in flesh ap - pear - ing;

F C/G F/A C F/A F F C/E F C/G F C/E F &b œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ ∑œ œ œ ˙ œ come, let us a - dore him, O come, let us a - dore him, O

B¨ F C/E F C F/A B¨ F/C C F F j &b œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ™ œ w come, let us a - dore him, Christ, the Lord.

BRING TO LIGHT Jenny James, photographer

Every human being is formed to be a spectator of the created world – and given eyes that he might be led to its Author by contemplating so beautiful a representation.

John Calvin

Soft snow, trees, water, mountains, sky—all of these things are the masterwork of our Creator. At night we can only see shadows of these things, but the light brings them into dramatic view in contrast to the darkness.

Long-exposure photography can absorb light that can’t always be seen by the human eye. When I was taking these photographs, I was standing at night up in the mountains in the dark, in the quiet, allowing the absorption of the light into my camera to pull the majesties of the earth and the sky out of the darkness.

36 37 38 39 40 41 41 43

Special thanks to Ryan & Jenny James for the artwork provided in this booklet.

STAFF Rev. John Haralson, Pastor [email protected] Debbie Smith, Community Formation Director [email protected] Jess Alldredge, Worship Arts Director [email protected] Heidi Hansen, Grace Kids Director [email protected] Mary McMurray, Ministry Administrator [email protected] Emily Tacke, Sunday Facilities Coordinator [email protected] Bookkeeper [email protected] Hannah Gaskins, Grace Kids Host

MINISTRY COORDINATORS Jessica Jakubiak, YCG [email protected] Sara Huey, Meals Ministry [email protected] Renée Huie, Connection Center [email protected] Coleen Marta, Serving Seattle [email protected] Abby St. Hilaire, Serving the World [email protected] Jo Taniguchi, Premarital Mentoring [email protected]

ELDERS Dan Huie [email protected] Matt Parzybok [email protected] Adam Schuyler [email protected] Darik Taniguchi [email protected] Nat Taylor [email protected]

DEACONS Lee Grooms [email protected] Bob Montgomery [email protected]

DIACONAL ASSISTANTS Heather Andrews [email protected] Erika Schuyler [email protected]

REFORMED UNIVERSITY FELLOWSHIP (RUF) Rev. Drew Burdette [email protected]

MAKING DISCIPLES. SERVING THE CITY.

Grace Church Seattle is a worshipping community in Capitol Hill, Seattle rooted in the belief that the historic Christian gospel is true, compelling, and transformative.

Worship Location 1300 E Aloha St Seattle, WA 98102 Ofﬁce Location 400 E Pine, Suite 215 Seattle, WA 98122 graceseattle.org ofﬁ[email protected]