Here are some Advent ideas for your congregation/fellowship group.
By Phillip Hopwood, Elder Emeritus, Australia
Celebration and worship are at the heart of communal spiritual formation. Advent marks the beginning of our worship calendar, setting us off on the journey once again, providing a season of opportunity to join together in learning about and responding joyfully to who our triune God is. Advent celebrates the fulfilment of God’s ultimate will to make all things at one with himself through Jesus coming to, and being in communion with, all his creation.
The word advent is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word Parousia which is usually related to Jesus’ future coming, but, importantly, it also means “active presence.”[1] Advent focuses on Jesus, the telos, the goal, the beginning, the center and the full end and achievement of all God intends for all things.
Because Advent starts by focusing us on God’s ultimate will and end goal for all things, we can say Advent is “apocalyptic.” We are reminded how all sin, all suffering, injustice, pain, and loneliness — all that is not right in the cosmos, all that opposes God and his love, light, and life has been overcome and will be fully defeated in Christ. We end up focusing on the first step in getting there, the birth of Jesus.
Ideas for celebration, liturgies, symbols
The four weeks of Advent give us time to emphasize and build on themes that can impact us visually, audibly, intellectually and emotively. The commonly used themes for each week are: 1. Hope. 2. Peace. 3. Joy. 4. Love. See our Advent Hack here.
Color
Purple is commonly featured in Advent worship services. it is the color of royalty and the sovereignty of Jesus. Recently some churches have been using blue as they focus on the color of the sky or the color of the seas.
Advent Candles, Wreaths and Calendars
Four candles, one for each of the four weeks of Advent, are often used to symbolize the continuous, inevitable, victorious, all pervading and conquering light, hope, peace, love and joy that come to us in Jesus through the Spirit. Sometimes the candles are surrounded by a wreath, placed in a spiral ascending to the center where a fifth candle is placed — the Christ candle.
Advent video presentations
Utilizing brief Advent video presentations can help set the scene for Advent worship. Check the Advent videos of GCI’s new series: Jesus Revealed Through the Worship Calendar. Search on the internet to see what else is available.
Advent Bible Studies, Connect Groups, Retreats
You might consider planning extra events or activities that bring members together to celebrate and learn more about this wonderful season? If the gathering brings members and neighbors together in a Love Avenue activity, even better. Some ideas include running an Advent retreat, holding Advent focused connect groups or Bible Studies before or during Advent, in person or on Zoom. Perhaps you could invite other congregations to participate or join in with what others are doing.
Including children
Advent provides opportunities for lots of creative engagement and activities with children. Some ideas include drawing pictures or writing a poem or story symbolizing each weekly theme, making and using an advent wreath and/or Advent calendar. Some families create pockets for each day of the calendar containing small gifts, a card with the RCL readings for each day etc.
More ideas can be found through an internet search. Here are a few to get started with.
- What we’re doing this Advent (and how you can steal it all) – Sacraparental
- https://aroundtheyear.org/advent-crafts/
- https://lca.box.com/shared/static/gbbebd3uoj8q1cxydpt1pykdheq2y2e5.pdf
Preaching
The RCL texts for Advent lead us through the simple but profound themes of Advent providing a wonderful framework for sermons focusing on our sure hope and giving us reason for peace and joy and building our faith in all that God has done, is doing, and will complete in his Son. In these difficult times, we have the opportunity to preach the themes of hope, peace, love, and joy and how, in the end, in and through Jesus, there will be full and complete justice and peace. Tohu and bohu (Genesis 1:2), chaos and confusion, troubles, pain and loneliness will be no more. God and his love will prevail in the hearts and lives of all.
Songs/Hymns
We can reinforce and celebrate the spiritual meaning of Advent by choosing songs that focus on each week’s theme.
Advent worship ideas and resources
- https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2011/11/advent-worship-resource-index.html This includes prayers, benedictions and Reader’s Theatre scripts.
- https://www.liturgylink.net/2015/11/23/benedictions-for-advent/ Benedictions for each week of Advent.
Leading the ADVENTure
With prayerful preparation, thought and teamwork, Advent can be a spiritually formational and transformational experience, reinforced through the knowledge of Jesus having come down to earth to be born as one of us, his presence with us now, accompanied by the hope of his coming fully and finally in the future to make all things right and good.
Come, Lord Jesus, come!
[1] The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume, pp 791—792.
Thanks Phil – good to hear from you, brother!
Thanks Marty. It was a privilege to be asked to write it. Blessings from Tasmania!