Psalm 148:1-14 • Isaiah 61:10-62:3 • Galatians 4:4-7 • Luke 2:22-40
We are in the Christmas season, a time when we celebrate the coming of Christ as a baby in Bethlehem. This week’s theme is redeemed for relationship. In the psalm, praise is virtually commanded for the God who rescued Israel and brought them close to him. Isaiah rejoiced over the Lord, who tenderly and personally clothed him with salvation. In the Galatians passage, Paul informs us that Christ enabled us to be adopted by a loving Father. In Luke, Simeon and Anna bear witness that Jesus is salvation for all people.
Abba, Father
Galatians 4:4-7 NIV
Six days ago, most believers celebrated Jesus’ birth. Traditionally, people around the world exchange gifts on... Read the article
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Psalm 96:1-13 • Isaiah 9:2-7 • Titus 2:11-14 • Luke 2:1-14
Each week of Advent, we will include a brief Advent service to accompany the lighting of a candle in the Advent wreath. We conclude this on our Christmas Eve service.
Christmas Eve (or beginning of service on Christmas Day) – White Candle
As we begin our Christmas celebration, celebrating Jesus’ birth, we light the final candle of the Advent wreath. First, we lit the candle for Hope because Jesus is our hope. Second, we lit the candle for Peace because Jesus is our hope and peace. Third, we lit the candle for Joy because Jesus brings joy and fourth, the candle for Love because Jesus is love. Today we light the center candle. This is the Christ candle. Jesus... Read the article
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Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 • 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 • Romans 16:25-27 • Luke 1:26-38
Each week of Advent, we will include a brief Advent service to accompany the lighting of a candle in the Advent wreath.
Fourth Sunday of Advent – Purple Candle
Today we relight the first three candles of the Advent Wreath — the candles of HOPE, PEACE and JOY. Now we light the fourth candle of Advent. This is the candle of LOVE. Jesus demonstrated self-giving love in his ministry as the Good Shepherd. Advent is a time for kindness, thinking of others, and sharing with others. It is a time to love as God loved us by giving us his most precious gift. As God is love, let us be love also. In the Book of Psalms, we find these words:
I will sing of your... Read the article
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Psalm 126:1-6 • Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 • 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 • John 1:6-8, 19-28
Each week of Advent, we will include a brief Advent service to accompany the lighting of a candle in the Advent wreath.
Third Sunday of Advent – Rose Candle
We relight the first candles of the Advent wreath – the candle of HOPE and the candle of PEACE. Now we light the third candle of Advent. This is the candle of JOY. As the coming of Jesus, our Savior, draws nearer, our joy builds with our anticipation of his birth. From the Book of Isaiah we read the words of our Lord:
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim... Read the article
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Psalm 85:1-2,8-13 • Isaiah 40:1-11 • 2 Peter 3:8-15a • Mark 1:1-8
Each week of Advent, we will include a brief Advent service to accompany the lighting of a candle in the Advent wreath.
Second Sunday of Advent – Purple Candle
Last week we lit the candle of HOPE. We will relight that candle, and we will light the candle for the second Sunday in Advent. This is the candle of PEACE. As we prepare for the coming of Jesus, we remember that Jesus is our hope and our peace. We will read from the prophet Isaiah, and the apostle John:
Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double... Read the article
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Psalm 80:1-7,17-19 • Isaiah 64:1-9 • 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 • Mark 13:24-37
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, and traditionally, Advent is a season of expectation and waiting, preparation and anticipation. Our RCL scriptures for this Advent season also include some apocalyptic texts, ones that disrupt our usual way of viewing Advent and the Incarnation. They encourage us to watch for God to be revealed in our world now, adding a new layer of insight about the Christmas season. Emmanuel – God with us – is here now and will come again. This Advent, we are re-orienting ourselves to thinking about and living in time differently. Instead of having a future focus, we anticipate God’s presence in the present. Rather than thinking we... Read the article
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Advent is a season of expectation. But not the expectation of some far-off event, more like the expectation of a woman with child. It is the awareness of present life, and the knowledge that one day that life will burst forth into the world.
In this sacred season of the worship calendar, we find ourselves waiting with great hope for the ultimate return of Jesus and the fulfillment of his unwavering promises. We stand on the lookout, ever ready to run towards him when we catch even a glimpse of his presence.
Before we celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, Advent calls us to remember God's faithfulness in our past and celebrate the promises for our future, especially the ultimate return of Christ, a time when all will be made right.
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We hope that your journey in crafting the Ministry Action Plan (MAP) for 2025 is filled with inspiration. Following the release of last month's articles and MAP templates, we've received inquiries about what a typical TMAP or IMAP might resemble. To address this curiosity, we've attached sample versions, thoughtfully provided by Cara Garrity, our Ministry Development Coordinator. You can access these samples via the links below. If you happened to miss last month's article, you can catch up on it by following this link.
TMAP TEMPLATE 2024_SAMPLEIMAP TEMPLATE 2024_SAMPLE
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In the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, Solomon reminds us that everything has a season, including a time to die. While this reality can bring us sorrow and be hard to accept, it is the natural order of things in this present evil age. We have hope in Jesus that one day death will be no more. However, in the meantime, we must accept that the people and things we care about will come to an end one day.
Generations Ministries (GenMin) will end its operations at the conclusion of 2023. GenMin was primarily focused on supporting regional camps and mission trips. GCI no longer sponsors any mission trips, and our emphasis has shifted to neighborhood camps. Hence, there is’nt a need for a centralized coordinator of activities for children... Read the article
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A children’s Advent story you may want to read at church.
By Bill Winn, Pastor, Grace Communion Hanover
Once upon a time—because all good stories begin this way—there was a little girl who loved her mother and father dearly. Her father was a blacksmith, and her mother sewed breeches and shirts for the sailors who lived in their small seaside village. [Breeches are short pants that fit snugly below the knee.]
Celia was a bright child and full of wonder. She had a vivid imagination and a daring heart. Her family was not rich, but they also were not counted among the poor. Celia considered herself immensely blessed. Her family was kind and loving. They had all that they needed.
Though her parents often struggled to understand... Read the article
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