Advent Sundays

From the list below (see "Christian Advent") there is a ready-made outline for the four Sundays of Advent.

On the first Sunday, the church can focus on the Christian concepts at the manger (peace, love, joy and hope) and what those mean to us in the form of Christian education and implementation of that knowledge.

On the second Sunday, the church can focus on the animals at the manger (donkey, cow, sheep, and camels) and their attitude of uncomplaining service and how we as Christians should imitate their humble service to God.

On the third Sunday, the church can focus on the people at the manger (shepherds, wise men, angels and Mary & Joseph) and how they worshipped a new-born baby and only Mary really, really knew the full story (Joseph had to trust Mary). How does the church today really, really worship God and is it worthy of Him?

On the fourth Sunday, the church can focus on the cities of the Christmas story (Nazareth, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Babylon [where the Magi came from]) and how the church using evangelism and fellowship to reach out to those people who do not know the Christ story.

Each Sunday, one part of the mission of the church, one part of the Christmas story. There are so many aspects to this concept that ministers have a wealth of material. But please, keep it simple - God's revelation through Jesus is not complicated but it difficult. Don't try to make the Christ-story easy and complicated.


Lead On!
Steve

Christian Advent

This blog is not financial in nature - just spiritual.

Advent is the time of the Christian calendar that is a time of mental and spiritual preparation ("waiting") for Christmas - the anniversary of the birth of Jesus the Christ. Many churches have the practice of lighting candles during the four Sundays before Christmas and then, on Christmas Eve, lighting a fifth candle at the center of the wreath holding the other four. The fifth candle is always the Christ candle.

As I sat in worship yesterday and watched a couple light the first Advent Candle, I commented to my daughter, age 10, about the different symbolisms Christian worship has attached to these four candles. The most popular are the Christian Concepts:

• Hope
• Joy
• Peace
• Love

But we also have the people associated with Christmas:

• Shepherds
• Wise men
• Angels
• Mary and Joseph

Another version is for the animals present on Christmas Day:

• Sheep
• Donkeys
• Cattle
• Camels

Yesterday I thought of a variation I'd never heard before - the cities in the Christmas narrative:

• Nazareth - where Mary & Joseph were living
• Bethlehem - where Jesus was born
• Jerusalem - where Mary, Joseph, and the Magi passed through
• Babylon - where the Magi came from

The church has five main functions:

• education (see in teaching the Christian concepts),
• worship (seen in the actions of the people at the nativity),
• service (seen in the humble but important work by the animals),
• evangelism and fellowship (seen in the cities where so many people live).

Here is a direct link from the purpose of the church directly to the Christmas story. But too many times we focus only on one aspect when the story is so rich with other details. As Christians we need to dig deeper into this story - God's incredible story - to see the phenomenal nuances.

Lead On!
Steve