Join us on Sundays at 10am!  In-person or online.

We invite you to explore the gifts of our faith throughout the month of December.   If you ever thought about visiting a church or have been away from church for a while, this will be an opportunity to think about the blessings that God brings to our lives, and a chance to rediscover the traditions of faith. If you are looking to go deeper in your faith, I hope you will join us and find new ways to feel the fullness of God’s love and how to share the gifts of faith with others.   

 

The Gift of Waiting

The four Sundays before Christmas are a time of waiting and preparation. We call this Advent. It may be strange to call a season of waiting for a gift, but in a world that demands so much of us, having a specific time to pause – and wait– gives us the opportunity to practice. We will learn how to find the gifts that make up all the seasons of our lives.  Our Christian traditions are like a road map for us.  Before rushing into the celebrations, we should pause, wait, and reflect.  We need to ground ourselves in the gifts of God.  

 

Lighting of the Candles

In the church, we mark the season with light. Each of the four Sundays of Advent we light a candle. The candles symbolize Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Through prayers, songs, scripture readings, and meditations, we allow our hearts to be filled with mystery and wonder, recognizing the ways the light of hope, peace, joy, and love penetrate the darkness in our world and prepare our hearts to receive the gift from God.

 

Christmas, More than a Day

Finally, after weeks of waiting, Christmas finally comes! Our candlelight service on Sunday, December 24 at 6 pm will kick off the season lighting the Christ Candle and symbolically passing the light until it fills the worship space.

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But that is only the beginning— Have you ever felt the letdown and disappointment of a holiday not living up to your expectations?  That is another gift of our faith. God knew we needed more than one day to take in the full impact of Jesus- God made flesh coming into the World. Christian traditions celebrate 12 days of Christmas, from Christmas Day through Epiphany.  One of our members is writing a devotional that will help us fully liveinto and be present during the entire Christmas celebration this year. On January 6 we will gather for an Epiphany party to mark the end of the Christmas season. All are welcome to join us for this time of celebration.

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Learn more about Advent here: https://www.umc.org/en/content/what-is-advent-about

https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-do-the-candles-in-our-advent-wreath-mean

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