Draw Near – Advent 2018
Pastor Jason It’s an exciting time of year! Music on the radio is changing. Lights are beginning to twinkle. Decorations are coming out. Christmas is coming! And that means Advent – the spiritual season of preparation for the coming of the Christ Child – begins this Sunday!
Advent is my favorite season in the church calendar for so many reasons: the colors, the lights, the music, the stories, the special events, the food, the family, the beauty, and the coming of Christ into the world as one of us! It is truly, as the song says, the most wonderful time of the year.
This year, Pastor Joanie and I are really excited to share with you our Advent Theme: Draw Near!
This year we will be using some more of the amazing original artwork from the talented ladies at A Sanctified Art. Each week there will be several pieces of art created specifically with our weekly Advent scriptures in mind. You will find these and accompanying reflections in an Advent Devotional which we have available to pick up at the church. Please make sure you grab one to use throughout the Advent Season as you prepare for Christmas.
Typically during Advent we remember thematic words that speak of what Christ’s coming means to the world: Hope, Peace, Joy & Love. We will certainly recall each week how these big ideas speak to the meaning of Christmas. In addition, each week we will explore the coming of Christ through our Advent Theme:
- Draw Near to Wonder
- Draw Near to Truth
- Draw Near to Justice
- Draw Near to One Another
I invite you to begin praying today for the coming of Christ into our lives again this Christmas. Pray for your family and friends. Pray for yourself. Pray for our community. Pray for our church. Pray for those with much. Pray for those with little. Pray for those who are heard and those who are unheard. Pray that we will all Draw Near to Christ through Wonder, Truth, Justice and One Another. Pray that this year the world will live more fully into the Love Hope Peace and Joy which Christ offers to us this Christmas season.
This Week at Hood
Wednesday, November 28, 1:30 pm – Prayer & Inspiration Small Group
Wednesday, November 28, 6:00 pm – Choir Practice
Thursday, November 29th, 3:00 pm – Ladles of Love Meal Preparation
Thursday, November 29th, 4:00 pm – Ladles of Love Meal Delivery
Thursday, November 29, 6:15 pm – NO SMALL GROUP
Sunday, December 2, 11:00 am – Worship: Hanging of the Greens
Upcoming Events:
Saturday, December 8th, 4:00 pm – Dinner at Lashmit Lakehouse and Tour of Lights at Lu Mil Vineyard ($6 person)
Sunday, December 16th, 11:00 am – Worship: Choir Cantata; 12 noon – Church-wide Christmas Lunch
Monday, December 24th, 5:30 pm – Christmas Eve Candlelight Service