ADVENT
ADVENT
NOV 29-DEC 24
WHAT IS
ADVENT?
Christmas has long since gone commercial, hasn’t it? When many people think of Advent, they think of plucking chocolates from behind the window of an Advent calendar that counts down the days to Christmas. We have the brilliant holiday marketing minds at Cadbury to thank for that. They created the first chocolate Advent calendar in 1958.
But the word advent actually comes from the Latin adventus, which simply means “arrival.” Advent is the coming, the arrival, of the presence of God Himself— God with us. For hundreds of years, followers of Jesus from a wide variety of church traditions around the world have set aside the four weeks leading up to Christmas as a meaningful season of celebration and anticipation.
That’s what we’re up to here.
A Guide to Participating in Advent
In addition to gathering together as a church each week, during the Advent season we want you to consider connecting with a few friends or family members once a week (Sunday evenings if you can) to enjoy community and encounter God together.
If the whole idea of celebrating Advent is new to you, you’re in good hands. We put together a guide to walk you through weekly Advent Gatherings and a series of Advent Candle-Lighting Liturgies to do together with your family and friends. The guide also includes resources for creating space to encounter God daily and make the most of this season with the people you love.
How to get the Guide:
1. Pick Up In-Person
Grab a physical copy of our Advent Guide this weekend at church.
2. Download a PDF Version
Joining us online? Click here to download a PDF version of your Advent guide today.
Christmas Together
Advent begins November 29th and ends on Christmas Eve, December 24th. We’ll take the four weeks of Advent leading up to Christmas Eve to focus on a different theme of celebration and anticipation—hope, peace, joy, and love. Our Advent season will crescendo with a meaningful Christmas Eve service that our whole church will participate in together in person or online.