Advent-Christmas Worship Series, November 27 – January 8

From Generation to Generation, We Tell the Story

The stories, scriptures, and traditions of the Christmas season have been passed down to us throughout the generations. Many of us enter this season with a swell of memories and emotions as vast as the cultural and religious rituals this holiday holds. Like a tapestry woven throughout time, the Christmas story weaves us in — to remember how God has shown up in the past, to continue the work of collective liberation, to behold the presence of God in flesh and bone.

 

Our Advent “From Generation to Generation” theme from @sanctifiedart is also a call to action: What are we being called to generate or bring forth? What have your ancestors and those who have come before you passed on for you to continue? Considering the many ways we embody, remember, and tell the story of Christ’s birth, which rituals hold the most meaning for you? What about this season will you pass on to the next generation?

 

From Generation to Generation… reminds us of the ways our lives, histories, actions, and stories are interconnected and woven together. The work of God is always unfolding — in and through us. This Advent, may you remember that you belong — to a story etched into the wrinkles of time, to generations that have come before and will come after, to a love that won’t let you go.

  • Advent 1: Sunday, Nov. 27 [view on YouTube]

    There’s Room for Every Story

    Focus Scriptures: Matthew 1:1–17; Isaiah 2:1–5

    Matthew begins the story of Jesus with a genealogy that goes back to Abraham. Embedded in that genealogy are stories of triumph and hope, but also of grief and loss, exploitation and despair. Because there is room in God’s love and God’s economy for every story. God’s promises have come to every generation, in every human condition, and as we retell the old, old story, we remember anew that there is room for our stories as well.

  • Advent 2: Sunday, Dec. 4 [view on YouTube]

    God Meets Us in Our Fear

    Focus Scriptures: Luke 1:26–38; Isaiah 11:1–10

    “Do not be afraid,” the angel tells Mary when she receives the news that she is to bear a child. This phrase occurs more times than any other in the Bible. From generation to generation, God shows up in the midst of our fear and uncertainty and confusion and calls to us with these words. They carry a promise, not that we will be free from trouble or pain, but God will never leave us alone. The promise gives Mary the courage to say “yes” to God, and through the ages our ancestors in faith have responded to God’s calling and God’s promise. We hear the words again in this season of uncertainty and confusion, and remember anew that we can trust God to be with us as we work for a realm where peace and freedom reign.

  • Advent 3: Sunday, Dec. 11 [view on YouTube]

    We Can Choose a Better Way

    Focus Scriptures: Matthew 1:18–25; Isaiah 35:1–10

    Joseph also hears the voice of the angel saying “do not be afraid.” The voice of the angel gives him the courage to turn aside from a path that makes sense in the world he lives in and live into a future that he cannot control. He stays with Mary and they form a nontraditional family, following God’s call to choose grace over condemnation. Our ancestors in faith have sometimes chosen the better way, and sometimes not. In our world today, what are the choices that we lead us to the holy way?

  • Advent 4: Sunday, Dec. 18 [view on YouTube]

    We See God in Each Other

    Focus Scripture: Luke 1:39–58

    Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, perhaps to share the waiting time together. Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and speaks a blessing upon Mary as her own child leaps and kicks within her womb. She sees how God is at work and names it out loud. This connection inspires Mary to sing her radical hymn of praise, declaring how God’s liberating love remains steadfast throughout the ages. From generation to generation, we can see how God is at work in our relationships. The way we see the divine in each other affects how we live and move in the world. When we view every human being as a child of God, we generate a different world.

  • Christmas Eve: Saturday, Dec. 24 at 4:00pm

    We Tell This Story

    Focus Scripture: Luke 2: 1–20

    We tell this story every year. We tell this story because it illustrates so clearly God’s desire to be in relationship with us. We tell this story because we, too, are invited to come to the manger and witness the miracle of birth. We tell this story because it brings us hope and good news — hope especially for those deemed powerless, unworthy, or unwelcome. We tell this story because it is a story we need to hear again and again, to pass along this good news and to continue to thread together the generations with hope.

  • Christmas: Sunday, Dec. 25 — online/remote only

    God Dwells with Us

    This is a pre-recorded service of music and reflection that all are invited to share in your homes (or wherever you may be), watching on YouTube or Zoom.

     

    Focus Scriptures: John 1:1–14, Luke 2:15–21

    “And the Word became flesh and lived among us…” (John 1:14a). Unlike the other gospels, John’s gospel offers us

    a cosmic glimpse of Christ’s birth. Christ’s beginning was with God, therefore, Christ has been with us since life

    began. On this Christmas Sunday, we celebrate the many ways God dwells with us from generation to generation,

    since the beginning of time. Like Mary pondering the angels’ message in her heart, we invite you to dwell in your

    worship, perhaps embracing stillness, contemplative practices, creativity, and prayer. In the fullness of this season,

    come dwell with God — in silence or in song, in prayer or in stillness.

  • New Year’s Day: Sunday, Jan. 1 — online/remote only

    This is a pre-recorded service featuring readings and meditative opportunities. All are invited to share in your homes (or wherever you may be), watching on YouTube or Zoom.

  • Epiphany: Sunday, Jan. 8

    We Keep Seeking

    Focus Scripture: Matthew 2:1–23

    The Magi were seekers. They sought wisdom, they sought the divine, they sought fortunes to tell the future. Their seeking leads them to Jesus, the newborn king of another culture and religion. And yet, their seeking is also what protects them from Herod’s deception and harm. After the Magi go home by another way, Joseph is visited again by an angel in his dream. This time, the angel brings a warning, and like before, Joseph heeds the message.  Fleeing from Herod’s massacre, Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus seek refuge in Egypt; they remain there, living as immigrants, until Herod dies. Like the Magi, may we seek the divine and be willing to journey closer to God. Like the Holy Family, may we seek safety for all families who are under threat. This new year and every year to come, let us keep seeking — wisdom, justice, and a better world.

Branding & Design by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman. Photography by Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity. © A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org

 

Star Words: A spiritual practice for Epiphany

We invite everyone to participate in our Star Words activity — a tradition that many congregations engage in at Epiphany to help us to pay attention to what God might be revealing. Let this word be a guiding word for the year. Write it down and post it somewhere you will see it every day, and get into a habit of asking yourself and God what can be learned from it. Let your Star Word help you find a greater connection with God this coming year.


Click here to be redirected to a random Star Words generator provided to us courtesy of the RevGals Facebook group that Pastors Kimberly and Becky are both a part of.