Advent 2022 - Week 5
Christmas Eve
Welcome to our last night of the Advent! Tonight we’ll be doing communion, and instead of our common discussion questions we’ll have a more personal time where we all be reflecting individually about the suggested questions.
Read
Sing a new song to the Lord!
Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
2 Sing to the Lord; praise his name.
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
3 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
4 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 The gods of other nations are mere idols,
but the Lord made the heavens!
6 Honor and majesty surround him;
strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.7 O nations of the world, recognize the Lord;
recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
8 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!
Bring your offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.
Let all the earth tremble before him.
10 Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.
He will judge all peoples fairly.11 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
12 Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
Let the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he is coming!
He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
and the nations with his truth.—Psalm 96
Candle Ceremony
Was it a frantic beauty
Or a calculated mess
When the Formless darkness your spirit sorted
Out of hiding
Architect and builder same
Light then life came
All is right and beautiful
‘Let’s make man the pinnacle, let’s make man the pinnacle’
Men couldn’t find his stride
Try and try but wipe the slate
Then Abraham with perfect promise, perfect promise
Armed your people with your faithfulness
Split red oceans at your wishes
Walked your chosen into life
Zion land and prophets countless
None could answer the question quite right
Watch
Advent
Advent is not just a title for the four weeks before Christmas. It has been an opportunity for us to meditate on the strange and unexpected way that God sent the Messiah to His people after thousands of years of waiting.
Today, we are on the other side of history. We get to appreciate Jesus Christ in the fullness of His glory as we await his return. And we can see that the story of redemption played out in the Old Testament is being repeated, but this time around all people are invited into God’s family.
Right before Jesus is put to death, He prays for God to make that reality come true.
20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
25 “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”
—John 17:20-26
The lives of people who have been transformed by this unifying truth are marked by four characteristics: hope, peace, joy, and love.
Hope
Even when we see evil and oppression all around us, Jesus brings hope that transcends us wishing for circumstances to change. Biblical hope is looking forward to a new heaven and new earth where there is no more evil, oppression, crying, hurt, or pain. Where all people and all of creation are living in perfect unity.
Peace
Even when experience broken relationships and injustices, Jesus promises to bring Shalom—wholeness, restoration, completion. Biblical peace is being confident that Jesus has already done the hard work of liberating us from the sin that divides us, so now we can work toward unity with one another.
Joy
Even in a world full of darkness, loss, and selfishness, Jesus gives us the ability to be joyful without ignoring or burying our sorrow. “[Biblical] joy is an attitude God’s people adopt, not because of happy circumstances, but because of their hope in God’s love and promise.” —The Bible Project
Love
Even when other people are evil toward us, cheat us, or revile us, Jesus enables us to love them unconditionally. Biblical love flows from a security that we have received everything we could ever need and more through Jesus Christ, so we have nothing to lose and nothing to prove.
During these Advent weeks, we reflect on 4 major characteristics of God, His Kingdom, and His family: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.
As the next song plays, reflect individually on following questions.
REFLECT
Looking back on this year as it ends, when were the times you recall making peace, joy, love, and hope an action? What was the result?
What is the next one step that you can take to keep going deeper into that decision and experience?
What are the things that you became thankful for this year that you previously didn’t appreciate?
Communion
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
—Luke 2:1-19
Let’s take a moment to take communion while we listen to this next song.
Merry Christmas! Peace be with you! Shalom!
Additional Reflection Questions
Where does redemption feel impossible in your life?
What does Jesus have to say to you about that right now?