Wondering where to find peace and time with God during the busy holiday season? Here are a few great offerings from around the Church for Advent 2018. Most of these programs and activities are suitable for individuals and congregations alike.
Photo by Lukas Langrock on Unsplash.
Journey the Way of Love
The Gospel of Luke provides a pattern for understanding how we can live the Way of Love as individuals, as families and friends, as a community, and out in the world. The Episcopal Church’s Journeying the Way of Love Advent curriculum offers four sessions focused on Luke’s Gospel for small groups. They’re just right for your church’s Christian formation hour before or after worship.
Don’t forget to download the accompanying Journeying the Way of Love Advent Calendar for your desk, fridge, or bulletin board. Keep it handy for daily suggestions to engage the seven practices of the Way of Love: Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, and Rest.
Try out a “Mason Jar”Advent
Before there was plastic, we preserved summer’s bounty in simple mason jars, so that even in the barren days of winter, we could taste God’s goodness and foretaste the bounty and harvest to come.
The Salt Project’s “A Mason Jar Advent,” is a printable Advent calendar in the form of beautifully illustrated gift tags, each with an Advent prayer, activity, conversation starter, or social media prompt. Each type of tag gets its own colored ribbon, and all the tags then go into a simple mason jar. As each day unfolds, you simply draw a card—and day by day, week by week, prayer by prayer, action by action, together we count down to that holy night when God slips into the world.
Contribute to a global Advent Calendar.
Sign up for a daily e-mail meditation from Virginia Theological Seminary, then share your response by posting a photo with the hashtag #AdventWord to help create a crowd-sourced global Advent calendar on social media. Over at GrowChristians, one mom shares how she’ll be using this tool to observe Advent with her children.
Want to get even more creative? Praying in Color has printable advent calendar templates for coloring that can be used alongside the #AdventWord project.
Take a lunch break with the Bishop’s Advent bible study.
Spend your lunch break reflecting on scripture! Join Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe of the Episcopal Diocese of CNY for a live online bible study right from the comfort of your home or office. On Thursdays, Dec. 6, 13 & 20 at noon, the bishop and a guest will reflect on the upcoming Sunday’s reading from Luke’s Gospel, and respond to your questions and comments. Learn how to join in at cnyepiscopal.org/advent-study>
Help refugees in the name of Jesus.
Episcopal Migration Ministry is offering a special series of one-hour webinars in Advent to help you learn about refugee resettlement and how you can welcome refugees and immigrants in your local community and beyond. Walking in Welcome: An Advent Series with Episcopal Migration Ministries airs on December 5th at 4:00 p.m., December 13th at 4:00 p.m. and December 18th at noon. Learn more and register>
Make a gift for life.
Who doesn’t want a flock of chickens for Christmas? Episcopal Relief & Development’s “Gifts for Life” are a meaningful and fun gift for your loved ones. Your gift can reach across the world to give a cow that will protect a family from malnourishment, a bicycle to make home visits easier for community volunteers, or a disaster relief kit with lifesaving necessities.
How will you be holding space for God in your life this Advent? Leave us a comment to share your ideas!
