City Church Family:
Advent is a word that means “coming” or “arrival.” It’s a four-week period leading up to Christmas in which we celebrate the first coming of Jesus and anticipate his second coming. We have chosen the theme of “Waiting” to orient our Advent reflections this year. In general, Advent is a season meant to grow us in the practice of waiting for Jesus and the fulfillment of his promises. In particular, 2020 has been a year that has forced us all into waiting amid a global pandemic, civil unrest, and political drama.
We want to use this Advent season to explore what it means to wait for Jesus as we navigate the difficulties of 2020. While our experience of Advent will be different due to the pandemic, I am hopeful that it will still be spiritually meaningful. Here is what we have planned…
Advent Sermon Series
The first Sunday of Advent is November 29. Our Advent sermon series, “Waiting,” will be rooted in the Old Testament Book of Ruth.
Nov 15 — Ruth 1, Unexpected Loss
Nov 22 — Ruth 1, Unexpected Provision 1
Nov 29 — Ruth 2, Unexpected Provision 2
Dec 6 — Ruth 3, Unexpected Faith
Dec 13 — Ruth 4, Unexpected Redemption
The sermon on December 20, the final Sunday of Advent, will focus on the theme of waiting as it relates to the Christmas story in Scripture.
Daily Scripture Readings
You can download daily Scripture readings for Advent as well as the Embody tool that we created.
Advent Reflections
We will share personal reflections written by members of the City Church family each week during Advent. These will be shared on our website and promoted on social media.
Pre-recorded Christmas Service and Special Music Videos
We plan to record a brief Christmas service that will premiere on our YouTube channel on December 20th at 6 p.m. Members of the music team will also release videos of special music in mid-December.
Congregational Sharing Event
The dark cloud that hovers over 2020 can make it hard to see the ways God has provided and revealed his presence this year. We are going to gather as a church family via Zoom on December 20 after the virtual Christmas service that evening to help each other see beyond the cloud as we share stories of God’s faithfulness. More details to come.
I pray that this Advent season will be a time of spiritual renewal as we close out what has been a difficult year for us all.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Jason