We have moved int a brand-new liturgical year.  Today we celebrate the being of 2024 and the start of the advent season.  Advent is the time when we prepare for the coming of our savior Jesus Christ in three ways.  The first is to receive the child an in the nativity where the Son of God is born in a manger in Bethlehem.  The second is when we receive him into our hearts as our guide and redeemer.  The third is our recognition that Christ will come again to redeem the earth.

The four Sundays of Advent are visualized the the Advent wreath.  The wreath starts with an evergreen wreath usually holding four blue candles around the edge and a white candle in the center.  The blue candles represent hope, peace, joy and love.  A blue candle in lit every Sunday, with a communal reading.   On Christmas Eve the white candle is lit as we recall our saviors birth.

Candle Lighting:  This morning we light the first candle,  the candle of hope.  This candle reminds us that God’s promises give us reason to be filled with hope – hope for unity in a world of division, hope for healing in a world of pain, and hope for peace in a world filled with anger and strife.  We remember that Christ is our light and the source of our hope.

Prayer:  Gracious God, as we begin our Advent journey we thank you for the gift of your Son, and sending hope into a world filled with dread.  Help us remember that we are your people who need to keep awake, be alert, and know that because of your promises we have every reason to be hopeful.  Take away our doubt and fear, and remind us that Christ is our light, and the true source of hope.  Amen.

Join us as we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent in our December 3rd Worship Service.