As we dive into this Christmas season we wanted to give a different vantage point on the impact of Jesus’ coming 2000 years ago. Often times we only focus on the birth of Jesus, and we forget this was God’s plan all along. Jesus wasn’t God’s Plan B; he was always Plan A to come and rescue us. It’s a story God was weaving from before time began. And the story he was and is weaving wasn’t for a select few, it was for the WHOLE WORLD. Over this series, we will take a look at how Christmas brought something new into humanity and how its beauty is celebrated differently across nations, ethnicities, and languages. Here’s a preview of what’s to come:
- Light of the World | December 4th – No matter where Christmas is celebrated in the world, lights are an essential element. Whether it’s hanging them on your house the day after Thanksgiving, lighting candles on December 24, or decorating streets with luminarias, Christmas is the embodiment of God bringing light into the darkness.
- Family around the World | December 11th – Christmas is best celebrated when we are surrounded by the ones we love. Through Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, we are invited into the family of God. That means we are chosen. That means we belong!
- Song for the World | December 18th – Maybe you start playing Christmas music the first day of November or right after Thanksgiving dessert. No matter what or when, music is so essential to the Holiday season. It’s a reminder of the spiritual reality that all of Creation sings God’s praises. You and I can join in that chorus with our own “song” when we really encounter God.
- Gift to the World | December 24th*** – Giving and receiving gifts is almost universal. Usually, when we get a gift, we receive something we did not pay for and did nothing to earn. It’s given to us out of love. Jesus was the ultimate embodiment of this. He bridged the gap between God and us and gave us the gift of life.
*** Christmas Eve service will be at 4PM on Saturday. We’ll also have some extra celebratory elements, so we hope to see you there! Please note that on December 25th & January 1st, we will have ONLINE ONLY services.
