The Season I Love to Repeat
By, Sharon Withers
Today, as I write this, is gray and overcast, a perfect Winter day, quiet and still. The trees, stripped to the bones, show off their true structure, emphasized by the hoarfrost. Nature is resting and awaiting the advent of spring.
The Church celebrates seasons as well, and Advent may be my favorite. It is a time of waiting and watching for the Light, of quiet anticipation, of lighting candles in the darkness. When I am quiet and stripped to the bones in my heart and in my head, the Light and hope have room to well up inside me, extinguishing the darkness. I grow inwardly giddy with watching and waiting for the celebration of Christmas, when the Light first revealed Himself as a baby in a dirty, humble manger.
Advent also reminds me that the Light of the World will come again, but in glory. Through this season, I learn Kingdom living: He has come and risen, but He will come again; now but not yet. Today and every day, Jesus is my only hope and the hope for this broken world. Advent helps me live with the daily tensions and conflicts, with the calamity and grief I see in and around me. So, I seek to quietly rest in Him, looking every day for the Light to shine through the Darkness within me and all around me. When, in summer, I am thoughtful enough to remember the waiting and hope and candles of December, I know Advent is in some way a year-round season for me.
I believe God expresses Himself in His creation and its rhythms, and that influences my experience of Advent, both spiritually and in nature. For all these reasons and more, I find comfort in Winter and cherish Advent.
Immanuel. Come, Lord Jesus.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; —Isaiah 9:2 (NKJV)
The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. —John 1:4-5 (NLT)
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” —John 8:12 (NKJV)
DECEMBER 24 | CHRISTMAS EVE SUNDAY. Join us as we explore the great joy of this Advent Season in both a morning and evening service!
9 a.m. Sunday Worship. We extend a warm welcome to you, family and friends for a morning service of singing, lighting the Advent candles, our children’s choir and a Christ-exalting message. When God created the world, it was completely aligned with his will. But, when humanity sinned, it became misaligned, resulting in pain, death, and war. Throughout history, godly leaders have helped us realign our wills with God’s and have helped reestablish peace but it has never been complete nor permanent. Individually and collectively, we alternate between more and less alignment with God’s will but we never achieve perfect or lasting peace. Often, it seems like there will never be a leader capable of achieving it and that thought is truly devastating. However, it’s wrong. There is in fact a leader who can and will enact God’s redemptive plan for the world and such a leader is worthy of all the worship the world can muster. This Christmas Eve, Executive Pastor Arik Stewart brings us a message titled Jesus’ Gifts to Us:God’s Peace based on Revelation 5:1-14. If you are unable to join us in person, please visit the 9 a.m. livestream or view the sermon recording here.
6 p.m. Candlelight Celebration. Please also join us for our Christmas Eve evening service featuring Christmas music throughout and carols by candlelight at the end of the service. This will be a special year as we are joining our Christmas Eve service with Reclamation Church (who rent our sanctuary in the evenings) – and they will be performing a baptism during the service! If anyone from Hope is also interested in being baptized on Christmas Eve, please contact Lead Pastor Dean Wertz directly. The message time will be a brief as Lead Pastor Dean Wertz focuses on Jesus’ Gifts to Us: The Giver is the Gift. Please invite friends and family for this beautiful expression of worship and celebration!
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY. This 4th Sunday of the month is a Family Sunday for our morning Christmas Eve Service. Kids of all ages are invited to remain in the service with their families. The Children’s Choir will be singing during the 9 a.m. service as well and activity packets and sermon notes are available in the welcome booth. We encourage children to participate in worship and engage in all aspects of the service as they are able. The baby sky box is also available for families with babies and toddlers.
YOUTH. Mark your calendars for Friday, December 29 – we’re holding a Christmas Party Night from 6 to 9 p.m. at Hope! We’ll vote on a Christmas movie and enjoy hot chocolate, candy canes and gingerbread! If you’d like to RSVP or have questions, email Tara.
FINANCIAL UPDATE. In September, our income and expenses were almost break-even. In October, our income was significantly higher than our expenses. In November, our income was slightly higher than our expenses. For the quarter, we are in a cash-positive position. Thank you, Lord for continuing to provide financial peace! If you have any questions about Hope’s financials, please contact Arik Stewart.
YEAR-END GIVING. If you would like to give a year-end gift to Hope, thank you! To give online, please click here. To give via check, please mail to Hope Church, 1801 S. Logan St. Denver, CO 80210 or use the sanctuary offering boxes. To ensure that your gift is included in the 2023 tax year, please ensure that it is received by Hope by Sunday, December 31. Thank you!
RECENTLY UPDATED | FOOD BANK. The Community Ministry is in need of the following items: Canned Tomato Sauce, Cereal, Jelly, Soup, Diced Tomatoes, Warm Jackets for Adults. Please consider donating these items by placing them in the collection basket in the foyer. Thank you, Hope!
HOPE GROUPS. Hope Groups are an amazing way to connect to others, deepen your relationship with God, and discover there is a family here for you at Hope. If this sounds like something you are interested in, we’d love to have you join us! Click here for more information on all our Hope Groups.
HAVE A NEED? Your Hope family is here for you. If you need financial assistance, please contact Pastor Arik. For prayer or help in any other way, reach out to Tara Farrell.
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