ADVENT 2013

HOPE, PEACE, JOY, AND LOVE

Crabtree Valley Baptist Church

Preparing for Jesus to Come

A voice of one calling:

“In the wilderness prepare

the way for the Lord;

make straight in the desert

a highway for our God…”

Isaiah 40:3

Dear Church Family and Friends,

Advent has become a favorite time of the year for me. Although I did not

grow up using the word “Advent,” I do remember the anticipation I felt as a

child on the days leading up to Christmas Day – wondering about the

content of the nicely wrapped box with the big red bow, anticipating the

pecan pie my grandma would bake from scratch, singing Christmas carols,

and waiting for Christmas morning when my brother and I would rush out

in our pajamas to see what Santa had left in our stockings. Christmas was a

special time, but the days leading up to it were also very meaningful. They

still are. When I reflect on passages that focus on the traditional themes of

Advent – hope, peace, joy, and love – I feel an even deeper anticipation and

excitement than I felt as a child. We are waiting and preparing to celebrate

something even better than the sweets Santa left in our stockings when we

were children. This Advent, 2013, I give thanks for the blessing of sharing

Advent with a loving church family at Crabtree Valley Baptist Church.

This guide is an invitation to set aside the busyness and anxiety that often

overwhelm us during the weeks preceding the celebration of our Savior’s

birth. I hope you will join me in the spiritual discipline of daily scripture

reading and prayer. This guide is intended to be used with an Advent

wreath, but can be adapted if a wreath is not used. May you be filled with

hope, peace, joy, and love as you intentionally engage in a time of

preparation for the coming of the Messiah, Emmanuel, the Prince of Peace,

the King of Kings!

Advent Blessings,

Pastor Nola

WHAT IS ADVENT?

The church year, unlike the secular calendar year, does not begin on January

1. It always starts four Sundays before Christmas Day with the season of

Advent. Advent means “to come” or “to arrive.” The focus of the entire

season is the remembrance of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First

Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second

Advent. It is a time of expectation, preparation, and longing. We wait,

watch, and prepare for the coming of Jesus.

THE ADVENT WREATH

The wreath is round with no beginning or end, testifying to the love of God

for humans, for God’s love that has no beginning or end. The wreath is of

evergreens, recalling that our faith, our hope and our love are always alive

when they spring from God and his Son.

The candles represent the One who said, “I am the Light of the world.” There

are four candles, each representing a week in Advent. The light of the

candles increases each week as the time comes close for the Light of the

world to be born.

The color purple is used for three candles because it is the liturgical color

for the season of Advent. Purple is also the color of royalty, making it a

fitting color to prepare for the birth of the King of Kings. The pink candle,

often used in the third week, represents joy.

The white candle in the middle is often called the “Christ Candle.” White is

a traditional color representing Jesus, reflecting his purity and holiness.

The candle is in the center of the wreath, just as Jesus needs to be in the

center of our lives.

SPECIAL ADVENT DATES

FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT

Sunday, 12/1 9:45 Sunday School

11:00 Special Worship Service: Hanging of the Greens 12:00 Children’s holiday craft sale

and Crabtree Café Tuesday, 12/3 12:00 Soup and Scripture

Wednesday, 12/4 7:00 “The Journey” Luke 2:1-7

Friday, 12/6 6:00 Youth Christmas Party

SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT

Sunday, 12/8 9:15 Sunday School

11:00 Worship Service

1:00 Children’s Party

Tuesday, 12/10 12:00 Soup & Scripture

Wednesday, 12/17 7:00 “The Journey” Luke 2:8-20

THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT

Sunday, 12/15 9:15 Sunday School

11:00 Worship Service

7:00 Christmas Cantata

Tuesday, 12/17 12:00 Soup and Scripture

Wednesday, 12/18 7:00 Service of Hope & Remembrance

FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT

Sunday, 12/22 9:15 Sunday School

11:00 Worship Service

Tuesday, 12/24 4:00 Christmas Eve Service

FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT: HOPE

December 1 – December 7

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you

may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

Candle lighting: Light one purple candle saying, “We light this candle to remind us that our hope is in God, and in his son, Jesus Christ, who brings light into the world.” Sing: O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel! Daily Scripture Readings:

Sunday, December 1 Isaiah 64: 1- 9 Monday, December 2 Psalm 80: 1-7, 17-19 Tuesday, December 3 Mark 13: 24-37 Wednesday, December 4 1 Corinthians 1: 1-9 Thursday, December 5 Isaiah 2: 1-5 Friday, December 6 Isaiah 7:10-14 Saturday, December 7 Romans 15:4-13 Prayer: God of hope, we are the clay and you are the potter. Restore us, Lord God of hosts; let your face shine. Wake us up and keep us alert with the expectant hope that we will beat our swords into plowshares, and our spears into pruning hooks. Strengthen us, giving us enough hope to keep us from complacency, to keep us working for the Kingdom of God, and to keep us living faithfully so that in all things you may be glorified through Christ Jesus. Amen.

SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT: PEACE

December 7 – December 13

“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Candle lighting: Light again the first purple candle saying, “Let us live in hope and walk in the everlasting light of the Lord!” Light a second purple candle saying, “We light this candle to remind us that Christ is the Prince of Peace, the One promised from the beginning of the world. Let us wait patiently until the coming of the Lord.”

Sing: O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer Our spirits by thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadows put to flight, Rejoice! Rejoice! Emanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Daily Scripture Readings: Sunday, December 8 Isaiah 40: 1-11 Monday, December 9 Psalm 85 Tuesday, December 10 2 Peter 3: 8-15 Wednesday, December 11 Mark 1:1-8 Thursday, December 12 Isaiah 11: 1-10 Friday, December 13 Isaiah 9: 1-7 Saturday, December 14 Revelation 21:1-6

Daily Prayer: Everlasting God of Peace, in the wilderness of Jordan you sent a messenger to prepare the way for the coming of your Son whose first Advent was surprising and unexpected: a humble birth in a stable in the middle of the night. We don’t know when or how, but we know Christ will come again. We wait in anticipation, not in fear, as we prepare to welcome our Savior, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, the One who makes all things new. Come soon, Lord Jesus! Amen.

THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT: JOY December 14 – December 20

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18) Candle lighting: Light again the first purple candle saying, “Let us live in hope and walk in the everlasting light of the Lord!” Light again the second purple candle saying, “Let us wait patiently for the coming of the Lord, the Prince of Peace.” Light the pink candle saying, “We light this candle in joy. As the coming of Jesus our Savior draws nearer, our joy builds with our anticipation of his birth. Let us rejoice always.”

Sing: O come, thou Wisdom on high, And order all things, far and high; To us the path of knowledge shows, And cause us in her ways to go. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Daily Scripture Readings: Sunday, December 15 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Monday, December 16 Psalm 126 Tuesday, December 17 Thessalonians 5:16- 24 Wednesday, December 18 John 1:6-8, 19-28 Thursday, December 19 Psalm 98 Friday, December 20 Luke 2:8-15 Saturday, December 21 Romans 16:25-27 Daily Prayer: God who brings joy, who loves justice, and who leads us in the path of righteousness: we pray for those who sow in tears; that they will reap with shouts of joy. Keep us alert, as were the shepherds living in the fields; so that we will see, and bear daily witness to, the perfect gift that you have made known to us in Christ Jesus. Amen.

FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT: LOVE December 22 – December 24

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Candle lighting: Light again the first purple candle saying, “Let us live in hope and walk in the everlasting light of the Lord!” Light again the second purple candle saying, “Let us wait patiently for the coming of the Lord, the Prince of Peace.” Light the pink candle saying, “Rejoice in the Lord always!” Light the fourth candle saying, “We light this candle to give thanks for God’s unconditional and steadfast love.”

Sing: O come, Desire of nations, bind All peoples in one heart and mind; Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease; Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace; Rejoice! Rejoice! Emanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Daily Scripture Readings: Sunday, December 22 Luke 1:26-38 Monday, December 23 Luke 1:39-56 Tuesday, Christmas Eve Luke 2:1-20 Daily Prayer: God of love, God who is love, you are the source of our hope, peace, joy and love. As we strive to further your kingdom on earth by sharing these virtues with others, give us the courage to respond in faith as Mary did. We have nothing to fear because you are with us always, to the end of the age. Amen.

CHRISTMAS DAY: HOPE, PEACE, JOY, LOVE December 25, 2013

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

Candle lighting: Light the white candle saying, “We light this candle because the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Sing: Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing!

Scripture Reading: John 1: 1 – 14

Prayer: Loving God, thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus, the true light that darkness has not overcome. The Lord is come! Christ is born! Hallelujah! Amen!

THE CHRISTMAS SEASON

December 25, 2013 – January 5, 2014

“O Woman, you may keep the gold; the child we seek doesn’t need our gold.

On love, on love alone he will build his kingdom. His pierced hand will

hold no scepter; his haloed head will wear no crown. His might will not

be built on your toil. Swifter than lightning he will soon walk among us; he

will bring us new life, and receive our death.

And the keys to his city belong to the poor.”

“Amahl and the Night Visitors”

Composer: Gian-Carlo Menotti, 1950

We often think of Christmas as a single day, but it is actually a season of the

year. It essentially extends four weeks before December 25 and two weeks

after. The time before Christmas is Advent. Christmas begins with

Christmas Day on December 25 and lasts twelve days until January 6,

Epiphany (also known as Three Kings’ Day).

Epiphany means “to show” or “to reveal”. This day recalls the magi, who by

bringing gifts, “revealed” Jesus to the world as Lord and King. Consider

holding back one gift to be opened on Epiphany to mark the gift-giving of

the magi. Continue to use your Advent wreath throughout the Christmas

season by lighting the Christ candle before dinner saying, “Christ is born!

Hallelujah!”

Crabtree Valley Baptist Church

Corner of Lead Mine Road and North Hills Drive

Raleigh, NC

919-781-5345

www.crabtreevalleybaptist.org