Isaiah once promised that people who have walked in darkness will see a great light (Isa 9:2). That line has been staying with me as we move toward Advent. It acknowledges that darkness comes and weariness settles in. But it also promises that God meets us there. We don’t have to chase sparks or manufacture joy. The Holy Spirit already burns among us, offering light for what has grown weary and warmth for what has gone cold.
That’s what Kindled means for us this Advent. Each Sunday we’ll move through the traditional virtues of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love, watching how God’s light takes hold in ordinary lives. The question Advent asks is whether we’ll notice the light, tend it and share it.
Listening to Your Stories
This year’s preparation looks different because you asked for it to be different. During the congregational engagement process, people said they wanted to hear more testimonies, to feel more connected, to know how God is at work in the lives of people sitting around them. So we invited you to write. Twenty-five of you responded with stories of renewal, struggle, grace and faithfulness. I’ve read every one of them. Some made me laugh. A few made me cry. All of them reminded me why I love this church. You can pick up an Advent devotional booklet at church.
Four Sundays of Light
Worship begins November 30 with Awakened Light, the Sunday of Hope. December 7 brings Fire in the Wilderness, the Sunday of Peace, when we witness Curt Ash’s baptism. December 14 is Joy Rekindled, followed by The Ember of Promise on December 21. Christmas Eve arrives at 5 p.m. for candlelight communion and meditative worship.
Tending the Light
Advent is about noticing that God has already kindled something among us. The testimonies you’ve written prove it. Curt’s baptism proves it. The music we’ll sing and the blood we’ll give and the cookies we’ll share all prove it. God is still at work. Our job is to tend the light, protect it and share it, so that together we might see the world more clearly in its glow.
Grace and peace,