This year Silent Night turns 200 years old. In the weeks leading to Christmas (Advent) we are using the carol to reflect on what it means to wait for Christ to come into the world.
The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”-Luke 3:4b-6
This year Silent Night turns 200 years old. In the weeks leading to Christmas (Advent) we are using the carol to reflect on what it means to wait for Christ to come into the world.
Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.-Luke 21:29-33
Advent (the weeks leading up to Christmas) reminds us that the Kingdom of God is near; the promise of God to set the world right both has been and will be fulfilled. Around us, we may see great strife and fearful signs in the world, but we are not shaken. The people of God possess a peace that passes understanding. A peace grounded, not in the security of the world, but in the righteousness of God. We can be peace, even in the darkest times, because we know the day of the Lord is at hand.
This week, use these resources to grow in your faith, or with your family. Scriptures and activities in bold are from DPUMC’s Advent Family Devotion.
On your own: Make a list of all the things that trouble you right now in the world. As you add each item, try not to dwell on blame or anxiety, but offer it to God and ask for wisdom.
With children: Build a manger. You can use Popsicle sticks or other materials (for DPUMC Joel has kits available). Leave it empty for now. Over the coming weeks, you will add to the scene.
Youth and Adults: Recall a time from your childhood when you traveled to see family. What was the journey like? Where did you stay? What was it like to stay in a strange place? With Children: Ask your child(ren) to remember a time they traveled: Can you remember us spending the night somewhere else? Where were we? What was it like to stay there? How did you feel about coming home? How might Mary and Joseph have felt in a strange city. What do you think it was like sleeping in the stable? Who is like Mary and Joseph today?
Silent night, holy night/ All is calm, all is bright/ Round yon Virgin Mother and Child/ Holy Infant so tender and mild/ Sleep in heavenly peace Sleep in heavenly peace Silent Night v1
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
-Jeremiah 31:31-34
In 1663 Richard Alleine, a Puritan, published Vindiciae Pietatis: or, “A Vindication of Godliness in the Greater Strictness and Spirituality of It”. In 1753, it was again published in John Wesley’s A Christian Library. Wesley used one chapter, “The Application of the Whole,” on Monday, August 11, 1755, in what probably was the first real celebration of the Covenant Service in the Methodist movement.
Wesley found the service rich and meaningful, as expressed in his Journal: “Many mourned before God, and many were comforted” (April 1756); “It was, as usual, a time of remarkable blessing” (October 1765). “It was an occasion for a variety of spiritual experiences … I do not know that ever we had a greater blessing. Afterwards many desired to return thanks, either for a sense of pardon, for full salvation, or for a fresh manifestation of His graces, healing all their backslidings” (January 1, 1775). In London, these services were usually held on New Year’s Day. Around the country, the Covenant Service was conducted whenever John Wesley visited the Methodist Societies.
This week, consider John Wesley’s 4 admonitions for covenant renewal. How might you keep each of these in 2018?
First, set apart some time, more than once,
to be spent alone before the Lord;
in seeking earnestly God’s special assistance
and gracious acceptance of you;
in carefully thinking through all the conditions of the covenant;
in searching your hearts
whether you have already freely given your life to Christ.
Consider what your sins are.
Consider the laws of Christ, how holy, strict, and spiritual they are,
and whether you, after having carefully considered them,
are willing to choose them all.
Be sure you are clear in these matters, see that you do not lie to God.
Second, be serious and in a spirit of holy awe and reverence.
Third, claim God’s covenant,
rely upon God’s promise of giving grace and strength,
so you can keep your promise.
Trust not your own strength and power.
Fourth, resolve to be faithful.
You have given to the Lord your hearts,
you have opened your mouths to the Lord,
and you have dedicated yourself to God.
With God’s power, never go back.
From Wesley’s covenant service of 1890 as found in the United Methodist Book of Worship found online at: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/covenant-renewal-service
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
-1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 13
Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol is a timeless tale of holiday redemption. Ebeneezer Scrooge follows the Ghost of Christmas Present on his worldwide mission to spread the spirit of Christmas. Scrooge sees not only the power of love to sustain people in difficult circumstances, but also the impact it might have on his own life…if he would only allow If it is possible for love to transform Scrooge, then we are not beyond its power. [hear sermon audio]
This week, take some time to go deeper. Use these scriptures and questions to reflect on the meaning of Advent for your own life.
Rawle, Matt. The Redemption of Scrooge: Connecting Christ and Culture (The Pop in Culture Series). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.
The Lord God’s spirit is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me
to bring good news to the poor,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim release for captives,
and liberation for prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and a day of vindication for our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 to provide for Zion’s mourners,
to give them a crown in place of ashes,
oil of joy in place of mourning,
a mantle of praise in place of discouragement.
They will be called Oaks of Righteousness,
planted by the Lord to glorify himself.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
they will restore formerly deserted places;
they will renew ruined cities,
places deserted in generations past.
-Isaiah 61: 1-4
Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol is a timeless tale of holiday redemption. Ebeneezer Scrooge is forced to confront his past. The journey is painful but also reignites a spark of compassion in his heart. If it is possible for hope to reach Scrooge, then we are not beyond its power. [hear sermon audio]
This week, take some time to go deeper. Use these scriptures and questions to reflect on the meaning of Advent for your own life.
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord…
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
-Luke 1: 46-47,52-55
Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol is a timeless tale of holiday redemption. Ebeneezer Scrooge is a greedy miser so frozen by loneliness and fear that the warmth of Christmas seems like a threat. If he can be redeemed and experience the peace of God, then so can we. [hear sermon audio]
This week, take some time to go deeper. Use these scriptures and questions to reflect on the meaning of Advent for your own life.
Pastor's Notepad 