November was my church’s 1st birthday. We’ve done a lot right in the past year, but there are definitely some areas that we’ve admitted need improving. One of those areas was recognizing the season of Advent. Last year, we were brand new and still trying to hammer down our doctrine and mission, so Advent took a backseat to those “primary” teachings. As we’ve grown in the past year, this Advent season, we’re going all out. I recommend you do the same.
Advent Season is Hard
What’s that mean? Advent comes at a very difficult time of year. The year is almost over. I’m tired. The people I work with are tired. The people I do ministry with are tired. Don’t even try to talk to the retail workers… People are nonstop during Advent season. That makes the spirit of it all a little less jolly. It makes it hard to communicate to anyone about anything, let alone the great grace of Jesus’ incarnation.
People are more inclined to get depressed due to shorter light cycles, and suicide rates increase. Our nation debates “keeping Christ in Christmas” and we feel like we have to play defense all the time. Our loved one’s wish lists grow as our wallets shrink. Debt ensues. What a way to kick off the new year.
Advent Season is Good
As we’re feeling the stress of awkward family scenarios, hectic work deadlines, and tons of ministry opportunities, we need to celebrate Advent. This time of year, everyone is celebrating something, even through the hardships I’ve mentioned. Santa, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa. We should be celebrating too! Many (all?) of us have unsaved family. All of us should have unsaved friends. Christmas is a time of year when people who don’t normally come to church come for the sake of coming. We should be inviting them into our celebration of Jesus’ birth in our local church community. It’s inside this community that the church’s strengths shine.
I’ll kick this up a notch. Some of us need a heart adjustment. Some, like Missio Dei (MD) last year, are not taking full advantage of the opportunity that God’s placed in our laps. I’ll throw this out there: repent and prepare for Advent. This only comes once a year. Some of our friends and loved ones won’t be here next year. Waiting that long is detrimental. Before you start freaking out and making phone calls, I’ve included some simple ways to shift into Advent (quickly, as I know time is running out).
Preparing for Advent
Technically Advent started this past Sunday. Because of some sermon scheduling mishaps, we at MD missed this first Sunday of Advent. We’re launching full force this next week, and we’ve mobilized quickly on this initiative. Here are some quick, easy things you can do this week to get your church set up for Advent:
- Update your graphical designs. One of the easiest and most visible ways you can celebrate Advent is to change up your church’s logo and update your website for Advent. You don’t have to get crazy with it. Tweak the colors. Add a Christmas tree. Done. I redesigned MD’s profile and cover pics in about 20 minutes, posted them, and boom. We’re ready to dive into Advent. You can see my design here. Use creative resources available at wonderful sites like Lightstock and Creative Market to really get your designs to pop.
- Sing some Christmas songs during worship. I’m not musically inclined. I leave that to my wife. But as someone who does all the programming for MD, I’ve recommended we add some great Christmas songs into the worship service. The benefit is two-fold: it tells people about Jesus, and many unbelievers know these songs, so they’ll feel included in your service. If you use a presentation software like Proclaim, you can simply use one of their Advent themes and your slides are dressed for the occasion.
- Distribute free Advent resources. This year, the folks at Desiring God are offering an Advent resource by John Piper for free in digital format, with physical copies costing a nominal amount. Let your church know about this and promote it in announcements.
- Do an Advent reading plan as a church. This morning, I logged onto Faithlife, created a profile for my church, and added an Advent reading plan. Later today, a blog post with how to sign up for an account and connect with the reading plan will be blasted on our social media outlets. A group reading plan will help unify your church, and Faithlife allows their users to publish community notes so you can have your congregation or small group interact with the text. You can read more on how to do this here.
Does your church celebrate Advent? If not, do you plan on getting your church on board? Let us know in the comments below or on social media how your church celebrates Jesus’ birth!
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