Advent DevotionalAs the season of Advent is upon us, each week there will be an advent devotional and Christmas Eve devotional that you can do on an evening with your family or by yourself to prepare for the coming of Christ. There are links to carols , songs and scripture but you can use your own as well.
If you would like to construct an Advent wreath simply gather 5 candles 3 purple one pink and one white for Christmas Eve. |
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Forth week
Read
Luke 2: 8-20
John 15 10-11
Light the first candle and say Jesus Christ is our hope.
Light the second candle and say Jesus Christ is our hope for peace.
Light the third candle and say: Because God loves us, we can love.
This candle represents Joy. Because of Christ we can have the joy that is promised in God’s world,
Discuss or Journal
What are some joys and sorrows you have had in the past week? How can you experience joy even when things are not going the way we would like them to? Share or wright things we can do and ways we can help each other to make the week a joyous one. Emphasize how we can bring joy to others there by bringing joy to ourselves.
Sing Joy To The World
Snow in Bethlehem
by Maya Angelou
Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes
And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.
Flood waters await us in our avenues.
Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche
Over unprotected villages.
The sky slips low and grey and threatening.
We question ourselves.
What have we done to so affront nature?
We worry God.
Are you there? Are you there really?
Does the covenant you made with us still hold?
Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters,
Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope
And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.
The world is encouraged to come away from rancor,
Come the way of friendship.
It is the Glad Season.
Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner.
Flood waters recede into memory.
Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us
As we make our way to higher ground.
Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,
Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.
In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now. It is louder.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.
We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.
We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas.
We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.
We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.
Peace.
Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.
We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,
implore you to stay awhile with us
so we may learn by your shimmering light
how to look beyond complexion and see community.
It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.
On this platform of peace, we can create a language
to translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.
At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ
Into the great religions of the world.
We jubilate the precious advent of trust.
We shout with glorious tongues the coming of hope.
All the earth’s tribes loosen their voices to celebrate the promise of
Peace.
We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.
Peace.
We look at our world and speak the word aloud.
Peace.
We look at each other, then into ourselves,
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation:
Peace, My Brother.
Peace, My Sister.
Peace, My Soul.
May God’s Peace be with you as you prepare for the coming of the birth of Jesus. Amen.
Third week
Read 1 John 4:9-12
Light the first candle and say Jesus Christ is our hope.
Light the second candle and say Jesus Christ is our hope for peace.
Light the third candle and say:
This candle represents love because Christ loved us enough to come to earth so that all people can be saved.
Read out loud
Oh God, this is a pleasant place and Lord, this is a pleasant time the best of all year. But let us not walk through the Christmas season with eyes that see not those whom you’re eyes saw first:
the lonely and forgotten ones,
the sick the old and blind,
the hungry in body and soul,
the anxious and worried,
and those who mourn and are not comforted.
Discuss or Journal
One thing you will do to show love for someone else this week.
One thing you will do to show love to yourself this week.
Sing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Making the House Ready for the Lord
by Mary Oliver
Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice — it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances — but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will
come, Lord; you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.
May God’s Love be with you as you prepare for the coming of the birth of Jesus. Amen.
Second Week
Read Acts 16:19-34, Acts:10:36, John 14:27
Light the first candle and say Jesus Christ is our hope.
Light the second candle and say:
Jesus Christ is our hope for peace. This candle stands for the peace that only Christ and his way can bring to our lives.
Journal or Family Discussion
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word peace? When was a time recently of real peace and contentment in the house? Why? What made it so? When was it not so peaceful? Why? Who is the peacemaker in our family? Paul had a different kind of peace. What was it? How did he get it? Are there times in your life at school, at home, or some where else that you are afraid and need this kind of peace? Who can give it to you?
Read out loud- ( even if you are alone)
Let There Be Peace On Earth
Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me;
Let there be peace on earth,
the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our creator;
brothers and sisters are we
let me walk with my neighbor
in perfect harmony.
Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me.
Say a silent prayer about peace in your life
A God of Love Author unknown
The shining stars are echoing
That first Christmas night,
When all the earth and Heaven
Filled with silver light,
Were singing to the shepherds,
Happy, humble men,
To tell them of the baby
Born in Bethlehem.
And still we see the wonder
Of the stars above.
How can it unless it’s true,
There really is a God of love!
May God’s Peace be with you as you prepare for the coming of the birth of Jesus. Amen.
First week
Read Luke 1 26-38
Light the first candle and say:
This candle represents hope. Long ago people had hope in their hearts as they waited for a savior, someone who would come to set people free. We hope too for the Savior’s love to be shared with our friends and to spread throughout the world.
Journal or Family Discussion:
Journal or discuss one hope for your future. What does Christian hope have to do with our hopes? Re-read Luke 1:37. “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Do you know someone in the neighborhood or in the world who is without hope? How can we tell the good news to that person?
Say a silent prayer about hope in your life
Sing or listen to Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
CHRISTMAS by Grace Noll Crowell
I shall attend to my little errands of love
Early, this year,
So that the brief days before Christmas may be
Unhampered and clear
Of the fever of hurry.
The breathless rushing that I have known in the past
Shall not possess me.
I shall be calm in my soul
And ready at last
For Christmas: "The Mass of the Christ."
I shall kneel and call out His name;
I shall take time to watch the beautiful light
Of a candle's flame;
I shall have leisure-I shall go out alone
From my roof and my door;
I shall not miss the silver silence of stars
As I have before;
And, oh, perhaps-If I stand there very still,
And very long-
I shall hear what the clamor of living has kept from me:
The Angel's song!
May God’s Hope be with you as you prepare for the coming of the birth of Jesus. Amen.
Read
Luke 2: 8-20
John 15 10-11
Light the first candle and say Jesus Christ is our hope.
Light the second candle and say Jesus Christ is our hope for peace.
Light the third candle and say: Because God loves us, we can love.
This candle represents Joy. Because of Christ we can have the joy that is promised in God’s world,
Discuss or Journal
What are some joys and sorrows you have had in the past week? How can you experience joy even when things are not going the way we would like them to? Share or wright things we can do and ways we can help each other to make the week a joyous one. Emphasize how we can bring joy to others there by bringing joy to ourselves.
Sing Joy To The World
Snow in Bethlehem
by Maya Angelou
Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes
And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.
Flood waters await us in our avenues.
Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche
Over unprotected villages.
The sky slips low and grey and threatening.
We question ourselves.
What have we done to so affront nature?
We worry God.
Are you there? Are you there really?
Does the covenant you made with us still hold?
Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters,
Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope
And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.
The world is encouraged to come away from rancor,
Come the way of friendship.
It is the Glad Season.
Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner.
Flood waters recede into memory.
Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us
As we make our way to higher ground.
Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,
Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.
In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now. It is louder.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.
We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.
We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas.
We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.
We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.
Peace.
Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.
We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,
implore you to stay awhile with us
so we may learn by your shimmering light
how to look beyond complexion and see community.
It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.
On this platform of peace, we can create a language
to translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.
At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ
Into the great religions of the world.
We jubilate the precious advent of trust.
We shout with glorious tongues the coming of hope.
All the earth’s tribes loosen their voices to celebrate the promise of
Peace.
We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.
Peace.
We look at our world and speak the word aloud.
Peace.
We look at each other, then into ourselves,
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation:
Peace, My Brother.
Peace, My Sister.
Peace, My Soul.
May God’s Peace be with you as you prepare for the coming of the birth of Jesus. Amen.
Third week
Read 1 John 4:9-12
Light the first candle and say Jesus Christ is our hope.
Light the second candle and say Jesus Christ is our hope for peace.
Light the third candle and say:
This candle represents love because Christ loved us enough to come to earth so that all people can be saved.
Read out loud
Oh God, this is a pleasant place and Lord, this is a pleasant time the best of all year. But let us not walk through the Christmas season with eyes that see not those whom you’re eyes saw first:
the lonely and forgotten ones,
the sick the old and blind,
the hungry in body and soul,
the anxious and worried,
and those who mourn and are not comforted.
Discuss or Journal
One thing you will do to show love for someone else this week.
One thing you will do to show love to yourself this week.
Sing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Making the House Ready for the Lord
by Mary Oliver
Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice — it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances — but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will
come, Lord; you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.
May God’s Love be with you as you prepare for the coming of the birth of Jesus. Amen.
Second Week
Read Acts 16:19-34, Acts:10:36, John 14:27
Light the first candle and say Jesus Christ is our hope.
Light the second candle and say:
Jesus Christ is our hope for peace. This candle stands for the peace that only Christ and his way can bring to our lives.
Journal or Family Discussion
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word peace? When was a time recently of real peace and contentment in the house? Why? What made it so? When was it not so peaceful? Why? Who is the peacemaker in our family? Paul had a different kind of peace. What was it? How did he get it? Are there times in your life at school, at home, or some where else that you are afraid and need this kind of peace? Who can give it to you?
Read out loud- ( even if you are alone)
Let There Be Peace On Earth
Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me;
Let there be peace on earth,
the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our creator;
brothers and sisters are we
let me walk with my neighbor
in perfect harmony.
Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me.
Say a silent prayer about peace in your life
A God of Love Author unknown
The shining stars are echoing
That first Christmas night,
When all the earth and Heaven
Filled with silver light,
Were singing to the shepherds,
Happy, humble men,
To tell them of the baby
Born in Bethlehem.
And still we see the wonder
Of the stars above.
How can it unless it’s true,
There really is a God of love!
May God’s Peace be with you as you prepare for the coming of the birth of Jesus. Amen.
First week
Read Luke 1 26-38
Light the first candle and say:
This candle represents hope. Long ago people had hope in their hearts as they waited for a savior, someone who would come to set people free. We hope too for the Savior’s love to be shared with our friends and to spread throughout the world.
Journal or Family Discussion:
Journal or discuss one hope for your future. What does Christian hope have to do with our hopes? Re-read Luke 1:37. “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Do you know someone in the neighborhood or in the world who is without hope? How can we tell the good news to that person?
Say a silent prayer about hope in your life
Sing or listen to Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
CHRISTMAS by Grace Noll Crowell
I shall attend to my little errands of love
Early, this year,
So that the brief days before Christmas may be
Unhampered and clear
Of the fever of hurry.
The breathless rushing that I have known in the past
Shall not possess me.
I shall be calm in my soul
And ready at last
For Christmas: "The Mass of the Christ."
I shall kneel and call out His name;
I shall take time to watch the beautiful light
Of a candle's flame;
I shall have leisure-I shall go out alone
From my roof and my door;
I shall not miss the silver silence of stars
As I have before;
And, oh, perhaps-If I stand there very still,
And very long-
I shall hear what the clamor of living has kept from me:
The Angel's song!
May God’s Hope be with you as you prepare for the coming of the birth of Jesus. Amen.
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Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church
5299 Jamesville Road DeWitt, NY 13214 315-446-0960 Office hours: Monday: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Tuesday: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Wednesday: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Thursday: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Closed Friday Email: officeadmin@twcny.rr.com 10:00 a.m. - Worship Service |
