Advent 2022

Click on the weekly Advent theme below for information.

November 27th

HOPE

Reader(s): The light is coming! We can see glimpses of pink and orange along the horizon, but the

sun isn’t up yet.

ALL: Advent is the season of the dawn.

Reader(s): There are still long stretches of shadow and places of darkness. The noises of the day

are just barely audible as everything and everyone begins to rise.

ALL: Advent is the season of the dawn.

Reader(s): We live in the space between the darkness of a world without Christ and the light of a

world with Christ. We see the light coming, yet it hasn’t fully come.

ALL: Advent is the season of the dawn.

Reader(s): While we observe this season of Christ’s birth and the coming of light, we are reminded

that we are still an Advent people. We live in the glow of the dawn. We are no longer people of

darkness. We are people of the light, even while Christ’s return is still before us.

ALL: We are people of the dawn.

Reader(s): On the first Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of hope, a reminder of the hope we

have in Christ, who came in a stable so long ago, but it’s also a reminder of the hope we have that

Christ will come again. We are people of the light in a world that is still so often cloaked in darkness.

ALL: We are people of the light. We have hope that the light has come and that the light is coming.

Reader(s): Lord, help us remember that we are people of the dawn, a people of hope. In the places

that still harbor darkness, help us to shine your light. And in the places that are already illuminated

with your light, help us rejoice. Help us cling to hope through it all. Amen.

December 4th

PEACE

Reader(s): In a world full of violence and strife, we are reminded . . .

ALL: Blessed are the peacemakers.

Reader(s): It would be easy for us to view peacemaking as avoiding conflict, but we are called to do

the work of creating peace because of our unity in Christ.

ALL: We are to have the same attitude as Christ toward one another.

Reader(s): We are a community with many differences, but we are of one baptism. We don’t want to

be people who merely avoid conflict but who work together toward true peace in spite of our differences.

We want to be a community that has difficult conversations that are grounded in our love

for God and for one another.

ALL: We pray for one mind and one voice, that we might glorify God.

Reader(s): In a season when we talk often about peace on earth . . .

ALL: Remind us that peace begins with us.

Reader(s): Today we light the peace candle and reflect on the peace of Christ and the possibility for

peace in our world. We remember Christ as the Prince of peace, and we remember our call to be

peacemakers.

ALL: In a world of violence, we are united by the Prince of peace to be peacemakers in our world.

Reader(s): Lord, we are divided by so many things. Sometimes these divisions lead to physical violence.

It is heartbreaking to see a lack of peace in the world around us. Help us, as a community, to

be an example of what it means not to avoid conflict but to approach it as peacemakers. Help us to

be united in you as we seek to make peace in the world around us this season and always. Amen.

December 11th

JOY

Reader(s): We are reminded of the angels bringing good news of great joy to the shepherds this

season—yet many are in a season of suffering, wondering how to have joy.

ALL: Our joy comes from the Lord.

Reader(s): We patiently wait for Christ to return and make all things right, yet even in the waiting we

have work to do. Like a farmer who plants the seeds and works the fields, we plant and work in

hope that our joy will be made complete.

ALL: Our joy comes from hope.

Reader(s): We are called to stand firm, even in the face of challenges. We are called to care for our

sisters and brothers. The community of faith reminds us that we are not alone.

ALL: Our joy comes from community.

Reader(s): We are called, once again, to live in the already/not yet kingdom of God and to trust that Christ

will return to make all things right. While we wait, we partner with the Holy Spirit in kingdom work now.

ALL: Our joy comes from our hope in the Lord and from seeing his kingdom come on earth as

it is in heaven, even now.

Reader(s): We light the candle of joy today—not to ignore suffering but to acknowledge that we are

not forgotten even as we lament, grieve, or mourn. The good news is that Christ came, Christ is with

us, and Christ will come again. We have joy in knowing that.

ALL: In a world that still awaits the return of Christ to make all things right, we still have joy

because we know that Christ has come, and Christ will come again.

Reader(s): God of joy, in the midst of whatever we are going through, give us the reminder that you

are with us. Help us find joy in the glimpses of your kingdom at work in our world even now, and the

perseverance to hope for your return, when our joy will be made complete. Amen.

December 18th

LOVE

Reader(s): Sometimes we forget that the incarnate God took on all that it means to be human.

ALL: The love of God has come for us, wherever we are.

Reader(s): Jesus didn’t flee from complicated feelings or situations. Instead, he entered into them.

He doesn’t flee from us either. He seeks to embrace us in the midst of our messiness.

ALL: We are the beloved of God, no matter what.

Reader(s): The story of Christmas reminds us that there is no distance that God wouldn’t travel to be

with us. The love of God seeks us out where we are.

ALL: God desires to be with us.

Reader(s): Because we are loved, we are reminded to love the people of the world. Just as Christ

loved us in the midst of our mess, we are to love others where they are.

ALL: May we love others where they are, just as we have been loved.

Reader(s): Today we light the fourth Advent candle, the candle of love. Love is at the heart of the

Christmas story. Love motivated God to give up heaven for humanity, to become Immanuel—God

with us. Love draws God near to us even now, even in the midst of our mess. Love motivates us to

care for the world around us. We are the beloved of God, and we are called to be a community of

love toward those around us.

ALL: We are loved by God in the midst of our mess, and we are to be a community of love to

the world around us.

Reader(s): God of love, we sometimes forget that you came to earth for us. We sanitize the image

of your coming, and we feel like we aren’t worthy of the love of God, but you didn’t shy away from

messy circumstances. Instead, you entered right into the middle of them. Remind us that there is no

distance you wouldn’t go because of your great love for us. Then give us your heart of love for the

world around us, that they may know they are loved by you too. Amen.

December 11th

December 24th

December 24th

The Missions Committee at Wesley United Methodist Church will be collecting an Advent Offering during Advent (Nov 27-Dec 24).

The following institutions will be recipients.

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS:

Community Health Care Clinic: Provides high-quality medical care to the patients in our community who need it most
Labyrinth House: Offers reintegration services to formerly incarcerated women in McLean County
No One Left Behind: A newly formed Wesley ministry to help the homeless, especially those in tent city. We collect donations and distribute them to those in need in the homeless community. Right now, we are trying to provide sleeping bags for winter. We have provided socks, hats, gloves, sweatshirts, coats, batteries, etc. as they are needed.
Wesley Assistance Discretionary Fund: Allows pastors to assist individuals in need of financial assistance beyond the scope of community social service funds, for purposes like rent, utilities, or emergency shelter. The fund is sometimes used when our own Wesley family members are in need.
Western Avenue Community Center: Social service organization and community center reaching out into the neighborhoods in our community

DOMESTIC MISSIONS:

Henderson Settlement Mission: Includes a work camp to educate persons in mission and serves as a bridge between dreams and reality for families in the Southeastern Kentucky and Northern Tennessee area
Red Bird Mission: Empowers individuals and advocates justice by providing spiritual, educational, health, and community outreach ministries in the Appalachian mountain area

Advent Book Studies

Beginning November 27

Prepare to receive Christ this Advent with the message of John the Baptist and best-selling author and pastor Adam Hamilton in Prepare the Way for the Lord. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the four-week study, including session plans, activities, discussion questions, and multiple format options.

• Sundays from 10:15am - 11:15am

• 4-week study (through Sunday, December 18)

• Online with Zoom or in the Lounge

• Contact Pastor Sara Isbell

Beginning November 30

The Redemption of Scrooge, based on Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, will explore the world of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and the Cratchits with an eye to Christian faith. Along the way, you will meet the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come and learn about living with and for others in a world blessed by Jesus.

• Wednesdays from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

• 4-week study (Nov 30-Dec 21)

• Online with Zoom/in person in the Garden Room

• Contact Pastor Camilla

Hanging of the Greens

We had so much fun decorating our Church! Thank you to all who spent time making this a more beautiful holiday and showing your volunteer support for Christmas at Wesley!

Advent 2022

Click on the weekly Advent theme below for information.

The Missions Committee at Wesley United Methodist Church will be collecting an Advent Offering during Advent (Nov 27-Dec 24).

The following institutions will be recipients.

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS:

DOMESTIC MISSIONS:

Advent Book Studies

Beginning November 27

Beginning November 30

Hanging of the Greens

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