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Advent (the churchy name for the four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve) is the season of anticipation and longing as we await the incarnation of God in Jesus.
Our theme for Advent this year is “What Do You Fear? Insisting on Hope this Advent.” This theme will permeate our Advent experiences in worship, Sunday School, Youth Group, and adult small groups. What’s this theme meant to evoke? Consider this:
“Luke’s Gospel begins the story of Jesus with this opening line: ‘In the time of Herod…’ This detail may seem minor to modern readers, however, it reveals layers of information about the fearful world Jesus entered, one filled with rampant oppression, economic disparity, uncertainty, and instability. A world not so unlike our own. And yet, throughout the stories of Christ’s birth, we hear the whispers of angels delivering a surprising message: ‘Do not fear.’
“In our own time, we might ask: is it even possible to be fearless in a fearful world? When Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the magi are each called into God’s redemptive story, they do not deny their fears—they move through them. They ask questions, hold fast to courage, trust in good news, and say, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ When we find ourselves in fearful times, can we acknowledge our fears while also insisting on hope?” — A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
What else can you expect from this theme?
“Our theme takes seriously the angels’ message—‘Do not be afraid’—and trusts that Christ’s birth truly is good news of great joy for all people. The series looks closely at the fear and terror looming in the background during the time of King Herod and invites us to consider the fears we hold now. Fear can divide and paralyze us, and even be used as a tool for oppression. But what if we formed a different relationship with fear?
Can we acknowledge fear without letting it rule us?
Might we catalyze our fears into love and action?
What if naming our fears helps us see more clearly how God is breaking in and where God is at work?
This Advent series gently invites us to identify where fear is present—both in the Advent story and in our lives—while also finding our way toward hope, with the angels’ voices in our ears.” — A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
