November 25, 2022
Hey Friends,
One of my favorite lines from any Christmas carol is “Let every heart prepare Him room” from Joy to the World.
Creating simple space for the invisible God IS the primary challenge we face in our busy and distracted age.
I definitely know it’s my main challenge — especially in this beautiful and hurried season.
Does anyone else have trouble keeping track of all of it!
There’s all the holiday parties: work, friends, neighbors, little league, sewing club. Of course, don’t forget the White Elephant gift exchanges, and kids’ recitals/performances. Sprinkle in some carol sings, bonfires, elaborate gingerbread construction projects, putting up the Christmas tree, outside lights!
And don’t forget the uber-aggressive shopping lists that keep growing (as bank accounts keep shrinking!)
It’s fun stuff for the most part, but I wonder how there’s supposed to be room on the canvas for God to paint his story in our lives?
How sad (and ironic) would it be for us to miss Jesus in our overloaded Christmas schedules!
Our theme this Advent (the four weeks leading up to Christmas) is a not-so-clever pun: “Unwrapping Presence.”
The idea is that we are invited to see this time in the calendar as an invitation to become freshly present to the story of God-with-us in Jesus Christ.
But this takes special attention and intention, some unwrapping.
It’s like stepping off one of those moving walkways you see at the airport — it’s surely a counter-cultural move.
So we’re inviting you to do Advent differently with us at Radiant.
As a church, we are keying on four practices to center us in Jesus this Advent:
Worshipping Fully: giving God in our whole hearts as an act of worship
Living Simply: believing that our enough is found in Jesus not in buying more stuff and doing more things.
Practicing Generosity: Reflecting the generosity of Jesus through tangible acts of giving to others.
Loving All: Becoming like Jesus as we love all: friends and neighbors and enemies!
Advent worship begins for us this Sunday at 5pm — as we consider what it means to worship fully. We’ll see you then!
CALENDAR (see below for details)
11/27 – First Sunday in Advent
12/2-3 – 24 Hours of Prayer
12/4 – Winterfest volunteer meeting 3:30PM (at ELC)
12/8- Radiant Youth Christmas Party 7PM (at WEAVE)
12/18 – The Second Annual Winterfest!
12/24 – Christmas Eve Worship 4PM
12/25 – No Christmas Day Services
24 HOURS OF PRAYER
We are creating unhurried space for prayer through our 24 hours of prayer event. Sign up for a hour or two here.
2nd ANNUAL WINTERFEST – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18th.
Mark your calendars! On December 18th we will host our 2nd annual Winterfest following Sunday worship. Bonfires, Carols, Food/Drink, Kids crafts and more. This is a chance for us to slow down and celebrate Christmas with the Radiant community and to invite others to join us.
**There will be a volunteer meeting at on Sunday, December 4th at 3:30PM for those interested in helping throw the party. We’ll meet at Emanuel Lutheran.
HOME CHURCHES ARE NOW HOME CHURCHING
Our Home Church groups are smaller communities that meet during the week where we learn to practice the simple way of Jesus. No experience required, all are welcome. We usually share meal, read scripture, and consider what God is up to in and through our lives.
Currently, we have five different home groups meeting at various times and locations. If you are interested in learning about available groups and what group might be a good fit for you contact Zach at zach@radcov.org
BAND APP
One way to connect at Radiant is to join our BAND APP group. Think of this as a sort of Radiant message board — our own little Facebook/ Craigslist space. People can extend invites, share about needs and resources. Please join us! https://band.us/n/adaa739aX4Rca
Grace and peace!
Zach
