Great question! Advent is a four-week season in the Church calendar dedicated to anticipating the arrival, or “advent,” of Jesus of Nazareth, the long-awaited Messiah and King. Christians from many backgrounds celebrate this time with reflections on hope, peace, love, and joy. And while their practices may look different, all focus on the hope-filled arrival of Jesus.
As we discover the unique ways we will anticipate the arrival of Jesus through Joy, Hope, Love and Peace. At the start of each week, you’re invited into a devotional that will reveal a little bit about God and the way we are called to live our lives in light of Jesus’ presence. Daily, we will incorporate a liturgy for the week (liturgy literally means ‘work for the people’). This will be a short dedication for you as we anticipate Jesus’ coming in our days. And Weekly, we get to step into an event that will help us live out our anticipation in real time! Some weeks you’ll stay close to home, others will get you out in the community. Gather your friends or family to complete these weekly activities together!
Visit this page every Sunday until Christmas for your weekly Advent content and activities!
Take a moment to pause and take a deep breath. Now, as you read these verses, notice what word(s) or phrases stand out (if you have kids, this is a great habit to use to reflect on Scripture).
“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people…The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.”
What did you notice? If you’re doing this with others, take a moment and share what stood out to each of you! These few verses are the making of the most incredible story ever. What stands out to me is that this joyous news was given to a bunch of shepherds. They’re outside day and night, largely didn’t have a great reputation, and they work with sheep. Sheep are stinky, and constantly need help and protection. Which is why they needed shepherds! It’s crazy to think that the joyous news of God becoming human was first announced to ordinary shepherds.
The Christmas story is about God taking ordinary times, places, and people, and making them holy.
Think about it: The night, fields, shepherds, a stable, a manger, two young parents, and a baby. If you were to read on, you’d read about the shepherds hurrying off to find Jesus. When they find him, they celebrate, and on their way back tell every person they could find about what they’d seen and heard. When they returned from their big adventure, Scripture says they praised God for all they’d seen and heard.
Joy has a way of infiltrating our ordinary lives and inspiring us to praise God.
This Christmas season, may you be surprised by joy in the most ordinary of moments and inspired to praise him for everything he has done and is doing.
In this Christmas season, what are you praising God for?
On your own, or together with your family, write down what comes to mind. It might be one thing, lots of things, or a few things. Keep that list this week, maybe on your counter, fridge, or a note in your phone, and reflect each day on your list.
If “liturgy” is a new word for you, it simply means “work for the people” and refers to the response we make towards God’s good news in our lives. During this Advent season, we will suggest words for you to speak over your life as a starting point to responding to the Advent devotional.
For everyone:
Lord, may we find holy moments of joy in the ordinary moments of our days and our weeks that inspire us to praise you because of what you are doing in us and around us. Amen.
For families: “Tickle Blessing” (Suddenly and with lots of squirming!)
Parent: Dear Lord, may this child find much joy and laughter all the days of his/her life
Child: Uncontrollable laughter until they can hardly breathe.
Parent: Amen.
From Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley *If your kids are older, simply place your hand on their head, look them in the eye, and say the blessing.
Make sure to grab your Advent map package from Trinity Church. With it comes stickers, a place for this Christmas verse and lots of fun for your family!
“He will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6
This week, dive into something that sparks joy! Maybe it’s finding your way up to Big White for the weekend fireworks! Or heading down to Stuart Park to go skating!
Or maybe, move all the chairs and the coffee table and spin in circles in the middle of your living room. Whatever it is, pursue JOY! Grab a few people and tag us @trinitykelowna on socials
Need a little help? Turn up the volume on this song from our weekend gathering!
Take a moment to pause and take a deep breath. Now, as you read these verses, notice what word(s) or phrases stand out (if you have kids, this is a great habit to use to reflect on Scripture).
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose and we have come to worship him.”
Hope. Even the sound of that word can lift your spirits when you’re down. Hope keeps you going when life seems to be going nowhere or going in the wrong direction.
Hope gives you something to cling to when you’ve lost your job, or your health, someone you love. Hope is a spark inside your soul that tells you that tomorrow things will be better.
But the problem with hope is that it is always based upon uncertainty. For example, we may say “I hope the ski hills will get enough snow.” That kind of hope is a wish, not a certainty. We can hope all we like for something, and all the indications may be that it will come true, but life is unpredictable, and things can change at the last moment to dash all our hopes.
The Bible tells us, however, there is a unique kind of hope that is never a wish. It is always based on an absolute certainty. You can hope for these things with the confidence that they will happen. It’s the kind of hope that the Wise Men in the Christmas Story had. The hope of the Wise Men was based on what God had promised. And, since God always fulfills His promises, we can look forward with absolute hope.
But what were the Wise Men hoping to find when they traveled all the way to Bethlehem in that first Christmas season? They were hoping to find the King who will bring an end to war and suffering and injustice. They were hoping to find the King who would bring everlasting love and joy and peace to this world.
Hope is one of the strongest motivators in the human soul. We gain Hope when we choose to trust Jesus!
Even hope built on the smallest possibility of something good can keep us going. But the best kind of hope is hope that is anchored to a certainty. That’s what Biblical hope is all about! The Bible talks a lot of about hope to encourage us when life does not go that way we had planned.
This kind of hope is always tied to Jesus. If we believe in Him, we are the hope (certainty) of eternal life.
If we follow Him, we have the hope (certainty) of His guidance, protection, provision and care every day of our lives. Jesus is the anchor that links us to the promises of God.
What are you hoping for this Christmas? (…we’re not talking for something under the tree)
If “liturgy” is a new word for you, it simply means “work for the people” and refers to the response we make towards God’s good news in our lives. During this Advent season, we will suggest words for you to speak over your life as a starting point to responding to the Advent devotional.
For everyone:
God of hope, I put my trust in You today. As I spend this time with You, may Your joy and peace fill me, and Your hope overflow through me. Amen
For families: A BOUNCY BLESSING While bouncing on the bed around the child, and trying to get as much giggling and flopping as possible:
Parent: Dear Lord, may this child bounce from blessing to blessing, all of his/her days.
Child: Bouncing and laughing
Parent: Amen.
From Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley
*If your kids are older, simply place your hand on their head, look them in the eye, and say the blessing.
Make sure to grab your Advent map package from Trinity Church. With it comes stickers, a place for this Christmas verse and lots of fun for your family!
“We have this Hope
as an anchor for the soul
firm and secure.”
Hebrews 6:19
This week, spend some time bringing Hope to someone! Make or purchase Christmas Cards and deliver them to those you know who could use a bit of hope this season ~ an elderly neighbor, a long-distance friend, a classmate at school.
Or maybe, bring Hope by paying for the person behind you in line at your favourite coffee drive through.
Whatever it is, share HOPE this week! Tag us @trinitykelowna on socials
Take a moment to pause and take a deep breath. Now, as you read these verses, notice what word(s) or phrases stand out (if you have kids, this is a great habit to use to reflect on Scripture).
Mary was greatly troubled at the angel’s words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
There are two stories in Luke 1 that include an announcement that a baby is coming.
First, we notice from the scripture we read today: Mary is told that she is going to have a baby. But this is completely unexpected. She is young and not married yet. But an angel arrives to invite her into God’s big plan to love the world through Jesus.
The second story is about Elizabeth (in Luke 1:5-7; 23-25). She is old and feels shameful for not being able to have a baby. But through God’s love for her and her husband Zechariah, she will have a baby and he will prepare the way for Jesus.
God shows His love to these two families in very different ways. For Elizabeth and Zechariah, God’s love invites them into new hope after years of sadness. Even when they were trying to love God and others with everything they had, they were still disappointed that life hadn’t turned out the way they hoped.
For Mary and Joseph, they receive God’s love as a future promise: that through their baby, many people will experience God in new and amazing ways. They weren’t ready to have a baby, but they were ready to be a part of God’s loving promise.
We know that the fullness of God’s love for us in found in Jesus.
Maybe we’re feeling sad and we just need to say yes when God invites us into feeling His love. Or maybe we’re feeling unprepared but we will say yes to God’s promise of love in whatever we face this week. Either way, God is there, ready to wrap His arms around you in love and be with you wherever you go.
How are you saying yes to God’s love today? Who do you know that needs an invitation to God’s love?
For everyone:
“God of love, I say yes to your invitation today. Where there is sadness, redeem it in love. Where there is loneliness, fill it with your loving presence. Where there is uncertainty, may we be confident in your loving promise.
Amen.”
For Families:
A Squeeze Blessing (during a really big, really tight hug)
Parent: “Dear Lord, may this child feel your love wrap around them, all of his/her days.”
Child: “Struggles to break free and ‘hopefully’ laughs.”
Parent: “Amen.”
From Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley
Make sure to grab your Advent map package from Trinity Church. With it comes stickers, a place for this Christmas verse and lots of fun for your family!
“The Lord has anointed me to
announce good news to poor people.
He has sent me to comfort those
whose hearts have been broken.”
Isaiah 61:1
This week, we are inviting you to share the love of God with others. Put together Cold Weather Packs for Kelowna Gospel Mission & Metro Community to love on our community. For ideas on what should be in the pack, follow the link below.
Tag us @trinitykelowna on socials.
Take a moment to pause and take a deep breath. Now, as you read these verses, notice what word(s) or phrases stand out (if you have kids, this is a great habit to use to reflect on Scripture).
“The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel.” The name Immanuel means “God with us.”
In such a distracted and rushed world peace can seem like a distant memory of the past or some unattainable goal for the future. Maybe peace was something we used to experience in our younger days or before “that moment” happened, before the distractions of “real” life set in. Whether we realize it or not, ultimately we are hunting for peace. How can you find peace in such a busy and distracted world?
When we are talking about finding peace what does that actually mean? For some of us peace is the end to a war and for others it’s just a moment of silence from screaming children. Yes, those are two very different examples but that’s because peace looks different to everyone in different seasons. When God is talking about peace He is talking about completion and wholeness in our lives.
So why was it so important that Jesus was called Immanuel, God with us in Matthew 1:23? Jesus coming to earth is the ultimate gift of peace, wholeness, and completion in our relationship with God. He gave us a way to find wholeness and completion amidst the thoughts that swirl in our mind day after day.
Peace is not just the absence of conflict or emotion but the presence of something better during hard moments.
Sending Jesus is God’s way of saying, “I am here even now in your hardest moments.” What does it look like for us this week to practice peace when things are hard? What might God be wanting to say to you through all the noise of this season?
What is one practical way you can create space to experience God’s peace, Immanuel God with us, this week?
For everyone:
Father, help me experience Your peace, wholeness, and completion in my life today. May Your peace be experienced by those around me. Amen.
For Families:
A SHORT BLESSING FOR LITTLES WHEN YOU ARE FRUSTRATED
Parent: God loves you. Jesus died for you. And the Holy Spirit is with you. Goodnight.
Pause for a deep breath, and a gentle touch.
Parent: So I too will love you. I too will sacrifice for you. And I too will never leave you.
From Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley
“The virgin is going to have a baby.
She will give birth to a son.
And he will be called Immanuel.”
The name Immanuel means “God with us.”
Matthew 1:23
Device-Free Night!
Carve out some intentional moments of peace this week! Turn the devices off, put them in a basket, or leave them in another space.
Pick one (or more!) of the activities below to try together.
Eye Spy – Christmas Tree Edition: Play “Eye Spy” using ornaments on your tree! Other options: Find the oldest ornament, find one with a picture in it, count the # of snowman ornaments, etc!
Twinkle Tour: Put on some cozy PJs, pack some thermoses to go, or hit a drive-thru for hot chocolate, and go for a slow drive through some neighbourhoods to look at the Christmas lights!
Candy Cane Lane: 1240 Collison Rd (Rutland) Lite up is between 5 and 10 pm. Bring a non-perishible item for the food bin! Aprox 50 homes to stroll by!
Fire Pits: Have a fire pit? Light it up, bust out the s’mores, and share your favourite memory and something you’re thankful for from 2023!
Walking Adventure: Head to Scenic Canyon, Mission Creek, or the downtown boardwalk for a winter stroll. Pause for a moment of peace just to take in the fresh air!
Popcorn + Movie Night: Throw on the sweatpants of PJs, grab your favourite snacks, and watch a favourite (or new!?) Christmas movie!
We’re looking to fill over 400 positions on our Sunday Summer Stuff teams and we need your help – commit to one Sunday or multiple! Join us in creating a positive impact for the next generation this summer!
We believe that God is doing great things at Trinity and we want to continue to move towards being the healthiest church we can be. Our goal will be to clarify the following questions:
1. What is our God-inspired mandate at Trinity (mission)?
2. What motivates us (values)?
3. Where are we going as a church (vision)?
4. What must we strategically focus on in the next few years?