Advent 2023, Pt. 2: Rejoicing & Celebrating
Take Communion
Leader: Begin your gathering together by taking communion together, whether as a full meal together or some version of the bread and the cup before or after your meal. If you don’t already have a Communion liturgy, take a moment to be still and then read Isaiah’s prophecy about the coming of Jesus:
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Read This Overview Aloud Together
In the Psalms, David writes How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? For many of us, there are things we’ve been waiting for and praying about, even with a certainty that God has offered an invitation to pray about it and he may have indicated that it’s going to be fulfilled.
But you’re still waiting, and you’re still praying.
Anna was also praying. Her story pops up on the pages of Scripture in Luke 2, and could be shared in three parts: tragedy, temple, and testimony. She was the only named woman prophet, even though there are many accounts of several other women prophesying all throughout the Bible. Being a named prophet was not the only notable descriptor for who she was. She came from a godly family (tribe of Asher) with incredible wealth, property, and social influence. From the outside, Anna’s life was projected to flourish and be filled with blessing. However, tragedy struck way too early. She became a widow, most likely in her 20s, after being married for only 7 years. She chose to dwell in the temple day after day, night after night, in prayer and fasting, well into her 80s. Can you imagine how she might have felt? Or what her prayers must have sounded like? Or what the impact was from her ministry at the temple as she offered a message of dependant love and worship of God?
Surely there were days where she felt David’s How long, O Lord? kind of prayers, and yet we also learn that God gifted her with a testimony of witnessing the Prince of Peace enter the world. Even in her waiting, she used her gift of prophecy with the power of the Holy Spirit, to notice, rejoice and celebrate the wonder and miraculous works of God in the lives of others. She was full of joy! Not bitter or empty, as a childless widow, but full of hope and life! The reward, the purpose in Anna’s life, came through living close to God, everyday.
There are many ways to rejoice and celebrate, and tonight we want to focus on the response of gratitude towards God.
Do This Practice Tonight
God invented delight, joy, and celebration. Tonight, we get to delight in God through gratitude. Even in prison Paul and Silas found something to rejoice about (Act 16)! When we offer thanks to God in the company of others, it has the power to bring strength to fear, gladness for mourning, and peace for despair. Gratitude does not depend on everything going perfectly but highlights the reality that God is ever present. It is a learned practice to choose to sew our days together with the thread of gratitude. To choose this means to grow even closer to God. It may also mean for some of us, freedom from the very common addiction to criticism or negativity towards ourselves or others.
As our Community practices gratitude tonight, let’s keep this at the forefront of our minds: Adele Calhoun describes gratitude as receiving everything you have as a gift rather than as an entitlement.
Tonight, we are going to read through Psalm 16 together. As we do, find a comfortable but alert position.
Leader: You or someone else can read Psalm 16.
Now that we’ve read it, let’s pause in silence for a minute or so, and ask the Spirit a few questions. First, ask him to bring something to your mind that you are thankful for, specifically from this last year (e.g. a warm bed to sleep in, a small gesture of kindness from a friend, gifts from God, a breakthrough, family, etc.). Then, remembering the year or the week that has passed, where have you experienced God’s love? And what are you celebrating?
Leader: Pause in silence for a few minutes before going on.
Now, we’re going to pray out loud together. Here’s what that will look like. Each of us can quickly share (one at a time) what we’re grateful for. To do this, let’s simply say, “Thank you Lord for ________ this year.” And then, after each person shares, we will respond by collectively saying out loud “Jesus, we love you.”
Leader: After everyone shares who wants to, close this time with a brief prayer of gratitude for God’s loving and faithful presence to those in your Community.
Read The Practice for the Week Ahead
Before we leave, our practice for the week ahead is gratitude through the disciplines of Prayer & Scripture. Gratitude is something we learn by repetition, so set aside intentional time this week, where you are not easily distracted by what’s going on around you, in hopes to be present to God as he is present to you. Here are some ways we can do this:
Option 1: If you’re reading BREAD, after you finish the day’s reading, flip to pg. 388 and do the Evening Gratitude prayer, allowing yourself to pause, wait in silence, and ask the Spirit to bring to mind specific things you are grateful for over this last year.
Option 2: Close your day with the daily Examen:
Review the day with God.
Where did I feel furthest from God?
Where did I feel nearest to God?
In light of all that, pray one prayer for tomorrow.
End in Prayer
Leader: Close your time together in prayer, thanking God for continually coming and doing only what he can do.