Common Ground Christian Church

Christ was born into a weary world. King Herod ruled the land with a legacy of ruthlessness. The Romans treated the people of Israel with contempt, imposing harsh taxes and land seizures that forced many into subsistence farming. Poverty and destitution were pervasive. And yet, Christ was born, bringing good news of great joy for all people.

As Advent comes again to a weary world, we ask, “How does a weary world rejoice?” From the opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel, we have found a few answers: We acknowledge our weariness; we find joy in connection; we allow ourselves to be amazed; we sing stories of hope; we make room; we root ourselves in ritual; and, most importantly, we trust our belovedness. In the parallel birth stories of Jesus and John, joy arrives—despite trepidation, fear, or grief. In these stories, we find rhythms for rejoicing. As we move through our series, we hope to create space for acknowledging the weariness of our world while celebrating God’s closeness with great joy.

And so, this Advent, we will hold space for our weariness and our joy. We will seek a “thrill of hope” in our hurting world. We will welcome joy—even if, like the prophet Isaiah, we cry out for comfort (Isaiah 40:1). In this weary world, may we find many ways to rejoice.

The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas (this year, December 1), and continues until nightfall on Christmas Eve. The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Messiah in his first Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his second Advent.

Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and our community, as we affirm that Christ has come, that he is present in the world today, and that he will come again in power. Advent reminds us that we live between the times and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people.

We observe Advent as a deliberate way to join with the church around the world in preparing ourselves for celebrating Christmas (the Incarnation). Preparing allows us to remember our God who is at work. Many times in the Scriptures, God calls His people to remember. Remembering is a powerful way to reset our lives. Remembering God’s faithfulness and deliverance in the past also leads to hope and faith for the future. This is why Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, anticipation, preparation, and longing.

Instead of frantically running and consuming our way through the holiday season, Advent calls us to live at a slower pace. Each week focuses on different aspects of life with God: hope, faith, joy, peace, and love. These themes are meant to remind us of God’s redemptive work in our lives and heighten our anticipation of a King who will bring peace, justice, and righteousness to the world.

Throughout Advent, one way our church community is acknowledging the weariness of our world, while celebrating God’s closeness with great joy, is through the practice of gratitude.

James 1:17 teaches us that all good things come from God. Gratitude is a practice in which we recognize God's provision, love, and faithfulness in our lives. Gratitude doesn’t ignore or fix our pain, desperation, loneliness, or fear, but it does invite us, in the midst of our weariness, to say “God, you are here—even here. Thank you.” We encourage you to join us in our communal practice of gratitude by expressing what you are grateful on a piece of cloth we will provide for you on Sundays. You will find baskets of different colored cloth. You are invited to take pieces of cloth as you wish and write or draw what you are grateful for on them. When you are done, please place it in the basket labeled “finished.”

Throughout the next seven weeks, you will see our pieces join together to make a beautiful mosaic, which will be hung in our sanctuary to be a visual reminder of God’s closeness and faithfulness.