Advent is the special time of year — the four weeks before Christmas — which has been set a part for over 1,500 years in the Christian calendar in order to prepare believers’ hearts for the wonder, beauty, and glory of Christ’s First and Second Comings.
Advent means “coming” or “arrival” and is also acknowledged as a season of waiting and preparation. Each of the four Sundays in Advent uniquely guides Christians in worship through an emphasis on these four Christmas themes: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. The Advent wreath, being rich in symbolism, is beautifully adorned with one pink, one white, and three purple candles. The candles are lit according to the corresponding theme they represent: Hope, Peace, and Love being purple, Joy being pink, and the white candle, the Christ candle, is only lit on Christmas Eve.
Advent Events
11/24 – Christmas Decorating at A2
Help us prepare for Advent as we decorate the church immediately following the worship service. No need to sign up, just stick around after church and we will provide lunch and put you to work!
12/5 – Jon Michael Ogletree Christmas Concert & Dinner
Kick off the Advent Season with a night of songs and stories by Jon Micheal as we enjoy a concert and dinner. Limited tickets are available so use this link to sign up today.
12/22 – A2Kids Music Performance & Happy Birthday Jesus Party
A2Kids will be performing two Christmas songs as the service begins. During class that morning, kids will celebrate the birth of Jesus! Kids can come to church in their Christmas pajamas.
12/24 – Christmas Eve Service
We invite everyone to join us for our Christmas Eve Service at A2 Church at 4:30pm for an evening of worship, teaching, and candles as we celebrate Christmas at A2 Church.
12/29 – Virtual Only Worship Service
Stream the service Sunday December 29th at 9:30am for a Virtual Only Worship service that will include communion and some special liturgies and prayer at home with your family.
Advent Resources
We encourage families to use Ann Voskamp’s Advent Devotional, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift. We also encourage individuals to follow through Paul David Tripp’s Advent Devotional, Come Let Us Adore Him. We have copies of each of these available for purchase at A2.
Week 1 – Hope
For many people, HOPE is a desire or a wish that things will somehow get better. For the people of God, HOPE is more than just a desire or a dream. It is the confident expectation that God Himself will one day set all things right, that He will restore all things completely. This restoration is made possible by the Advent of Jesus Christ, our Everlasting King.
Week 2 – Peace
To be human is to long for PEACE. In Scripture, PEACE is not simply the absence of conflict. It is a word that describes completeness, wholeness, fullness, and the way things are supposed to be. God created all things to be at PEACE. Yet, PEACE is not a word that describes our world today. Sin disrupts the PEACE that God desires for His people and His world. Humankind’s only hope for true PEACE is the coming of Jesus Christ.
Week 3 – Joy
True JOY is much more than just a happy feeling that comes and goes. It is an eternal perspective. We can rejoice, even in our waiting, because we know that Jesus Christ has reconciled us to God and secured for us an eternal destiny marked by infinite JOY. Our JOY is expressed by our praise. It is the joyful overflow and expression of our righteous standing before our Holy God. Because we are one with Jesus Christ through faith, the one who possesses “pleasures forevermore,” we can “rejoice always.”
Week 4 – Love
LOVE. One of the great wonders of the world is the fact that God loves us even though we don’t deserve it. Throughout Scripture, we see promise after promise that God loves His people with an unfailing, never-ending, steadfast LOVE. His ultimate expression of this LOVE is displayed in His Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The LOVE of God makes possible the forgiveness of our sins, so we can have peace with Him. It paves the way for entrance into His eternal kingdom, and all of this is ours by grace through faith in Christ alone.
