Reading The Christmas Story A New
O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel; That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to thee o Israel!
Advent is the expectant waiting for the coming of the Son of God, Emmanuel, God with us. This year, Creekside’s four week Advent journey flows within our year long journey of leaning into what it looks like for us to live a life worthy of calling we have received as followers of Jesus.
During Advent we are focusing on how we as Christians are called to be a people of the word, called to Scripture. We enter into the story of Christmas from the pages of the Bible with the aid of the Evangelical Covenant Church’s teaching on how we are to read scripture – Faithfully, Communally, Rigorously, Charitably and Holistically, with commitments to Grace, Transformation and Mission. We have created a four-week Family Advent Take Home to help you enter more fully into the season of Advent by intentionally dwelling in the Christmas story found in the pages of the bible, considering how we read that scripture, and then moving into our lives changed by that Scripture.
Last Sunday we looked at reading the Scripture Faithfully and Communally.
Week 1 of the Family Advent Devotional follows. You can pick up a hard copy of the devotional on Sunday mornings, or you can read or download the entire devotional here
Consider How You Read The Scripture
Faithfully – With an awareness of the lenses through which we view Scripture; With a willingness to be challenged and changed by the Word; Communally – With an understanding that the Holy Spirit and the community of faith work in concert; Remembering that we stand on the shoulders of Christians who have come before us.
QUESTIONS: Are these ways of reading Scripture new ideas for you? What lenses background or culture do you wear? How might these lenses or set of assumptions or presuppositions affect your reading of the Bible? How might a communal understanding affect how you approach reading the Bible?
Dwell In the Scripture
Let’s enter into the story of the first Christmas. Before you read, take a look at the questions below. Invite the Holy Spirit to meet you in this passage. Read or listen to the Christmas Story QUESTIONS: What word or phrase stood out to you? Why? In what ways do you think you hear the story differently than the first people who heard it?
Move With the Scripture
QUESTIONS: What is new to you about this passage? How does a faithful and communal reading of this passage impact your life today? From what you’ve heard and shared, what do you believe God wants you to do? How are you going to do it?
Enter fully into Advent this year. Enjoy the journey with us as we seek to be a people who are shaped by the grand story of God and his people.
Peace, hope and love
Doug