How will you prepare for Christmas? In keeping with our changing times, this year we’d like to invite you to try something new. Not that our idea is new, more honestly, it’s an old idea we’re dusting off and putting back to use.
The idea is this, what if you and some others (immediate family, friends, roommates, some combination of friends and family) committed to have dinner once per week for the four weeks leading up to Christmas in order to share intentional conversation around the original Christmas stories? And what if those conversations were framed by some ancient themes that suddenly make lots of sense? Said differently, what if we don’t have to reinvent the wheel as we strive to make sense of these times. What if the Christmas stories provide many waypoints that coincide with this present moment?
What are the themes? Disorientation. Waiting. Maintaining a unique vocational identity in a world with very different priorities for your life and identity. Putting one’s hope in God and His Kingdom, and thus avoiding being polarized by competing political ideologies. And finally, discerning when wisdom calls you to accommodate and when it asks that you resist.
To make it all the more special, we’ve created Advent Wreaths. Each week you'll leave your phones away from the table and enjoy an analogue candle dinner. As we move toward Christmas each dinner will have more light as you light the number of candles that correspond to the week of your journey. If you’re able to help cover the costs for a wreath ($10) that would be helpful. If not, we’re glad for you to take one for free.
Interested? If so, there's several ways to group up. First, you can form your own group by asking your household or a group of friends to share a meal and a specific conversation once per week. You can also repurpose an existing group for the four weeks of Advent. Another option is you can let us put you in a group. If that's your desire, simply use the sign-up sheet on the heat registers to indicate which day(s) of the week you're available or send Hannah (hannah@narratechurch.org) an email and we will put you in a group of six(ish).
