Advent 2014 Devotion Guide

One Lighted Window by Ric Daly

The Longest Night...

The Brightest Day FBC Greensboro Devotion Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Advent Devotion Guide 2014 Introduction ...............................................................................................................1

WEEK ONE - HOPE November 30 - December 6

Lectionary Reading/Scripture.....................................................................................2 Day 1 - Hope...............................................................................................................3 Day 2 - Watchfulness..................................................................................................4 Day 3 - Longest Night, Brightest Day..........................................................................5 Day 4 - Hope and Faithfulness....................................................................................6 Day 5 - Hopefulness....................................................................................................7

WEEK TWO - PEACE December 7 - December 13

Lectionary Reading/Scripture.....................................................................................8 Day 1 - Peace..............................................................................................................9 Day 2 - Comfort........................................................................................................10 Day 3 - Longest Night, Brightest Day........................................................................11 Day 4 - Christmas Eve 1940......................................................................................12 Day 5 - Angels...........................................................................................................13

WEEK THREE - J OY December 14 - December 20

Lectionary Reading/Scripture...................................................................................14 Day 1 - Joy................................................................................................................15 Day 2 - Deliverence...................................................................................................16 Day 3 - Longest Night, Brightest Day........................................................................17 Day 4 - Unwrapping Christmas.................................................................................18 Day 5 - The Shepherd’s Joy.......................................................................................19

WEEK FOUR - LOVE December 21 - December 27

Lectionary Reading/Scripture...................................................................................20 Day 1 - Love..............................................................................................................21 Day 2 - The Magnificat..............................................................................................22 Day 3 - Longest Night, Brightest Day........................................................................23 Day 4 - The Magi.......................................................................................................24 Day 5 - Christmas Day – The Brightest Day......................................................... 25-26 Writers, Artists, and Photographers and Acknowledgements............................ 27-28 Personal Reflections on this Advent Season....................................................... 29-30

Introducing the FBC Advent Guide

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elcome to your “Longest Night…Brightest Day” Advent Devotion guide; a book created by and for the congregation of First Baptist Church Greensboro.

A few words of explanation will help you better utilize the book for your personal and family use during this Advent season. You will see immediately that, with the exception of Christmas day, these devotions are not assigned to a specific date. In fact, there are only five selections per week. This design was selected so that you can adapt it to your own busy schedule.

In the Table of Contents you will see that each week focuses on a theme: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. These weekly themes not only give structure to this book, you will find them featured through banners, music, and proclamation in the life of our church. The daily selections follow a set pattern; an awareness of this pattern will be beneficial in your use of this book. The following explanations should help you select the most appropriate devotions for you and your family.

Day One: Monica Hix provides a reflection which focuses on a particular work of art. Monica weaves a study of the art into a reflection on the weekly theme.

Day Two: Scott Culclasure provides a devotional perspective on the lectionary passage of the week. The Bible passage is also provided for your convenience.

Day Three: Various families of our congregation wrote about times of waiting and anticipation which bring the theme “The Longest Night…The Brightest Day” into stark focus. A cautionary word should be given here; these are gripping stories that relate to life and death struggles. They are included as moving testimonies of faith appropriate for the season, but we suggest that they may not be appropriate for all members of your family. We recommend very intentional parental guidance for these selections.

Day Four: Invited church members and guests provide Christmas reflections that the whole family can appreciate. It is our hope that these reflections might provide a springboard for families to share their own “holy” family Christmas stories.

Day Five: Jennie Counts provides delightful devotional thoughts which center on the people and events that are so much a part of the biblical Christmas story.

All of the devotions were written at the invitation of FBC, specifically for this publication. Most of the graphics were drawn, painted, or photographed by people closely connected to our congregation. Credits for the graphics are given at the end of this book.

It is our prayer that this small book will become a big part of your Advent season. Use it and share it with our wish that you will have a meaningful Advent and a blessed Christmas.

page 1

Week One

Lectionary Reading: Mark 13.24-37

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ut in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that it is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.

page 2 | week one - JOY

Light Within by Susan Tilt

Day One

Hope A Reflection by Monica Hix

Light Within is an abstract oil painting by Susan Tilt. She describes this painting as “one of those rare ‘gifts’ created in a day by quieting that critical voice and just letting it happen. A Holy Spirit moment. I am drawn to abstractions that come from our imaginations. It’s like jazz. It’s for the observer to discover a meaning all their own. In reflection, this painting speaks to me of light breaking forth. It’s the light of the world shining through the darkness. It’s the light within us all that we are called to share.”

Our theme for Advent this year is “The Longest Night…The Brightest Day.” It is a theme that speaks to hope – our word to contemplate this week. Hope within the everydayness of our lives. Hope within the muck and mess of our lives. Hope that comes in the form of a tiny child. Hope for a new day; a bright day; a new creation.

So as Susan invites us, we sit with this image and reflect on our Advent theme. As we do, we open ourselves to the promise of hope and discover a meaning all our own.

page 3 | week one - JOY

Photograph by David Morris

Day Two

Watchfulness A Reflection by Scott Culclasure

We share with the prophet Isaiah a hymn of thanksgiving that the people who walked in a land of deep darkness have seen a great light. “Have seen,” not “will see”! Our hope rests on what we already know and remember anew this Advent season; that God’s love for his people is so great that he chose to enter our lives as a baby–the weakest of human creatures. This hope, however, does not depend simply on events of long ago. Soon after entering Jerusalem, Jesus talked at length with his disciples about what would happen after he left them. His times were no less troublesome than ours. Mark records a discourse full of references to war, social turmoil, false prophets, and destruction even of the holiest of places. Even so, the evil times Jesus described were not the end time. God would not abandon his people in the darkness of their despair but would instead gather them in glory. Even though heaven and earth might pass away, Jesus assured his followers, his words of assurance would not. Just as we anticipate the coming of summer when we see the fig tree putting forth new leaves, we wait with hopefulness for the fulfillment of the great work of reconciliation that God has promised and already begun. Keep awake, like the doorkeeper waiting for the return of his master, keep awake in the darkness of winter nights, certain in the knowledge that we wait not in vain. page 4 | week one - JOY

Day Three

Longest Night, Brightest Day

By Josh Owens “He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.” Isaiah 40:11 NRSV

If you are anything like me, you always like to know what is ahead so you can plan accordingly. It is when I do not know what to prepare for that frustration sets in. While in my final year of seminary, I was serving in a part-time ministry position that I loved. It was a place where I felt comfortable and enjoyed working.

The opportunity arose that it could become full-time, but I would just have to wait almost seven months for a decision, certainly not what I had planned on.

As each month passed, I experienced a range of emotions: excitement, anxiousness, and even anger. I wanted an answer, and only one would do. In this situation, I was much like Margaret Thatcher, who once said: “I am extraordinarily patient–provided I get my own way in the end.” The waiting “to get my own way” began to consume every part of my life.

Realizing that I didn’t want to be consumed by my own desires, I began to seek what God wanted, rather than what I wanted. This time of waiting drove me to seek Jesus in new ways. At times, I felt famished spiritually and needed him to feed my soul. Some days I felt exhausted and needed him to carry me through it. And then there were those moments where I felt so broken over the uncertainty of what was happening, that I just wanted to be held close to him. I learned to yearn for him, rather than longing for my own desires.

I finally got my answer, and it was not the outcome I had wanted. Instead I got a special opportunity—the chance to join the summer ministry staff of First Baptist, a post which provided me with connections, relationships, and experiences that will empower my ministry, along with memories I’ll cherish forever.

Christ desires to be the focus of our lives; the thing that we crave, that we yearn for. He also desires to nurture us, comfort us, and love us in ways we could never imagine because he knows what is best for us. May we continue to pursue after him as we anxiously await his return.

Prayer

Lord of comfort, you are the one who sustains us through the times of joyous celebration, as well as fretful uncertainty. May you give us a heart that craves after you, a mind that longs to know you, and a soul that yearns to serve you in all our days until you return. Amen. page 5 | week one - JOY

Day Four

Hope and Faithfulness The Glory of Waiting A Reflection by Ron Dixon

Growing up hearing “fire and brimstone” preachers declare that, “Jesus was coming back and we better be ready,” eventually brought me to points of confusion and frustration. The sounding of this alarm that he could return at any time was piercing enough to cause me, as a child, to fear his coming more than await his coming. The quandary for me was that I couldn’t make sense of the fact that he came at Christmas hundreds of years ago, went back to heaven, and would return to see who believed in him (as I understood in my young mind). Why come, leave, and then come again?

In turn, as an adult with some sense of “the end times,” I still found myself pondering, “Why does God desire that we wait again? Why not just come now?

How bad will it get before he returns?” Now I understand that God has placed a boundless value upon his Kingdom (whether on earth or in heaven). The darker it is here, the brighter His light shines and will shine when he returns. For now, he has given us a Son who willingly accepts to reign within an invisible Kingdom, where he is committed to destroying the yokes of bondage and exposing the works of darkness while we await his coming in his fullness. Thank God, that he has delayed His coming so that I can righteously respond to his judgment and show myself faithful as he has.

page 6 | week one - JOY

Day Five

Hopefulness A Devotional by Jennie Counts

Advent is the season of hope and hopefulness. Isaiah 9:2 says, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned.”

Entering Advent 2014 our calendars are already filled with our season’s marching orders. We hope we will get through the busy season ahead. What is hope? Casually we say, “I hope I will get it all done,” or, “I hope I’ll be able to do this or that.” We can fill in the blanks. Often hope lies in what we want to have or to do.

Hope may be reducted to “Having Our Problems Erased.”

But the real meaning of hope is not man made or inspired in our own minds.

Isaiah speaks of it as a great light which has dawned for us. Our hope is the great light of Jesus Christ which erases our hopelessness. The baby who was born in Bethlehem and later died on a cross and arose from the dead secured our hope in eternity.

Our Advent 2014 focus is to celebrate the essence of hope, Jesus Christ. This is real hope, a great light in our darkness whatever that darkness might be. An easy formula to remember for hopefulness and our hope for the present and all eternity can be described this way:

H = Healing (all our hurts, fears, doubts and sadness) O = Opportunity (to live each day joyfully) P = Perfection (ours in Christ who is perfect) E = Eternity (our destination beginning now)

This hope–Jesus Christ–gives us the real reason to celebrate Advent 2014: Walk in Hope! God promised it; Jesus paid for it; We have it. page 7 | week one - JOY

Week Two

Lectionary Reading: Isaiah 40.1-11

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omfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All people are grass their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.

Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.

page 8 | week two - peace

Lilies of the Field IV by Lucy Janjigian

Day One

Peace A Reflection by Monica Hix

This painting by Lucy Janjigian is from a series entitled, “Lilies of the Field.” The collection of twelve paintings was inspired by a poem Lucy’s friend, Verna Smith, wrote while visiting the Golan Heights in Israel. She saw man made barbed wire, a symbol of war, laced with God’s beautiful lilies of the field. This painting is entitled Breaking Down the Walls and was part of the Justice and Peace Exhibition with the Episcopal Church Visual Arts. For that exhibit, artists were invited to respond to these lines from the Baptismal Covenant: “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? I will, with God’s help.”

As we contemplate peace this week, there are many scripture texts that come to mind—the peaceful kingdom in Isaiah 11 where the lion and the lamb lie down together; Jesus’ blessing of the peacemakers in Matthew as the children of God (Matt. 5.9); and the chorus of angels in Luke’s birth narrative singing, “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace, goodwill among people.”

Janjigian’s painting is a striking juxtaposition of our failed attempts at peace and the promise that God’s peace will one day be a reality. It is also an invitation to us, in the words of the writer of Hebrews “to pursue peace with everyone.”

page 9 | week two - peace

Day Two

Comfort A Reflection by Scott Culclasure

The prophet Isaiah allows us to eavesdrop on the heavenly assembly where we hear God proclaim, “Comfort, O comfort my people. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” For long enough we have lived in desolation–harsh deserts of our own making and God’s judgement. But now a highway is prepared, one in which the uneven ground of the wilderness is leveled and the rough places made a plain. A highway that reveals the glory of God! But another voice in the council is heard, one that knows all about human constancy, which withers like grass and fades like the flower and is so unlike God’s steadfast love. “What shall I cry?” the voice demands. Life up your voice with strength, comes the reply, and shout from the mountain heights, “Here is your God!” He comes to us, not to judge, but to comfort. He comes to us, the prophet suggests, along a highway not built with human effort or ingenuity. We do not even travel this road to return to God; instead, he finds us, bringing reward and recompense. He comes with might, but only to gather and feed his flock, like a good shepherd, tenderly leading the mothers as he carries the lambs. Do not fear, the herald tells us; hear the good tiding of the God who comes in compassion to lead us out of our wilderness. page 10 | week two - PEACE

Photograph by David Morris

Day Three

Longest Night, Brightest Day

By Jack and Margaret Swanson

Life has a way of carrying us from highs to lows and lows to highs. We experience many emotions everyday in our lives. Some we can control and some we cannot. When unforeseen happenings cause low times to come our way, we are in need of help–much greater help than we can provide for ourselves. Times of death, especially unexpected death, really pull the rug from beneath us. We are not prepared to know what to do next.

This is the kind of low time that we experienced in May 1970, three months after we moved to Greensboro. Our older son, eight years of age, died on the operating table when a lymph node was being removed so that a biopsy could be performed on it. Expecting a diagnosis and then getting the word that our son had died was quite a shock. Our world became very different at that point.

Family and friends came to help and be by our side when they heard what had occurred. As the pain of grief began to set in, we kept asking God why this had happened. Why had our son, who showed so much promise, been taken from us?

Initially, we were reluctant to talk to each other about this because we did not want to upset the other one. Eventually, we came to realize that it was helpful to both of us to talk about our son and what we were feeling. Gradually, over time, we began to experience a peace from God that helped us to realize and accept that we would not know in this lifetime why this had to happen. Through all of this, we learned that God’s grace and comfort along with the support of family and friends would sustain us.

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4 page 11 | week two - PEACE

Day Four

Peace Comes

Christmas Eve 1940

McDonough, Georgia, United Methodist Church

By Jim Burch

The night was beautiful, a silent night, a holy night, the eve of the birth of our savior, Jesus the Christ.

As Mama and I made our way from home to church, Mama clasped my small hand in hers and away we did go. We were a few minutes late, but as we opened the front doors, there were two seats, one for Mama and one for me. She was about forty and I was about six or seven. Just the right age to remember.

The sanctuary was well lighted from the window candles and did I mention stained glass! Mr. Ralph Turner, the bank president, probably gave them years ago and they were still so beautiful. Mr. Johnnie Miller, small of stature, threw back his chest and sang aloud. Silent Night was never so lovely.

Mama and I took it all in and the best part of all, Jesus was there. He was not in human form as in the stable at Bethlehem, but in the loving redeemed hearts.

I remember all I could have as a small boy. Me and Mama, snuggling close on the back pew on Christmas Eve 1940.

page 12 | week two - PEACE

Drawing by Indigo Stephens

Day Five

Angels A Devotional by Jennie Counts

Advent is the season of angels. We focus on God’s message carried by His actual messengers—the angels. Matthew 1 says that an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph to give him instructions and peace of mind concerning his family.

What relief Joseph must have felt in light of the pregnancy of his espoused wife, Mary! An angel came to show him what God had in mind for him. Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus as the Holy Family would show what it means to be “family” as ordained

by God and announced by angelic proclamation.

We are part of God’s family. Like the Holy Family, we are bound in name, in commonality, in heritage and in locale. Our family, modeled after the Holy Family, is a place of togetherness, trust, dependance, peace and love. It is a place where honor, respect, support and selflessness reside.

Individuals embody the family, each with a role and purpose. We learn from Mary and Joseph the value of obeying the will of God. Mary gave herself completely to become Jesus’ mother; Joseph accepted Jesus as his own Son and did what the angel told him to do.

Mary and Joseph did what was right: in God’s sight; not according to culture of the day, or feelings, or man’s opinion, or the easiest thing to do.

Joseph and Mary prepared for their son: in God’s will, accepting, preparing, rejoicing, and naming and offering their child to the Lord.

The Holy Family lived in light of God’s presence in their lives: they went to the Temple, gave gifts, sacrificed, worked and honored God.

The lesson of the angels is clear for us: the most joyous, secure place we will ever be is in God’s family, right in the center of His Will! page 13 | week two - PEACE

Week Three

Lectionary Reading: Isaiah 61.1-3, 11

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he spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion—to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. (1-3)

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or as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. (11)

page 14 | week three - JOY

Greeting by Sister Claire Joy CHS

Day One

Joy A Reflection by Monica Hix

Greeting by Sister Claire Joy is a digital art piece depicting Mary and Elizabeth.

Sister Joy writes, “I’ve always been drawn to the story of Mary and Elizabeth. I wanted to create an image that expressed that one elusive moment of joy and wonder… before the two pregnancies create conflict, heartbreak and misunderstanding for these women who have said ‘yes’ to God.”

You can sense the connection that Mary and Elizabeth share as you gaze at this captivating image. They simply radiate delight, surprise and joy. They are linked not only by their “yes” response to God, but through the shared experience of divine mystery in their lives – in their bodies. They are companions in this wild and unimaginable storyline that God is unfolding.

After the angel left Mary, Luke’s narrative tells us that Mary didn’t waste a minute. She went straight to Elizabeth’s house. She needed to be with someone who would understand her; someone who would not judge her. Someone who could understand what she was feeling. And in this image we see the delight, the bond, the shared joy that was so deep that even the baby in Elizabeth’s womb “skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.” (Luke 1.44, The Message)

As we contemplate joy this week, the image invites us to take a long, loving look at these two women and to open ourselves to what they have to teach us about being swept up in the mysterious and holy story of God. page 15 | week three - JOY

Bethlehem Star

by Gloria Koster

Day Two

Deliverance A Reflection by Scott Culclasure

For the prophet Isaiah, God’s covenant was everlasting, even though it looked as though Zion had been abandoned to its captors. But God’s holy people would not mourn forever. Having been anointed by God, Isaiah was sent to offer a message of deliverance to the brokenhearted who had long known oppression. The year of God’s favor had come, Isaiah proclaimed, and with its arrival a captive people longing for liberty would know a new day, one that would bring a festive garland and the oil of gladness to comfort those who had mourned in ashes. Instead of having a faint spirit, God’s contrite and newly redeemed people would be praised as oaks of righteousness. How did Isaiah’s listeners hear these assuring and astounding words? “They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory.” Could those who had been held in exile imagine themselves as a people whom God had redeemed? Could God’s deliverance from suffering be so complete that their descendants would be acknowledged by the nations as blessed?

The prophet looked to the garden and saw that what had been sown springs up.

Such a message almost seems too much for us to accept, lost as we often are in the wild places we inhabit. But the fact that God’s deliverance finds us even here is what gives us hope, bringing forth the righteousness and praise that is our witness to a world still held in captivity.

page 16 | week three - JOY

Photograph by David Morris

Day Three

Longest Night, Brightest Day

By Jean Stanfield “Darkness” is shorthand for anything that scares me–that I want no part of– either because I am sure that I do not have the resources to survive it or because I do not want to find out. (Barbara Brown Taylor, TIME, April 2014)

My “darkness” came when I lost my mother, my husband and my health in a short period of time. I was diagnosed with lymphoma three months after my husband’s death. My frequent visits to my mother were no longer needed, leaving a hole in my heart and my time. After the death of my husband, the emptiness extended to an empty house and lack of companionship. I had been healthy all my life; then my body betrayed me. Darkness became a reality. Those things that anchored my life were gone, and I was afraid.

In that wilderness, there was a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day and the manna came. It wasn’t a lot but it kept me alive. It was sufficient.

How can one turn such fear into opportunity? During wilderness experiences, one has the opportunity to reflect and contemplate life from a different perspective.

In my wilderness, I became thankful for a supportive family, a competent physician, and a church family who provided a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. Each time I felt lost in my wilderness, they fed me the manna that was needed. I was able to see that God provides when we need Him most and realized that He is still with me as I try to find new opportunities in my life.

Some of the most quoted commandments in the Bible are, “Be not afraid,” and, “Peace be still.”

This Advent season I embrace that. page 17 | week three - JOY

Day Four

Uwrapping Christmas A Reflection by Scott Lyle

There’s a story my wife’s family likes to “tell on her” around Christmas. Each year her mother’s side of the family would get together at her grandmother’s house on Christmas Eve. Everyone would bring presents to exchange after returning from the Moravian Lovefeast. This one year after dinner, everyone went into the living room to open gifts only to find that “my then two-year-old future wife” had already opened them all; ribbons and wrapping paper strewn everywhere, gifts lying about the floor. She must have had a ball! Well, what to do? So someone would hold up a present and say, “Who is this from?” “Oh, that’s to Aunt Penny from Connie and Steve,” on and on until they finished. It is a story that I hear almost every year around Christmas. Now, this could be a story just about unexpected things, or expectation, or anticipation lost. But it’s not. The story goes that during the gift exchange that year, everyone had so much fun as they figured out what came from whom and who it was for. They actually had to focus on each gift and giver because the gifts no longer had labels, and they had to “open” each gift one at a time. And they do so enjoy recounting the story each year as they remember the joy they received when things were suddenly out-of-place.

The Christmas story comes to us again this year, and by now we’ve unwrapped it. It really isn’t a surprise to us. But we can still find joy in the telling of it. Each time our family retells the story of the Christmas when my wife was two, they find another little bit they remember, another thing that helps keep it fresh in their minds. This year, try and find another little bit of the Christmas story to ponder.

Perhaps it is something as simple as the smells in the stable or the garb the shepherds wore. But as you think of the details in the story, let it become more real in your mind and not only something that happened a long time ago. The story is to be shared, and in the sharing may God add his blessing to the giver and receiver both. page 18 | week three - JOY

Day Five

The Shepherd's Joy A Devotional by Jennie Counts

Joy is an expectation of the Advent season. We expect joy to abound for us. After all, we’ve done all the right things. We have cooked, cleaned, shopped, wrapped, worshipped and we are even prayed up! Surely joy is just around the corner for us!

Isaiah prophesied about the “joy of the redeemed.” Verse 35:10 has a clue about what joy really means: “Everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” We are primed and ready, except for one thing. We often miss the concept of joy altogether.

The shepherds were in the fields doing their jobs of watching the flocks. What joy did they have? It was probably cold and dark and even boring. Just another night of doing the same thing. Hmm, that sounds a little familiar in Advent preparations.

The to-do-list is the same every year.

But this was to bring a strange and beautiful surprise: an angel appeared to them and they were terrified. The angel reassured them and promised “good news that will cause great joy for all people! A Savior is born!” They got it immediately.

They heard the heavenly host singing; they spoke to one another and hurried to Bethlehem to see what God revealed to the world. They understood real joy!

Seeing the baby, they spread the word; all who heard were amazed. Imagine— joy has been born. Sorrow will flee. They glorified God for all of his provision and goodness to mankind.

Our real joy is not in parties, musicals, gifts, or even being with family and friends.

These blessings come to us only because of the miracle of the birth of Jesus. Real joy comes from the realization that Jesus is the source of our joy, now and forever.

Tap into the JOY source this Advent! page 19 | week three - JOY

Week Four

Lectionary Reading: Luke 1.47-55

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nd my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.

page 20 | week four - LOVE

St. Joseph and the Christ Child by Michael O’Brien

Day One

Love A Reflection by Monica Hix

St. Joseph and the Christ Child by Michael O’Brien is a tender image of father and son. The only comment that O’Brien offers about the painting is that it was done as a gift for his wife.

For us, as we contemplate love this week, the image is a bit of a surprise. During this season, we are inundated with visual interpretations and expressions of the Madonna and child. It is, of course, what we think of when we think of the Christ child – the baby with his mother. But this painting by O’Brien gently reminds us that Joseph was a part of this story as well. He played an important role. And just as God broke into Mary’s life in divine and mysterious ways, God also broke into Joseph’s life. Just as Mary said “yes” to God, Joseph, too, said “yes.”

Love is evident in this painting. It’s there for us to encounter – in the warm embrace, the tender eyes, the foreshadowing of the cross, and the bond between a father and son.

page 21 | week four - LOVE

Day Two

The Magnificat A Reflection by Scott Culclasure

Mary’s song of praise follows immediately after her cousin Elizabeth pronounces a blessing on her for faith that the Lord’s promise would be fulfilled.

Already in the opening pages of this gospel, Luke has made clear how important the message of joy is to an understanding of the coming Christ. The angel Gabriel promised Zachariah that he would know joy over the birth of a son by wife Elizabeth, who now tells Mary that her child leaped with joy in her womb after hearing Mary’s greeting. Now Mary extols, or magnifies, the Lord. The song of Mary not only shares with us the praise of an exuberant, expectant mother who has suddenly found favor. It is also the song of a people seeking mercy. Mary’s song is our song, as surely as we praise God for scattering the proud and bringing down the powerful and lifting up the lowly and filling the hungry – even as her words cause us to reflect on whether we are ever guilty of frustrating God’s justice. So great is her faith that Mary praises God as if he has already done these deeds. Just as God has already looked on her with favor, Mary sings, he has also shown his strength and lifted up and filled and helped. And how has he done these things? He has done them through the work of an unborn child who, when grown to manhood, would first stir his townspeople by proclaiming that Isaiah’s assurance of deliverance had been fulfilled in their hearing. The Magnificat of Mary leads us in rejoicing that, regardless of how carefully we prepare ourselves during Advent, our salvation depends not on our efforts, but on the actions of a loving God. page 22 | week four - LOVE

Photograph by Charles Hartis

Day Three

Longest Night, Brightest Day

By William and Gina Waters “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

It would be our longest night, and we soon realized there would be many, many more very long nights. We were facing a situation in our family that fueled a yearning for deliverance and a cry for hope from our God who could bring that deliverance.

In June 2010, Gina was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer. The immediate next year would best be described as a long period of waiting – waiting on what the doctors had to say, waiting on test results, waiting on the outcome of surgery, waiting to feel better after lengthy and intense chemotherapy and radiation, waiting for hair to grow – we longed for God to set things right. Even today, we continue to yearn for deliverance. You see, we live day to day with great expectation for our “brightest day” when the seventy-five percent chance of reoccurrence becomes a part of our past.

During the “longest night” of our lives, we have learned it is not so much what happens, but how we rely on our faith in God to guide our response. Breast cancer wasn’t something our family ever wanted to endure, but the difference for us was an unwavering faith that God was right there with us walking alongside.

Our story is not necessarily unique and we know that others have probably encountered very long nights yearning for deliverance from a terrible illness or circumstance.

Our hope in God during Gina’s illness and the continued chance of reoccurrence has helped us to understand far more about God. It wasn’t always easy and hope sometimes seemed faint and distant. Maybe that’s what hope is about – a way to live, not just to survive, but to live authentically amidst all the problems of life with a faith that continues to see possibility when there is no present evidence of it...just because God is God. Our spiritual journey since Gina’s diagnosis is symbolized during Advent as we affirm the coming of Christ, that He is present in our lives today, and that He will come again.

The wonder of Advent...and our “brightest day.” “...Come, O Come Emmanuel...” page 23 | week four - LOVE

Drawing by Cassady Teague

Day Four | Christmas Eve

The Magi

By Jennie Counts

The Advent story unfolds with the journey of the Magi. Who were these mysterious visitors that came to Jerusalem from the East? They declared they had seen a star and followed it to find the king of the Jews so that they could worship him. Their journey took them to Bethlehem where the child was. The Magi were overjoyed and filled with love!

What do we learn from the Magi and their encounter with the child Jesus? The Magi embarked on a journey to see Jesus and to worship him.

The first step in any journey is to know your destination and purpose. Their destination was to meet Jesus. Their purpose was to love and worship. Our own destination this Advent is to meet Jesus with the sole purpose of loving and worshipping him!

The second step in any journey is to have a road map as a guide and to pinpoint our destination. The Magi followed the star which took them right to where Jesus was. We have prayer and Bible study as our road map!

The third element which secures the success of the journey is a periodic assessment to track progress. Their assessment was to ask questions about where Jesus was, to use good judgement in continuing their journey, and to keep the star which God provided firmly in sight. We have the Holy Spirit to keep us on the right path!

Success is arrival at our destination. The Magi arrived exactly as they were supposed to and did exactly what they were supposed to do: they knelt down, gave the best treasures that they had, and worshipped the Lord. We can give our treasures to the object of our love–Jesus–this Advent!

Advent means moving each day toward Jesus. Like the Magi, our journey is a Magnificent Adventure God Inspired! page 24 | week four - LOVE

God’s Son, Our Savior by Gloria Koster

Day Five | Christmas Day

The Brightest Day

By Alan Sherouse

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. – John 1:5

Christmas is not really about light.

To look around, you’d think it was exclusively about light. Light shines in our homes, our shops, and our neighborhoods. Everything is laced with light.

The story of God coming to earth, however, begins dark as the night. There is plenty of uncertainty, fear, and anxiety. Shepherds are frightened. Young parents-tobe are on the run. The baby finally makes his arrival in a ramshackle stable on the edge of a Podunk town. As he grows, the darkness — ­ the danger — moves in on him. He collects followers and enemies alike, until the threat of his message finally costs him his life.

But through the darkness, the danger, and even in death, John tells us the light is not overcome.

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(Continued from page 25)

We need that light in our lives. We are people who, as the prophet Isaiah describes, have “dwelled in darkness” (Isaiah 9:2). Our world is much like the one to which Jesus arrived. Shepherds still wander and hope to see something against the night sky. Travelers search their entire lives for a Nativity. Young parents are uncertain and afraid. And fear moves in on all of us from time to time. We wait for the light.

But Christmas is not really about light. According to John, it’s about something much more profound. Christmas is about light in the darkness. This is light that shines not in spite of the darkness, but right in the middle of it. The word became flesh. God is right in the middle of humankind.

This Christmas Day, all of us who have dwelled in darkness let our eyes adjust to the light and understand again what it means. There is nothing we will walk through that will seem strange to God. No fear is so strong that faith can’t prevail.

No conflict is so raging that peace can’t come. No night is so dark that light can’t shine on us.

The light shines in the middle of the darkness. And it will never be overcome.

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Writers Jennie Counts: Jennie Counts has been a member of FBC for 7 years. She and her husband, Howard, live in Wallburg. They have two children; James lives in London, UK and David lives in Baltimore, MD. Jennie enjoys teaching Bible studies, speaking and sharing her book, “Go Out On A Limb­—That’s Where the Fruit Is” as an encouragement to others.

Scott Culclasure: Scott Culclasure and his wife Nancy joined First Baptist upon returning from their honeymoon, and it is with this congregation that they have raised their children Alice and David. Scott currently teaches the church’s Covenant Class, which patiently endures his too-frequent history lessons.

Monica Hix: Monica Hix joined FBC in 2005. She and her husband, Phil, have two adult children, Lesley-Ann and Reid. She loves music, yoga, dark chocolate, morning runs, and sitting in her “sacred spot” with a cup of coffee and a good book.

Artists & Photographers All artwork with artists’ names is printed here with the consent of the artists.

Charles Hartis: Charles Hartis has been a member of FBC for 15 years. He has two adult children, daughter Sarah Weiss, son Cameron, and daughter Anna who is 11 and a member of FBC. Before he was actually a member at FBC Charles was attending his first “Hanging of the Green” service, saw some photo opportunities going on, went back to his car for his camera. He has been photographing FBC events ever since.

Lucy Janjigian: Lucy Janjigian is an award winning painter and sculptor. She was born of Armenian descent in Jerusalem where she attended English Mission schools.

She studied Biology and Plant Ecology in the United States but later discovered a passion for painting. She studied at the Art Students League and the Stacy Studio Workshop in New York City.

Sister Claire Joy: Sister Claire Joy is a member of the Community of the Holy Spirit, an Episcopal order of sisters in New York. Before joining the community, she worked as an artist and graphic designer for most of her adult life.

Gloria Koster: Gloria Koster studied art at Virginia Commonwealth University and likes to depict God’s creativity, even in the simplicity of a Christmas ornament.

She has been drawing ever since she could hold a crayon.

David Morris: David Morris lives with his wife Gretchen in Reidsville. David is a photographer who has a special interest in astronomy.

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Artists & Photographers (Continued from page 27)

Michael O’Brien: Michael O’Brien was born in Ottawa, Canada. He is a self-taught painter and writer. Since 1976, he has painted religious imagery exclusively; a field that ranges from liturgical commissions to work reflecting on the meaning of the human person, transcendence and immanence. His paintings hang in churches, monasteries, universities, community and private collections.

Susan Tilt: Susan is a multi-medium artist who creates liturgical vestments, altar pieces, art quilts, fiber sculptures, and paintings, often incorporating her photographs and text. She lives in Colonial Beach, Virginia.

Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to the following members and partners of FBC for sharing their moving stories of faith and reflections on the meaning of Advent with us: Josh Owens (former intern,) Ron Dixon (principal of Bessemer Elementary School,) and members Jack and Margaret Swanson, Jim Burch, Jean Stanfield, Scott Lyle, William and Gina Waters, and Alan Sherouse.

The children of our church were asked to contribute their artwork to this project, as well. Only a small sample was included in the book, however, all of their entries will be on display in the children’s ministry wing throughout Advent.

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