Is the Christmas story just something that happened a long time ago . . . 

or is it a story that is still happening today?

For too many of us the celebration of Christmas has lost its wonder. Maybe for you it has become a bittersweet season of complicated family rituals, or a predictable brand masking unquenchable consumerism, or simply a sacred story that feels far from any relevance in our current chaotic world.

We often forget that the encounter with the incarnate Christ happens in unexpected places, like a pregnancy announcement in an time of political unrest and empirical bloodshed, the morning sickness of a Middle Eastern teenager, or the shocking biology of home birth that goes far beyond the sanitized brand of Christmas as we know it.

Our Honest Advent series seeks to illuminate the astonishing, hope-filled truth that the God who showed up in the hardest parts of our humanity is still showing up today in those same places.  

This series is based on a book by author and artist Scott Erickson who provides us with 25 days of illustrations  and meditations to rekindle the wonder of God-with-Us in this season. We invite you to get a copy of the book (available at Aunties, Amazon, and other booksellers) and read along with us during the season of Advent.  

Worship with us on Sundays online at 11am or in-person at 9am or 11am as we seek to reclaim the wonder of Christmas this Advent! 

REFLECTION GUIDE AND SMALL GROUPS

We've put together A Guide for Reflection and Discussion that you can use to reflect on the sermons and themes of our Honest Advent Sermon Series and the book the series is based on. You can use it on your own or discuss with a group. You can find a digital version here or pick up a copy at the church. 

You're also invited to join one of our three Honest Advent small groups to discuss the book, the sermons, and rediscover the wonder of Christmas in community: 

• Tuesdays at 6:30pm | Meets on Zoom  w/ Pastor Geoff Helton
• Wednesdays at 11am | Meets in-person at the church w/Pastor Glenn Kennedy
• Thursdays at Noon | Meets in-person at the church w/Karen Peacock

You can sign up for any of these classes on Sunday morning after service or by emailing us at office@audubonparkumc.org.