No sooner do we clean up the dishes from our Thanksgiving meal, t he first Sunday of Advent pop s up on the calendar (Novemb er 30)! This is a great time to prep are an Advent wreath for your home (you can even just p lace 4 candles in a circle on a platter or tray, place one candle in t he middle, and lay some greens around the plat er —presto! an easy Advent symbol  or your family.) Each week during worship we will light an additional purple candle(royalty), with the central white candle (Christ candle) lit on Christmas Eve. The candles are ringed wit h live greens, reminding us of the life which is brought to us in Christ . Each week we will sing this short Advent hymn by Claire Cloninger (words) and Don Cason (music) as we approach Christmas…

“While w e are waiting , come; Jesus, our Lord , Emmanuel, while we are waiting , come.
With power and glory, come; Jesus, our Lord, Emmanuel, while w e are waiting, come.
Come, Savior , quickly com e; Jesus, our Lord , Emmanuel, while we are waiting , come.”
While we are waiting, you might take some time as an individual or as a family t o reflect on the following questions… Select one for each week of Advent , write it out and place it w here you will see it (kitchen table, bathroom mirror , car dashboard ). If you revisit the question each day f or a week, you might be surprised at w hat surfaces!
 What , exactly, are you waiting for this Christmas? A gift ? A family reunion? A card from a faraway friend ? ___________?
 If Jesus is your Lord , what does that mean t o you? Obedience? Love? Service? _________?
 Emmanuel mean s “God With Us”. If t hat is another name f or Jesus, how does your celebration of Christmas reflect that God is with you?
 If Jesus is your Savior , what , exactly is he saving you from? Or what is he saving you for?
We are waiting together…
Pastor Deborah