For many, the shift from December to January provokes the anticipation of new life rhythms, seeking to begin a new year with a list of new resolutions.
The season of Advent marks the beginning of a new year, according to the Christian calendar. Advent is a season filled with similar expectations, only they aren’t found in new resolutions. They are found through new and surprising realities.
Advent is a season filled with anticipation of what’s coming next. No one could anticipate the surprise that awaited humankind with the birth of Jesus. Two thousand years later, we still look forward in expectation, wondering what lies next.
What’s coming next for you? What’s next in your life beyond the presents, the family gatherings, and the Christmas traditions? What are you anticipating in your life? What are you dreading? These questions fill our hearts and minds during the Advent season.
The studies in this five-week devotional guide are meant to be used by individuals, small groups, or entire congregations. Join author Rev. Scott Chrostek, director of ministries and programs at Church of the Resurrection, as he leads readers through a Season of Surprise.
6 Sessions:
(Five Advent studies, plus Introduction, plus one bonus study)
1. Week One: Surprise! The Good and Bad News of Christmas
2. Week Two: Singing with Surprising Joy
3. Week Three: Christmas and its Cast of Misfits
4. Week Four: The Surprising Closed Door of Christmas
5. Week Five: Unwanted Journeys: Searching for Something
6. COVID, Christmas, and Life’s Unwanted Journeys
