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Advent

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by tinytim, Nov 17, 2010.

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  1. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    Its almost that time of year again, Advent.

    What a glorious time of year it is... Songs praising God for sending His son into the world to be our lamb our sacrifice!

    I love to worship with my brothers and sisters in Christ, and to give praise through many different ways...

    What are some ways your church is celebrating Advent this year.

    Advent Candles, and sermons?
    Hanging of the Greens?
    Chrismon Trees?
    Christmas pageants?
    Caroling?
    Cantatas
    Something else...

    OH, I know.. Christmas Dinner!.. that's one thing all Baptists have in common! LOL

    Anyway, share how your church is going to celebrate this time of year!
     
    #1 tinytim, Nov 17, 2010
  2. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    We celebrate Advent by lighting the weekly candles, and then the sermons are around the weekly themes of advent as well.

    We are also going caroling, and we are going to have a play, and dinner.

    I have done everything in the OP, and I enjoy them all.
     
    #2 tinytim, Nov 17, 2010
  3. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
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    What color are the candles this year?
     
    #3 Earth Wind and Fire, Nov 17, 2010
  4. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    three purple and one pink....


    • November 28, 2010 - First Sunday of Advent (purple candle, theme is Hope)
    • December 5, 2010 - Second Sunday of Advent (purple candle, theme is Love)
    • December 12, 2010 - Third Sunday of Advent (purple or pink candle, theme is Joy)
    • December 19, 2010 - Fourth Sunday of Advent (purple candle, theme is Peace)
     
    #4 tinytim, Nov 17, 2010
  5. matt wade

    matt wade Well-Known Member

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    No advent at my church. No need to follow some tradition made up by churches that live by repetition.
     
    #5 matt wade, Nov 17, 2010
  6. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
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    Good for you....We have 3 crosses we put on the tree, but thats just our family tradition......my wifes really & she is Presbyterian. They have an advent candle lighting ceremony as well as do Lutherans, Anglicans & of course the dreaded "RC's" .... could you hear the ominous music Da Da Daaaaa as I said Roman Catholic? LOL
     
    #6 Earth Wind and Fire, Nov 17, 2010
  7. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Does your church have a steeple - thats a tradition - is there really a need?

    I am sure, if I were to visit your church there are many traditions your church observes ...

    Salty

    ps, No I do not do the advent thing...
     
    #7 Salty, Nov 17, 2010
  8. matt wade

    matt wade Well-Known Member

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    I didn't say all traditions were bad. I simply said we don't follow a tradition that was made up by churches that love repetition.
     
    #8 matt wade, Nov 17, 2010
  9. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    Well, as American Baptists, we do too..

    Of course this doesn't make us more holy than those who don't, just different...

    Of course some of those who don't pride themselves in the fact that they don't thinking they are more holy than us.. But I don't care.

    Legalism cuts both ways...
    (Legalism is thinking what you do or don't do, gives you better standing with God than others)....

    I'm just curious as to how my brothers and sisters plan on celebrating this season leading up to Christmas, no matter what you call it...
     
    #9 tinytim, Nov 17, 2010
  10. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    Oh, I get it, like having Sunday School every week at the same time.. or singing the same ole songs out of the same ole hymnals that Great grandpa used when he was a boy, or preaching at the end of the service, instead of the beginning, or opening service by singing, or praying.. .or passing the plate around at the very same time each Sunday...

    Or having a sunrise service on Easter Sunday, or VBS the same week each yr, or having a Thankgiving dinner in November, or Mothers day dinner in May, or Father's day soup and sandwich in June, or having communion quarterly...

    I am so glad there are some churches that do things differently every week, and don't repeat things..
     
    #10 tinytim, Nov 17, 2010
  11. matt wade

    matt wade Well-Known Member

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    That also isn't what I said. I said that we don't follow this particular tradition because it was created by churches that love repetition. Those churches create things like this because they feel that worship is a series of repetitious acts. The churches that I speak of are the exact sort of thing that Jesus spoke out against we he talked about vain repetition.

    Of course we all do somethings the same way all the time. I brush my teeth at regular intervals, but I am under no illusion that it is helping me worship. The churches that created these traditions worship BY repetition.
     
    #11 matt wade, Nov 17, 2010
  12. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    We will have an Advent wreath and have different children light the candles each week. We do this after songs, sharing and prayer, before communion. Then blow out the candles for the long-winded sermon time that follows!! Don't want to start the wreath on fire!

    We will have blue, blue, pink and blue candles for the four weeks, then white on Christmas.

    Our bulletin insert is for reading and activites thru the week as families.

    We will still sing traditional folk/harvest songs on the first Sunday of Advent (Nov 28) as it is Thanksgiving Weekend and hard to divorce from that holiday immediately into Advent/Christmas.

    Dec 5 we will sing Advent songs

    Dec 12 and 19 will be traditional Christmas songs

    And Dec 26 (I will be gone) we will continue the tie in to Christmas with sermon and songs.

    Jan 2 will focus on the new year
     
    #12 Dr. Bob, Nov 17, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 17, 2010
  13. menageriekeeper

    menageriekeeper Active Member

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    I'm not sure what our church is doing this year. We will be having a cantata, two actually, well the children might be doing a play. I don't have a child young enough for that group anymore so I don't know. I am in the choir and we are singing soo, that I know.

    For the past few years, we've lighted the Advent candles, but new preacher might mean new ideas. So we'll wait and see!

    My only question is where they are putting the tree this year? :laugh: When we first joined, the tree was in a corner of the sanctuary. Sometime during the last pastor's reign, it got moved to the foyer. (at his request) So this year might just be interesting.
     
    #13 menageriekeeper, Nov 17, 2010
  14. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    Some facts for those uninformed on events of the Church calendar

    In the first ten centuries of Christianity, great emphasis was placed on Epiphany - that began after Christmas and continued on toward Easter and focus on the death/burial/resurrection. Epiphany is celebrated in mid-January and focuses on various events in Jesus' life such as the visits of the magi, His baptism, miracles. It was the start of the year, a time for new Christians to be baptized and publically declare their faith to Christ and identification (their own epiphany) with the Church.


    Advent was secondary, originally 6-weeks of focus on the fulfilled prophecies and coming of Jesus the first time. This story was important, but not nearly as pivotal as the message of what Jesus said and did in His life.


    After the Great Schism and western Christians moving Christmas to Dec 25 (it is still observed Jan 7 by eastern Christians), the advent period was shortened to 4 weeks.


    This was how ALL Christians in the early church celebrated. It is a reminder of expectation and hope, lighting the world with the coming of the Messiah and then, more importantly, with the epiphany to follow.
     
    #14 Dr. Bob, Nov 17, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 17, 2010
  15. matt wade

    matt wade Well-Known Member

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    That all depends on how you define the early church and what groups you include in it. It simply isn't true that ALL Christians observed this.
     
    #15 matt wade, Nov 17, 2010
  16. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    That sounds pretty close to us.
     
    #16 tinytim, Nov 17, 2010
  17. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    I guess it depends on if you believe true church history instead of man made stuff like "trail of blood"...

    Dr. Bob has it right.
     
    #17 tinytim, Nov 17, 2010
  18. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Does that mean that Dr Bob is a closed ABC?:smilewinkgrin:

    Tiny - May your advent season be a blessing for your church this comming season.

    Salty

    ps - can I post your schedule on another board I am on?
     
    #18 Salty, Nov 17, 2010
  19. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    We'll do a Christmas cantata and Christmas Dinner.

    We're also preparing shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child, through Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse organization.

    And we've been collecting foodstuffs for a year to deliver to needy folks the week before Christmas.
     
    #19 Tom Butler, Nov 17, 2010
  20. jaigner

    jaigner Active Member

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    Hmmm...you celebrate Christmas? Easter?

    Then you celebrate a tradition. You just pick and choose.

    I feel sorry for those of you who don't know what it's like to celebrate such wonderful remembrances in a place with a vital, evangelical spirit.
     
    #20 jaigner, Nov 17, 2010
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