St. John's United Methodist Church | Baton Rouge

Tag: advent

  • What Christmas Is All About

    What Christmas Is All About

    What Christmas Is All About

    Scene: Luke 2:1-20
    Biblical Character: Jesus
    Christmas Movie: The Charlie Brown Christmas Special

    I love listening to Christmas music – both gospel and secular. One of my favorite songs is Stevie Wonder’s “That’s What Christmas Means to Me.” It’s a great song, but I must admit, Stevie forgot something – better yet – SOMEONE. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. That’s what Christmas is all about!

    In the movie, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Peppermint Patty wanted to put on the best Christmas pageant. She entrusted Charlie Brown with the Christmas tree. Well, we all know about that little tree! Ole “Blockhead” messed up again, and out of frustration, he yelled the words, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” That’s when Linus tells about the birth of Jesus. That’s what Christmas is all about: Jesus, the savior of the world.

    Darlene Dickson

    More About Scenes of the Season

    The Advent season is upon us, a time when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. This special season is full of familiar stories – from the family anecdotes that get told over and over again, to the holiday movie classics we watch year after year, to the well-known stories of scripture repeated each Advent. The four main characters in the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, each had their own unique way of preparing for the first Christmas. This Advent, we will focus on the scenes in scripture that tell their story, revealing to us how we, too, are invited into the narrative and become a part of the Christmas scene. Invite a friend to join us for worship as we experience the joy and excitement that Christ brings to us through the Scenes of the Season.

  • Be Not Afraid – Advent Week 4

    Be Not Afraid – Advent Week 4

    Be Not Afraid

    Scene: Luke 2:8-10
    Biblical Character: The Shepherds
    Christmas Movie: Home Alone

    “Ok Kevin we’ve passed the Halloween decorations. You don’t have to be afraid because mommy won’t let anything bad happen to you.” One fall when he was little, I said these words to my son Kevin as I pushed my shopping cart as fast as I could go. Fast forward about ten years and I have Devin in the shopping cart and we come upon the Halloween decorations. 

    “Ok Devin, don’t be afraid,” I said.

    “No faid! Punny punny!” Devin replied 

    “You’re right about that! There’s no need to be afraid!” I smile.

    I wish I could say that about everything. We all have fear of some sort. This holiday season, let’s remember that we don’t have to be afraid because God has everything in control. We must put our faith and trust in him.

    In the movie, Home Alone, eight-year-old Kevin McCallister didn’t let the criminal duo called the Wet Bandits frighten him when he was left home alone by accident during Christmas. This crafty kid outsmarted two adult men and defended his home. Meanwhile, his mother raced across the continent to get back home to him. This kid had every right to be afraid but he overcame his fear.

    On that first Christmas shepherds were watching over their flock when an angel appeared and they were afraid. Unlike Kevin they had no reason to be afraid because God was sending them a message of good news. Jesus Christ was born! Be not afraid, my friends, for Christ our savior is coming.

    Emmanuel – God is with us.

    Darlene Dickson

    More About Scenes of the Season

    The Advent season is upon us, a time when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. This special season is full of familiar stories – from the family anecdotes that get told over and over again, to the holiday movie classics we watch year after year, to the well-known stories of scripture repeated each Advent. The four main characters in the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, each had their own unique way of preparing for the first Christmas. This Advent, we will focus on the scenes in scripture that tell their story, revealing to us how we, too, are invited into the narrative and become a part of the Christmas scene. Invite a friend to join us for worship as we experience the joy and excitement that Christ brings to us through the Scenes of the Season.

  • A Blessed & Wonderful Life – Advent Week 3

    A Blessed & Wonderful Life – Advent Week 3

    A Blessed & Wonderful Life

    Scene: Luke 1:39-55
    Biblical Character: Mary
    Christmas Movie: It’s a Wonderful Life

    Holidays can be hard for a lot of people and for so many different reasons. My stepdaughter Rachel has been through a lot in her life. She wasn’t supposed to live long after she was born. She has a shunt in her head. She had juvenile diabetes that caused liver damage as well as loss of vision. Yet with all those challenges she’s still smiling. She received a liver and kidney transplant about a year ago. She still has had recent challenges with her shunt malfunctioning as well as a tumor on her ovaries. Rachel is a miracle baby and she has a blessed life. It is indeed a wonderful life.

    In the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey thought everyone would be better off if he had not been born. God sent him a wingless angel Clarence to show him how his life touched so many other people’s lives. In the end, George Bailey discovered he had a blessed life. A wonderful life!

    Mary, the mother of our Lord and savior Jesus, came to the realization that she was the most blessed woman on earth when she visited Elizabeth. What an honor it was to be chosen by our Father in heaven to birth the savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Oh Mary, because of your obedience, we all have a blessed life. It’s a wonderful life!

    Darlene Dickson

    More About Scenes of the Season

    The Advent season is upon us, a time when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. This special season is full of familiar stories – from the family anecdotes that get told over and over again, to the holiday movie classics we watch year after year, to the well-known stories of scripture repeated each Advent. The four main characters in the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, each had their own unique way of preparing for the first Christmas. This Advent, we will focus on the scenes in scripture that tell their story, revealing to us how we, too, are invited into the narrative and become a part of the Christmas scene. Invite a friend to join us for worship as we experience the joy and excitement that Christ brings to us through the Scenes of the Season.

  • A Heart That Grows Three Sizes – Advent Week 2

    A Heart That Grows Three Sizes – Advent Week 2

    A Heart That Grows Three Sizes

    Scene: Luke 1:8-20, 57-64
    Biblical Character: Zechariah
    Christmas Movie: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

    “Have you ever loved somebody…the way that Jesus loves you?”1 As I listened to the words to this song, I reminisced about the first time I held my son Kevin. I never planned on having children; it just wasn’t in my plans. Throughout my pregnancy I asked God, “How on earth did You choose me to be somebody’s mother?” I’m selfish! Yes, I love kids, and what I love most about kids is the fact that I can give them back to their parents. Then it happened. The nurse placed that tiny little being in my arms, and I felt my heart grow. It grew so big that I thought it would pop out my chest. I looked at my sweet baby boy and said, “I love you so much it hurts.” God knew what I didn’t know: that I could love unselfishly.

    In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch thought he could stop Christmas from coming if he stole all the material things associated with the holiday. Yet, what he didn’t realize was that the Whos didn’t need any of those things to celebrate Christmas because Christmas was in their hearts. When he finally realized that Christmas is so much more than things, his tiny heart grew three sizes bigger that day.

    Zechariah didn’t believe the angel Gabriel when he told him that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son in their old age. He was unable to speak until the child was born. I could only imagine how Zechariah’s heart grew when baby John was born. During this Christmas season, let’s allow God’s love to fill our hearts to maximum capacity.

    Darlene Dickson

    1 Real Love by Kirk Franklin, from Kirk Franklin and the Family album

    More About Scenes of the Season

    The Advent season is upon us, a time when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. This special season is full of familiar stories – from the family anecdotes that get told over and over again, to the holiday movie classics we watch year after year, to the well-known stories of scripture repeated each Advent. The four main characters in the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, each had their own unique way of preparing for the first Christmas. This Advent, we will focus on the scenes in scripture that tell their story, revealing to us how we, too, are invited into the narrative and become a part of the Christmas scene. Invite a friend to join us for worship as we experience the joy and excitement that Christ brings to us through the Scenes of the Season.

  • Hope When the Bottom Falls Out – Advent Week 1

    Hope When the Bottom Falls Out – Advent Week 1

    Hope When the Bottom Falls Out

    Scene: Mathew 1:18-25
    Biblical Character: Joseph
    Christmas Movie: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

    I love Christmas!!! It’s my favorite holiday. I begin watching Christmas movies in October because I want my Christmas season to last longer. Although, I must admit that I’ve had some difficult Christmases. One in particular was the first Christmas without my grandmother. She is the person that instilled in me the joy of Christmas. I remember saying to God, “Lord, how can I celebrate Christmas without the only other person in my life who loves Christmas just as much as I do?”

    Oh, but God with his love and mercy restored my hope and joy by giving me the words “It’s still a merry Christmas.” I wrote a song with that title and the chorus says this: “It’s still a merry Christmas because Jesus came to save us.” Those words alone gave me the right reason to celebrate Christmas. 

    In the movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Clark Griswold thought he was going to get a big bonus from his boss so they could pay for a swimming pool as well as have a big family Christmas, instead, he received “Jelly of the Month Club membership.” Even after all the mishaps and disasters he and his family faced, Clark Griswold found a reason and the ability to still celebrate Christmas.

    Although very different from mine and the Griswold clan, Joseph had plans that first Christmas. He planned to put Mary away quietly and go on about his business. However, we all know how that story goes – God intervened, and the rest is history! This holiday season, don’t forget Jesus because he is truly the reason for the season. 

    Darlene Dickson

    More About Scenes of the Season

    The Advent season is upon us, a time when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. This special season is full of familiar stories – from the family anecdotes that get told over and over again, to the holiday movie classics we watch year after year, to the well-known stories of scripture repeated each Advent. The four main characters in the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, each had their own unique way of preparing for the first Christmas. This Advent, we will focus on the scenes in scripture that tell their story, revealing to us how we, too, are invited into the narrative and become a part of the Christmas scene. Invite a friend to join us for worship as we experience the joy and excitement that Christ brings to us through the Scenes of the Season.

  • Week 4 Peace – Movie Recommendations

    Week 4 Peace – Movie Recommendations

    One of the things we all love about Advent and Christmas is spending time with loved ones. One favorite tradition is to watch beloved Christmas movies. Each Saturday we will recommend one such movie geared toward families that relates to that week’s Advent theme and includes related Scripture and prayer. We invite you to read aloud these passages and prayers and consider how they may relate to the movie each week. There is also a movie option for grown-ups who want to dive deeper into that week’s theme.

    Family Movie: The Muppet Christmas Carol

    A child is born to us, a son is given to us, and authority will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. —Isaiah 9:6

    This week we will explore peace through The Muppet Christmas Carol. Along the way we will find that peace isn’t necessarily about being “nice and quiet.” There is an outer peace and an inner peace that only come when we do as Micah 6:8 would remind us – do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly.

    When we see Scrooge on Christmas morning, what has changed? What are some of the things he does that show us he has changed? One thing we can’t change is the past. But we can change what we do today and throughout our life when we choose to live a life of hope, love, joy, and peace.

    Loving God,
    We choose to live in hope,
    In love,
    In joy,
    In peace.
    God bless us everyone.
    Amen.

    Dive Deeper into Peace: Film Suggestion for Grown-ups

    Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice, available to rent on Amazon.

    Emerging from the strong tradition of Freedom Singers, Sweet Honey in the Rock is a group that’s as soulfully rich as it is provocative. Using song to stand in unison, five African-American women sing solely a cappella, along with a sign language translator. Their music evokes stories from the past, encourages introspection in the present, and inspires progress for the future. Since it was founded in 1973, more than twenty different women have contributed to the Grammy Award–winning group’s distinct sound, which embraces semblances of gospel, blues, and hip hop, all with a political tone. The film features a trove of concert and rehearsal footage as it follows the group on their thirtieth anniversary tour, which is also coincidently when founder Bernice Johnson Reagon announces she will retire. Through a variety of interviews with members, historians, and fellow artists, the film explores the roots of Sweet Honey in the Rock’s existence and influence.

    Adapted from Worship Design Studio materials by Marcia McFee.
    Used With Permission.

    Read other Advent 2020 Devotionals or download the book as a PDF.

  • I Believe Even When … Things Change

    I Believe Even When … Things Change

    Do not confirm to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. —Romans 12:2 (NIV)

    I love the Christmas season. It is the time of year that I feel closest to God. The traditions of Advent and Christmas help me focus. I start thinking about the season in September, start planning in November. I like the comfort of the traditions of the Advent Festival, Lessons and Carols, church gatherings, Christmas movies, seasonal hymns, family visits, and Advent devotionals. 

    This year, 2020, will be different. There is the pandemic. Many events will be cancelled. Some will be moved to a virtual format. Some family members will not be able to travel. Gatherings will require social distancing. Many Advent traditions will have to be changed. 

    Then there is our house. We started a renovation a month ago which will extend into the new year. By mid-December, the kitchen will be totally dismantled. No baking, no holiday meals, no parties – at least not done the way we always have done them. Holiday decorations will be sparse as furniture is moved to storage and dust coats what is left. The Christmas tree will not be set up in the living room. Many family traditions will have to be changed.

    I do not like change. I like the comfort of the status quo, of those things that are predictable and known. Change stresses me, but this year change cannot be avoided. Could God be telling me that my Advent routine is not the only thing that should change? I feel the push already. The push to find new ways to see God and hear his guidance. With less activities, there will be more time to examine what God wants me to do this season. Maybe what the 2020 Advent season should be is a time to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and to develop new traditions to keep our faith fresh. 

    This odd season will provide an opportunity to renovate Advent. No, not renovate. To renovate is to restore to a previous state. Jesus’ birth was not intended to restore us to our previous state. It was intended to change us, change the world. If we embrace change this Advent, we can do more than renovate. We can transform the season and ourselves. We can find God in different places than we did last season.

    I believe even when things change, but I will change because I believe. 

    Dear Lord: Thank you for change. Please help the differences I experience, in this non-traditional Advent season lead me to a time of transformation where I look for you in new ways. Let me channel the stress of change into positive actions that glorify You this season. Amen

    Susan Lambert

    Read other Advent 2020 Devotionals or download the book as a PDF.

  • Christmas Day 2020

    Christmas Day 2020

    God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. —John 3:16

    This day conjures memories of home – gathering with family and friends around the Christmas tree and the glow of a warm fire (even if it’s 80 degrees outside). A place of comfort and room at the table for everyone.

    The Christmas story reminds us of home, too. It is a story of a young family on the road, away from familiar comforts. The unwed couple needs a safe place to spend the night, as they welcome a child into their lives. I imagine the first Christmas felt chaotic as Mary and Joseph wandered through the desert longing for home and for the familiar.

    We too, are longing for the familiar today. This Christmas, home feels different to us. Our world aches for a sense of normalcy. We want to gather with family and friends, but COVID-19 separates us.

    In spite of all of these setbacks – Christ still comes. The birth of Jesus reminds us that in the uneasy moments of life, God shows up. Chaos does not have the last word. Today – Emmanuel – God is with us.

    I pray that your home is a place of peace, despite the uncertainty and turmoil of 2020. May you find hope for brighter days ahead, and may the love that God showed to us on Christmas fill your heart and home with joy.

    Emmanuel, God with us, we celebrate your presence this day. Fill our hearts and homes with your peace and help us find hope in the future, for we know it is in your hands. Amen.

    Merry Christmas,
    Rev. Lane Cotton Winn
    Lead Pastor

    Read other Advent 2020 Devotionals or download the book as a PDF.

  • Christmas Eve 2020

    Christmas Eve 2020

    For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. —Isaiah 9: 6

    A dear friend told me about how hard her mother worked every Advent season to get everything “just right” for Christmas. Maybe she hated it and felt it was a heavy burden to meet so many expectations. On Christmas Eve, we find ourselves in a season of obligation that often feels measured by some unspoken standard. When the packages are all unwrapped and the goodies consumed, many of us tumble into bed grateful the fuss is all over. There is so much effort and for what?

    Why do we celebrate Christmas or even birthdays in such extravagant ways? Is it to honor the infant growing into personhood? Is it the opportunity to walk down memory lane and be reminded of the love and care we have for another human being? Is it our chance to give thanks for the gifts and presence others bring into our lives and to gather with others who have similar memories, love and thanks?

    During Advent I wonder if we can fully understand the true reason for all the celebration? In this season we celebrate a god who would humble himself to be born as the baby, and the Christ who died living in obedience to God. We celebrate a life offered as an example of what God wishes us to be, do and value. We celebrate “believing” even when.

    Like so many others, I too find the coming of Christmas to be a bit overwhelming. I struggle with trying to live up to what is expected of me and all the different feelings I experience. At times I feel as if I feel as if I am missing out on something because I am frantically trying to embrace all the festivities and trappings of the holiday.

    It was Kierkegaard that said that a faith that did not require struggle was not the kind of faith worth having, and so, perhaps it is okay to struggle in this season. I am reminded each Advent of the struggle of Mary; too young, unwed, and faced with visions and demands from angels. Perhaps our struggle is necessary to grow in faith and to believe in the times when hope seems small. We are called, after all, to walk by faith this Advent season and always. May you discover God’s great gift of love for you this Christmas Eve.

    Holy God, you come to us as a tiny baby. Like you, we too struggle to find our path and footing this Christmas Eve. Yet, still you come to us! Humble our hearts and make us attentive to the great gift of love you have for us.

    In His Service,
    Pastor Deirdré

    Read other Advent 2020 Devotionals or download the book as a PDF.

  • We Believe … Even Now

    We Believe … Even Now

    Today we return to the story of Jesus’ birth as it is told in the Gospel of Luke. This account is the narrative we read again and again on this holy day, for this author gives us the most beloved detail. We so desire to believe the Good News of the messengers that is the culmination of humanity’s pain of birth: “don’t be afraid” for unto us a sign has come that will be to all people… “on earth, peace.”

    Holy One,
    we thank you for the glimpse
    of heaven on earth
    in the faces and the light of those around us.
    Even in the midst of fear,
    of challenge, of struggle–
    even when our view
    is obscured by clouds of doubt,
    You have ignited the flame of
    hope, love, joy, and peace within us.
    Let us glow with its brilliance
    from the inside out. Amen.

    (Light the Christ Candle and the candles of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace.)

    Read Luke 2:1-20

    Benediction

    We wait for justice
    but we do not wait to work for change;

    We wait for restored health
    but we do not wait to work towards healing;

    We wait for wholeness
    but we do not wait to work at binding brokenness;

    We wait for peace
    but we do not wait to work to eliminate hatred.

    Fill the world with messages of hope, love, joy, and peace! Go into your lives humming the tunes that keep that light alive in you and that spur you on in your work of justice and reconciliation. Raise your voices and say, “Do not be afraid!” Amen!

    Adapted from Worship Design Studio materials by Marcia McFee.
    Used With Permission.

    Read other Advent 2020 Devotionals or download the book as a PDF.