Jesus is the hope of the world and our Hope in Every Language. Hope is an expectation and desire for a certain outcome to happen. Imagine the hope that God has for you! Come prepare and celebrate the Hope this Christmas at Wheatland.
Welcome to Christmas@home!
ADVENT DEVOTIONAL
Download your own Advent Devotional | Beginning November 29. DOWNLOAD HERE
We are making room for a new season…
The leaves from the trees have all blown away. There is a starkness to our reality. Nearly an entire year has passed. Now we prepare for the next season as we pull out sweaters or warm comfy clothes. As the seasons change in Northern Illinois, we are aware of the unpredictable weather. The transition from one season to the next can be difficult to navigate and planning is crucial to getting things done! Always have a Plan B.
Regardless of the weather, we are all aware of the time to turn inward. Plan with intention this year to slow down, pay attention to details, adapt family traditions and make your home a sanctuary. Feel good about the choices you make to meet the seasonal needs of your family and friends by planning. Become aware of your own need to stay in touch with Jesus because it is so easy to crowd Him out and discover you have no room left for Him. (Luke 2:7)
Rest
Like the earth around us, it is time to enter into a time of quiet. We don’t have to be afraid to step away, to unload the burden we carry or to just sit for a while. Silence can be a welcomed friend. Silence can bring us peace. Rest isn’t a sign of weakness. Rest is the very thing that makes us strong. There are deep things at work below the surface that are often the most important and they can only happen when we rest. God rested on the seventh day. He commanded that His people rest on the seventh day like He did. God rested from his labor not because He was tired but because He was finished. Finish something you started. Finish the work for this week. Finish the stressful, demanding soul erasing race and rest. (Genesis 2:2)
Pause
2020 has been a roller coaster ride. So many of us wanted to yell, “STOP the ride! I want to get off!” Others wanted to hit fast forward and fly right past the end of the year to begin again with a fresh slate. Before we count down to the new year—let’s pause to reflect on some lessons learned that we want to carry forward.
Life is so fleeting—2020 reminded us that it is important to pay attention to our days and how we spend our time. We don’t want to be reckless with a gift of time that uncertainty has brought us. Yes, this time is a gift…if we allow it to be.
Too many of us crave the fast pace. We lived it so well with schedules to keep, big dreams to achieve and ladders to climb. Progress was our avid partner constantly pressing in on us to do more and be more. All that achievement came to a screeching halt. The ride stopped for many of us. Did you get off or are you still seated in your rollercoaster car waiting for the ride to start again?
Don’t waste the opportunity that is presented to you. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-14)
As you declare your new goals and aspirations for 2021, consider how you moved through 2020 and some of the valuable lessons you learned. What did you discover about yourself? What will you leave behind or let go of? Is there something you can do to better balance your life or expectations? Consider how growth is measured—where are you different? Where is your home life different? What have you accomplished this year? What has your family accomplished this year? Was there a big discovery? How will it effect you moving forward?
December 24 | Christmas Eve Luminaria | Online at 12:00 p.m. | Parking Lot at 5:00 & 6:00 p.m. | More information, click here.
December 27 | Celebration of Ministry Service Online | Naperville & Oswego
What is Advent?
Advent is a time of waiting, hope, and anticipation. We pray that this video will help you understand the meaning of Advent as we celebrate Jesus' birth and ...
Click here, to read about Christmas Traditions.
Prayer By: Thomas Marton
“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore, will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”
–Thomas Merton
Laura Lies
Streams of Grace | Spiritual Director