A Celebration of Advent Meditation Booklet

For the 29^th year Peoples UMC will be publishing a meditation booklet titled, “A Celebration of Advent”. Similar to other devotional booklets the Peoples edition calls on members of the congregation and its friends to submit a devotional entry that includes a title, a verse from scripture, a meditation, a prayer and a prayer focus or thought for the day. There are four themes during the advent season which this year begins on Sunday, November 27. The four themes that are divided into weeks are Love, Joy, Hope and Peace. Among the “Fruits of the Spirit” you may also find a theme to write your meditation and prayer on. The themes from this source are Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and/or Self-Control. As publisher I was also taken by two verses from Luke that might help others in the thought process: Luke 10:27 “….and Love your neighbor as yourself”, and Luke 10:29 “….and who is my neighbor?” One is also aware that Advent links us to the birth of Christ and those diverse people who originally celebrated in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

The season we celebrate in print usually begins the first day of Advent and concludes on Christmas Day although in the last couple of years we have been able to extend the readings through Epiphany on January 6, the 12^th day after Christmas. A total of 41 prepared meditations are prayed for in order that this date might still be achieved.

In order to have the booklet on time it would truly be helpful if your meditations could be in to Art Tordoff by Sunday, November 13, either through the use of forms available in the back of the church or through the means of e-mail. Thanks for your consideration and I do hope you can join the others who take the time to think, pray and write for this annual publication. If you have more than one meditation it will be prayerfully accepted.

Art Tordoff