As you prepare for Advent, Kellen Roggenbuck shares several Advent series ideas with preaching themes, scripture, and theme graphic.
Christmas Presence (Click here to download graphic)
After months of redefining what it means to be connected, Advent is a season in which we can focus on our ability to be fully engaged. Let us take this season to reflect on the story of the coming Emmanuel with fresh eyes and ears so that we may understand the truest joy of the God with us!
Week 1: Isaiah 40:1-10 : Jerusalem is told to make way, to prepare the way for the Lord.
We begin Advent with the questions: how may we prepare the way for Jesus in our lives? In our families? In our own hearts?
Week 2: Luke 2:1-7 : This is the setting for the incarnation of GOD! – In a barn.
Amongst animals, hay, in the stink and filth. Jesus came into the lowly places, to a lowly family. God became human, and was present in the mess that is our world.
Week 3: Luke 2:8-18 : The angels invited the shepherds into the story.
The shepherds came and told their part of story to Mary and Joseph while being invited into what was happening there in the manger. We too are invited to tell of our part of the story, which begins there in the manger.
Week 4: Luke 2:19-20: Mary treasured up all of these things.
Mary treasured up the memory of this crazy tableau – of virgin conceptions, barn births, angel choirs, shepherd intrusions, and her perfect, beautiful family. She held close to her all that had happened – we are blessed, like the shepherds, to be able to tell the story!
Letting Go of Christmas (Click here to download graphic)
With all the changes in our world, families, and traditions, it can feel like Christmas isn’t the same. Can everyone come home for Christmas? Is the turkey going to be dry? Will little Suzy get the hot new gift? This Advent is an opportunity to reflect upon the idol that the perfect Christmas is in our hearts as we remember what the true meaning of Christmas is. Let go of all the things we have made Christmas and embrace the coming Christ!
Week 1: Christmas perfection has become an idol, and this year’s shaping up to be difficult to get right!
Christmas Cards and Letters are a great example of misrepresenting our lives to chase perfection. The problem is, we are messy, unplanned, imperfect people, and we are expecting the coming of Jesus who came into our messy, unplanned, imperfect world as one of us! Isaiah 9:2-7 : Regardless of what our letters say or how polished our card pictures are, we all fall short. But there is still hope! Even this year, even with all the problems, all the division, all the struggles, even after all this time – Jesus is coming.
Week 2: Chasing that perfect gift can distract us from the gift that is given to us.
The must-have toy, the newest trend, two-day shipping right to your door…in a world of convenience, this is a season of complication! What is that one thing you are searching for? The newest phone? A Christmas bonus? The hottest toy for your child? Isaiah 11:1-9: God is giving us a kingdom – some assembly required! – and it begins with the Jesus, not materials, money, or things. We are presented with the opportunity of a new world, a new creation through the baby born in a manger. Jesus is coming.
Week 3: Christmas is the season of giving, but even generosity can be a distraction and idol.
Charitable giving spikes dramatically in the month of December. People open their hearts and wallets to help out during the month surrounding Christmas. Meanwhile, food banks and shelters are in serious need in summer months. Why is it that we are able to be generous, compassionate, empathetic people during Advent? Is it the joy of Jesus, or the guilt of the
season? If we truly are living the life of a disciple, why aren’t we living that way all the time? John 1:1-14: Jesus came to us, the word made flesh, love embodied, and we are reminded that God is love. We, too, are called to love, but not as a guilty conscience, not as a holiday duty, but as an expression of the love that is Jesus. This Christmas, love enters the world and shows us how beautiful humanity can be. Jesus is coming.
Week 4: Having everything the way we like it can often distract us from the beauty around us.
Tradition is a powerful part of Christian heritage and many of our households. The food we eat, the music we listen to, the stories Uncle Carl tells over and over, the itchy socks we always get from Great Aunt Mildred…but in a year when nothing feels the same, it’s easy to miss out on the spirit and love of Christmas because of the uncertainty and change. Luke 2:1-20: The story of Jesus’ birth is all wrong for a king. It was messy, stinky, involving way too many livestock, bombarded with uninvited shepherds and wisemen…but this is the story of the greatest thing to ever happen on Earth. We spend so much time reaching for perfection that we miss the point that we are being transformed. Nothing is ever going to give us what our hearts long for except Jesus. That’s the point. Jesus alone transforms us. Jesus alone redeems us. Jesus alone is the joy bringer and the life changer this Christmas. Jesus is coming.
A Light in the Darkness (click here to download graphic)
In this time of darkness, of hate, of division, there comes a light! Each December, we remember that with the coming dawn of each new day comes the renewed hope of Jesus, the light in the darkness. Beginning with John 1, explore the hope found in the story of Jesus, and help to find it in the story of those who are listening – while we are in the darkest season of the year, there is a great light among us.
Week 1: John 1:1-11 : Jesus is the Light entering into the Darkness
Matthew 1:21-23 : Jesus is the foretold Emmanuel, the one to deliver us all!
Week 2: John 9:4-5 : Jesus is the Light, and in His light we are to do good work
Luke 2:8-16 : Basking in the Light of the heavenly host, the shepherds drop everything and GO!
Week 3: John 8:12 : Jesus is the Light of the World, even in the face of death
Isaiah 53:3-5 : It was foretold he would go to the cross, and through His light, darkness is scattered.
Week 4: Matthew 5:14-16 : You, too, are the Light of the World, shine into the darkness!
In this Christmas season, it is our charge to shine the light of Christ out into the world!
Pastor Kellen Roggenbuck is from the Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church and has worked in ministry for over 15 years. Kellen grew up in the Chicago suburbs and has worked in Northern Illinois with churches in the PCUSA, UCC, as well as with several nondenominational congregations. He received his Masters of Divinity from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary and specializes in youth ministry, graphic design, and creative worship expressions. Kellen has been awarded special recognition for his mission work in Greeneville, TN, as well as won a Lucky Charms eating contest. He currently leads a congregation in Jefferson, WI, and leads the statewide Conference Youth Council for the UMC. He is an author, ministry consultant, and tattoo enthusiast.
