Events Calendar

Advent and Christmas at Trinity

The Christian year—and in that sense, the Christian faith—begins not with the brilliant flowers of Easter or the soft glow of Christmas morning. It begins with the longest nights of the year, the growing shadows of despair, conflict, sorrow, and hate—for it’s there that the God of hope, peace, joy, and love will arrive. The word “Advent” means arrival. Starting Nov. 30, the first Sunday of Advent, the church makes a 4-week spiritual journey into the birth of Christ. (Be sure to pick up a copy of our Advent devotional guide, as we let the scriptures and the poetry of Wendell Berry guide us towards the radiant joy that is soon to come.) In the first two weeks of Advent we focus on moral and spiritual preparation: will we be ready to arrive ourselves at the manger, not thousands of years ago on the other side of the world, but where we are, right here, right now? In weeks three and four the emphasis shifts to our joy at the nearness of Christ’s coming and his work on earth to make all things new. On December 24 at our Christmas Eve service we’ll usher in the season of Christmas (12 days), the arrival of God-with-us.