RCHP Youth Group

As you prepare for Sunday School in this new year, take a moment to read the following excerpt from our curriculum "Seasons of the Spirit".

A vision of the God-loved world’s transformation and the narrative of the God-beloved’s transfiguration bracket the seasons and texts of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. These three seasons reflect Spirit-ed movements of preparation, fulfillment, and calls to reveal what has been experienced and promised. They affirm the reign of God is both now and not yet. They call the people of God to live in that balance and tension.

The focus passages for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany draw heavily on the gospels, especially Luke. Strong relationships and characters are at work in these narratives. They do not shy away from bold words and deep trust. Signs abound that something important is being done by God, and by those who trust in and work toward God’s ways. In keeping with the whole of Luke’s gospel, those ways are revealed as seeking justice for all.

The artwork of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany uses soft oranges and bluish-purples to draw us into often circular centres. But while these pieces are reflective they are definitely not static. The Coming of Christmas appears to ripple outward with signs of nature. Outside the Lines sweeps us out in a wave – or does it sweep us in and up into that wave’s source? Girl Praying captures a moment full of intensity. The other images lead us into other wonderings. Is it a sunrise or a sunset? To whom is this child listening, and what listening has led the child to this grey-bearded place? What – or who – goes reflected in the shining of a bowl? (Note: Ages 3–5 and 6–8 have a slightly different poster collection.) The music gathered for these seasons reflects their varied moods and movement. Some songs bid us to the shelter of God’s presence and praise. Others invite, if not summon, us to follow Jesus and trust that God will show us the way.

The movement that builds with Advent does not end with Christmas. Jesus’ birth is not the final word for holy expectations. Rather, it becomes the invitation to pursue such anticipations by following Jesus and learning of the One whom Jesus has come to reveal. We find ourselves in the story when we find ourselves confessing that something important is happening here. That something is the reign of God, whose “hereness” and “nearness” frames what it means to trust and live as God’s people in this day.

` Seasons of the Spirit, Congregational Life Resources