November
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Thanks for reading our Advent calendar. More to come next year!
November
28
28 November: Get your hands on your most beloved Christmas special. Make plans with someone you care about to watch it together on Friday.
November
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29 November: Be thankful. Thanksgiving comes once a year in the calendar, but in the church calendar every day is an occasion for thanksgiving.
November
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30 November: Toss out those Thanksgiving leftovers (you know it's time) and clean out the fridge. On the last day of November, it's time to move into Advent for real, and make room.
December
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01 December: Today is world AIDS day. Spend time online today learning about the global AIDS crisis. Consider bearing hope to someone else by contributing to a charity that cares for people living with HIV and AIDS.
December
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02 December: Dim the lights, pop the popcorn, and watch the Christmas special …commercial free! Extra credit if you cry at the sappy ending and then manage to giggle at yourself through your tears.
December
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03 December: Advent is the beginning of the church's new year, but it's toward the end of the calendar year. Which calendar are you on? How can you make today a new day, and make this the real beginning of your new year with God?
December
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04 December: Second Sunday of Advent: Read Isaiah 40:1-11. Light two candles on the Advent wreath and ask God to show you someone you know who needs comfort. Go to church.
December
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05 December: Advent is like Lent, a season of repentance. Look at your life. Is there something you are sorry for? Ask God for forgiveness, and after that, move on to human reconciliation.
December
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06 December: Consider your Christmas shopping list and don't panic. See it as an opportunity to think about the people you love and the things they delight in. And then relax. Nobody's life depends on what you're getting them for Christmas. God has already taken care of the major gift.
December
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07 December: Find a recording of the song "Prepare Ye (The Way of the Lord)" from the musical Godspell (YouTube and iTunes both have lots). Load up your arms with Christmas decorations, crank up the volume, and hit "play." Dance through the house decorating and singing as loudly as you can.
December
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08 December: Remember someone you have loved and lost. Sadness and grief have their dignified place in Advent. The pain of loss is the cost of loving well. Risk it.
December
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09 December: Do you know someone who does not have a spiritual home? This is a time of year when people think about trying out church. What if right now on Friday you invited someone to attend this Sunday? It never hurts to ask.
December
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10 December: Delight in the weather, whatever it is.
December
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11 December: Third Sunday of Advent: Read Luke 1:46-55. Light three candles on the Advent wreath and pray for ways that you can magnify God—make God larger and more visible—in the world this Christmas. Go to church. And look for the newcomers.
December
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12 December: Pray for the Stillspeaking Writers' Group. We're meeting today to talk about new ideas!
Pray that your soul will magnify the Lord. Go to church this morning!
December
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13 December: Pray that we actually get things done. We're busy and distracted at this time of year.
December
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14 December: Mary was young and unmarried when she realized she was carrying Jesus. Pray for all the teen mothers in the world.
December
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15 December: Even if you've never done it before, figure out how to bake your favorite Christmas treat. Make double the recipe. Pray over the dough. Pray over the oven. Pray over the cooling rack. Pray over the frosting. Take half of the finished product to someone on your street who will be shocked to see you on the doorstep—a stranger if you have to. Be brave!
December
16
Thank God for Fridays.
December
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17 December: Take it easy during party season. Don't overdo it. Remember, you have church tomorrow. And while you will be welcome there with a lampshade on your head, it's not your best look.
December
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18 December: Fourth Sunday of Advent: Light four candles on the Advent wreath and pray for the strength to say "yes" when God shows up. Go to church. Avoid the mall. Church comes first.
December
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19 December: A couple of weeks ago, you practiced repentance and asked for forgiveness and reconciliation. How's that going? Spend some time in thoughtful prayer.
December
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20 December: Dress your pet up in a Christmas outfit. We know it's silly and has nothing to do with Jesus, but it's hilarious.
December
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21 December: It's the first night of Hanukkah and one of the two longest nights of the year. Turn off all the lights and live by candlelight tonight. Remind yourself that God's light is always stronger than the darkness.
December
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22 December: When you go to bed tonight, lie snuggled up in the darkness and remind yourself that even if light will win, darkness can be good, too. Thank God for warm, quiet bedrooms, starlit nights, and the womb in which you were formed.
December
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23 December: Consider the lonely people at this time of year. Is there someone you should check in on, or reach out to? Follow up with those folks who could use a church community and remind them about Christmas Eve services.
December
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24 December: Christmas Eve: Read Luke 2:1-20. Go to church tonight. Before bed, dim the lights and sing "Silent Night."
December
25
Light all five candles. Christ is born. God is with you: hope wins, peace wins, joy wins, love wins, God's light wins! You already have the only gift you need.
