“THE WAIT IS OVER: LET’S CELEBRATE, GOD IS WITH US!”
Getting Ready for Christmas and the Holidays:
2025 CHRISTMAS BUREAU
UNITED WAY of KAW VALLEY
& SHAWNEE COUNTY
The Shawnee County Christmas Bureau is an annual tradition that allows everyone in our community to make the holiday season brighter for our Shawnee County neighbors in need. United Way of Kaw Valley and other community partners connect thousands of individuals and families to a holiday meal and gifts by matching them with agencies or community “adopters.” Find information, program eligibility, applications, and deadlines at https://www.uwkawvalley.org/christmasbureau.
🎁 Apply Now for the
2025 Season of Sharing
The Season of Sharing is back, bringing holiday cheer to individuals and families in need across Topeka and Shawnee County. This community initiative, led by Advisors Excel, focuses on fulfilling unique or specialized needs that often go unmet during the holiday season.
Find information, program eligibility, applications, and deadlines at https://legacy.advisorsexcel.com/giving-back/season-of-sharing.
Decorating the Sanctuary for Advent/Christmas
HANGING OF THE GREENS
(Decorating for Christmas)
Saturday, November 29 @ 10 AM
Join us as we enter this holy season of Advent by preparing our hearts and our church! Come and help decorate the sanctuary and other areas of the church as we anticipate the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Enjoy donuts, hot chocolate, and coffee while sharing fellowship with your church family. Let us work and rejoice together as we ready our space to celebrate the hope, peace, joy, and love of this Advent season.
VÄLKOMMEN JUL! | WECOME CHRISTMAS!
“O Come, Let Us
Adore Him“
Find JESUS this Christmas!
Bring the Family to our
Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Service at 6:00 pm.
Loving God | Friendly People |
Relevant Message
LOTS OF FAMILIAR CAROLS
THE SEASON OF ADVENT 2025
JESUS is COMING! Are You READY?
WHAT IS ADVENT? ADVENT/CHRISTMAS is ALL about JESUS CHRIST!
ADVENT is the four weeks leading up to the Christmas Eve Service. It’s a season of prayer and preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus. “Advent,” in Latin, literally means “coming” or “arrival.” Today, we look forward to Christ’s SECOND COMING to the world as the Risen Lord and Almighty King of the Universe. We hold on to God’s promise that Jesus Christ will COME AGAIN!
The Church celebrates CHRISTMAS (English word meanings “mass on Christ’s day“) as a festive observance of the incarnation or birth of Jesus, held on December 25 in the Western Church. God promised through the people and prophets of the Jewish people that God’s Anointed Savior of All People, the Messiah, WOULD COME.
As Christians, we celebrate that the JESUS is the Jewish Messiah…and HE CAME!
Jesus said, “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”
Matthew 25:31-32
We observe the Season of Advent by reflecting on the four virtues of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love- one theme for each week leading up to the Christmas Eve Service. We light candles, prepare unique wreaths, fast and pray, eat traditional foods, hold special church services, sing contemporary and traditional carols, and read specific Bible verses each day to reflect on the future arrival of Jesus on Earth. Join us each week as we prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT
30 NOVEMBER 2025
A SEASON of EXPECTATIONS
“Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” – Matthew 24:42
As we enter the holy waiting of Advent — a time when faith looks forward with hope, trusting in God’s promises yet to be fulfilled. On this first Sunday, we light the Prophecy Candle, the Candle of Hope, remembering how the prophets long ago spoke of a coming Savior who would bring light into the world’s darkness.
Their words stir our hearts today as we, too, wait in expectation — not only for the celebration of Christ’s birth, but for His promised return in glory. Our hope is anchored in Jesus Christ, who has come, who is present with us through the Holy Spirit, and who will come again to make all things new.
As we light this candle of HOPE, we affirm our faith that God is at work — in us, through us, and among us — preparing the world for the fullness of Christ’s kingdom.
Together we pray: Come, Lord Jesus, come!
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT
07 DECEMBER 2025
A SEASON of PREPARATIONS
“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” – Matthew 3:3
In this Season of Preparations, we remember that Advent is a time to ready our hearts and our world for the coming of Christ. On this second Sunday, we light the Candle of Peace, recalling the prophetic voice of John the Baptist calling all people to repentance and renewal. He prepared the way for the Prince of Peace, whose reign brings justice, righteousness, and reconciliation to a broken world.
In a world filled with unrest and division, we look for the peace that only Christ can bring — peace that begins in our hearts and extends to the nations. The promise of God’s kingdom reminds us that true peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of God’s righteousness and love.
As we light this candle of PEACE, we lift our prayers for the people of Jerusalem and Gaza, Afghanistan, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uganda, Yemen, and all places where violence and fear overshadow hope.
May Christ, our Prince of Peace, rule in every heart and every land.
Together we pray: Come, Lord Jesus, bring your peace.
THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT
14 DECEMBER 2025
A SEASON of JUBULATION
“Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
This third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday, a time to pause and rejoice in the midst of our waiting. On this day, we light the Shepherds’ Candle, the Candle of Joy, remembering the shepherds who heard the angelic announcement of Christ’s birth and rushed with gladness to see the Savior.
Advent is a season of jubilation — a time to celebrate God’s faithfulness and the hope-filled promise that Christ will come again. Just as the shepherds experienced overwhelming joy at the Savior’s arrival, we, too, are invited to open our hearts and rejoice in God’s presence with us, both now and in the life to come.
As we light this candle of JOY, let us pray that all people may embrace the spirit of rejoicing this holy season, and that our lives may reflect the gladness of those first witnesses who proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest!”
Together we proclaim: Come, Lord Jesus, fill us with your joy!
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT
21 DECEMBER 2025
A SEASON of INCARNATION
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14
On this final Sunday of Advent, we light the Bethlehem Candle, the Candle of Love, as we reflect on the incredible gift of God taking on human flesh in the birth of Jesus. Through His incarnation, Christ entered our world in humility, cared for the hurting, healed the sick, fed the hungry, and journeyed toward Jerusalem where He would suffer, die, and rise again to bring salvation to all.
Advent reminds us that God’s love is not distant or abstract, but tangible and embodied in Jesus Christ. As we light this candle of LOVE, we rejoice in the profound mystery of the incarnation — that God chose to dwell among us so that we might know life, hope, and grace.
Let us pray that all people may experience the love of God made flesh, remembering the words of 1 John 4:9–10:
“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Together we proclaim: Come, Lord Jesus, dwell among us with your love!
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Tuesday, December 24 • 6:00 PM
✨ “The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.” — Isaiah 9:2 ✨
Step into the warmth and wonder of a Nordic Christmas Eve as we celebrate the birth of Christ with candlelight, carols, and community. Inspired by Scandinavian traditions of light, simplicity, and togetherness (hygge), this peaceful service invites you to pause, breathe, and rejoice in the true meaning of Christmas.
Enjoy familiar carols, the story of the Nativity, and the glow of candles filling the sanctuary with soft light—a reminder that Christ, the Light of the World, shines in every heart and home.
All are welcome. Dress warmly, bring your loved ones, and join us for a sacred and cozy evening of worship and wonder.
Together we proclaim: Come, Lord Jesus, come!
This holy night we rejoice in your light and celebrate your presence among us.
FIRST SUNDAY IN CHRISTMASTIDE
28 DECEMBER 2025
A SEASON of CELEBRATIONS
“This same Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have seen him go into heaven.” – Acts 1:11
Christmas is A Season of Celebrations! We rejoice in the promise and presence of Jesus Christ. From His birth in Bethlehem to His ascension into heaven, God’s faithfulness has been made known through His Son. On this first Sunday of Christmas, we celebrate not only the miracle of Christ’s incarnation but also the hope-filled assurance that Jesus will come again as the Risen Lord and King.
The Christian faith calls us to live not in nostalgia for the past, but in joyful anticipation of the future. The Season of Christmas invites us to celebrate the gift of God with us — Emmanuel — and to remember that the story does not end in the manger. The angels promised the Apostles, and we believe today: Jesus is coming!
As we light the Christmas candles, let us rejoice in God’s faithfulness, celebrate His love made manifest, and live in the hope of His glorious return.
Together we proclaim: Come, Lord Jesus, come!
Let us celebrate your presence among us throughout the New Year!
Updated: 22 OCTOBER 2025
