Advent

Advent is a season of preparation and anticipation that comes at the end of the calendar year, but marks the beginning of a new church year. The materials we are using for our 2024 Advent theme, Words for the Beginning, were created by A Sanctified Art. They highlight the words we need to hear again and again as we begin a new season, using artwork and themes inspired by quilts, providing warmth and comfort as we begin again.

photo-a-Day Advent Calendar

We will post a photo inspired by a different theme word each day during Advent on CPC's Facebook and Instagram pages.

Do you love taking pictures with your phone or camera? We invite you to signup to share a photo for a day/word here. You can use an existing photo or take a new one. Please submit all photos by Nov. 22.

Advent resources

Devotional booklet: 
A print booklet with a selection of art, poetry, prayer, hymns, and commentaries for each week of Advent. Pick up your copy in the Narthex beginning Sunday, November 24. An electronic version is available from the church office upon request.

Focal scriptures in the CPC App:
A weekly scripture reading and short message inspired by a theme phrase delivered through the CPC mobile app.

Words for the Beginning playlist:
A playlist of music for Advent on Spotify.

Materials to borrow from the CPC Library:
  • For Adults - standalone devotionals and holiday fiction.
  • For Children - picture books and DVDs for a faith-filled Advent and Christmas.

WEEKLY PHRASES

Each week we will focus on one phrase, as follows:

  • First Sunday of Advent - You Are a Blessing
  • Second Sunday of Advent - We Can't Go Alone
  • Third Sunday of Advent - Do the Good That Is Yours to Do
  • Fourth Sunday of Advent - Hope is Worth the Risk
  • Christmas Eve - Love Knows Your Name
  • First Sunday After Christmas - Don't Forget to Laugh
  • Epiphany Sunday - The Road Isn't Straight

CALENDAR OF Events

Calendars
CPC Events
Children's Ministry Calendar
CPC Youth Ministry Calendar
CPC Meetings
Sabbatical Calendar
Advent 2024

A CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
IN FOUR PARTS

This year's Christmas pageant will be presented in four episodes, one per week of Advent, during the Children's Time in our Sunday morning Worship Services. Join us at 10:30 AM in person, livestream, or watch the recording afterwards.

MORE ABOUT THE 'WORDs FOR THE BEGINNING' THEME

This year's Advent theme, Words for the Beginning, comes from the talented folks at A Sanctified Art. As in previous years, we will be using materials created by them throughout Advent.

Advent is a season of endings and beginnings. As the calendar year ends, a new church year rushes in. Christ’s birth ushers us into new ways of living and loving—and yet, we feel the weight of many things ending. What are the reminders we need to move faithfully through this threshold? A Sanctified Art has crafted an Advent series filled with blessings, with the words we need to hear again and again as we begin a new season. Imagine the words Mary would speak to her newborn son. What scriptures and stories would she impart to him? What lessons would she teach him as he grew?
 
And so, the weekly themes may feel like the lessons taught to children, but in reality, these are lessons we continue to learn and relearn as adults. They may sound like the messages imparted to loved ones during special ceremonies or sacred rituals such as weddings, ordination services, or baptisms. You are invited to enter this Advent season as if you are entering a sacred new chapter, holding fast to the reminders that will bolster you for the journey ahead. In many ways, pregnant Mary was surrounded by endings—large and small, personal and political. And yet, Mary proclaimed hope in a God who was and is making all things new. As we also move through new chapters, may these words for the beginning renew us and remind us of the ways we are called to live out our faith. No matter what you are facing, no matter what this new day brings, let love be your beginning.
 
A Sanctified Art was inspired by the visual concept of quilting. Like a quilt formed by scraps of old fabrics and meaningful family items, this worship series stitches together the ancient scriptures and reminders we need to hear again and again. Quilts have been used for physical protection, comfort, ceremonies, abolition, family heirlooms, advocacy, and more. Quilting is a medium that transcends countless cultures, regions, and time periods, but is a craft rooted in community and storytelling.