Month: November 2020

While many are familiar with Bethlehem as the little town in the story of Jesus’ birth, not as many may think of the present day city of Bethlehem. A group of young adults in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and the ELCJHL (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land) thought to change this. They put together a series called Advent Pilgrimage in Palestine involving weekly videos and blog posts using the hashtag #AdventInPalestine. In this first week of Advent, we hear from The Rev. Ashraf Tannous, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Beit Jala, Palestine – outside Bethlehem. Rev. Tannous talks about what the first Advent candle – hope – means to him as a Christian and as a Palestinian.

Over the four weeks of Advent, we will be led on a virtual pilgrimage through story, education and theological reflection. You can register here to receive resources, including weekly videos and blog posts via email. Or search for #adventinpalestine in your favorite social media app!

This year we will be journeying through the alphabet as we move our way through Advent towards the Day of Christmas. Last Christmas Day a small group of us gathered for an intimate worship that included getting crafty! I had each letter of the alphabet plainly sketched out on a sheet of paper waiting to be decorated. The thought I had was to hang up these creations throughout the season of Advent. 26 letters in the English alphabet. 26 days from Advent 1 through Christmas Eve this year! Little did we know back then that things hung up in the church would not be seen by many people…

So for the letters I can find, I’ll include an image here. Otherwise there may be some other image that speaks to the word of the day. May these daily reflections through the season of Advent be a gift to you. I’ll also be including a link to a video Advent project of which I was blessed to be a part. These are 5 – 7 minute offerings (longer on Wednesdays) shared with the wider church and those beyond the church. Many thanks go to The Rev. John Michael Longworth, OEF, of Rutland, Vermont for curating this collection and all who contributed.

A Video Advent