Celebrate Christmas at Greenville First
Christmas at Greenville First has arrived again, and there is something special about settling into this season with our church family. Advent has helped the people of God for generations because it gives us a chance to slow down, catch our breath, and remember that the story of Jesus is not only something we celebrate, but something that keeps shaping our lives day after day. It is truly a story that still changes everything.
Our theme this year is A Story That Still Changes Everything, and each week we will follow the story of Scripture as it points us toward the hope that came at Christmas and the hope that is still coming.
Here is where we are going together:
Week One: Christmas in the Beginning
We start in Genesis, where creation, promise, judgment, and mercy form the foundation for the One who would come to rescue. The story of Christmas begins long before the manger.
Week Two: Christmas in the Land
We move into the years of Israel, where God’s faithfulness can be seen in the lives of Hannah, David, and the prophets. Their longing and their hope prepare us for a King who brings light into darkness.
Week Three: Christmas in the Gospels
We come to the familiar and beautiful scenes surrounding the birth of Jesus. Here we see the miracle of God entering our world in human form.
Week Four: Christmas in the Letters
We look at how the earliest Christians understood the meaning of Jesus’ coming. Adoption, grace, humility, and hope all rise to the surface as we see how the birth of Christ reshapes our lives.
To help you walk through this season, a resource by Alistair Begg will be available. You can pick up a copy at our Resource Center on Sunday mornings, or you can download the digital version for free using the link below. My hope is that this gives you a simple way to create pockets of reflection and worship throughout the week.
A Word About Advent
On a personal note, our family started observing Advent several years ago, and it has helped shape our Christmas seasons in ways I did not expect. Advent is a Latin word that means coming or arrival. Since the fourth century, Christians have used this time to remember Jesus’ first coming as a baby in Bethlehem and to anticipate His second coming in glory.
The church calendar places Advent in the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day and finishing on Christmas Eve. It is a season filled with hope, expectation, and longing. There is no biblical requirement to observe Advent. It developed over the centuries as a way to prepare our hearts for Christmas, and many of us have found it to be a meaningful and helpful season of spiritual focus.
Christians around the world mark Advent in all sorts of ways. Some light candles. Some sing specific songs. Some share small gifts. Some gather around wreaths. Some keep things simple and quiet. No matter the approach, the center of it all is Jesus. He came as a baby wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger, fully God and fully human, sent by the Father to live, die, and rise again for us.
“No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.”
This is why Advent matters. It pulls our attention back to Jesus. It stirs something hopeful in us as we remember what He has done and as we look toward what He has promised to do.
We would love for you to walk with us through this season. Along with our four Sunday gatherings and our Christmas Eve Candlelight service, we will have resources available for you and your family. We are praying that this Christmas season fills your home with the hope and peace of Christ.
Pastor Brandon Smotherman
Spiritual Formation Pastor
Greenville First
Let Earth Receive Her King
Alistair Begg Resource
Advent Bible Reading Plan
Advent is a term that means “a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the coming of Christ.”
In this 24-day plan, we’ll look at some of our favorite Christmas traditions and see how we can use each one to point back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.