Advent & God's dream for the world

Have you ever awoken from a really good dream and wanted to go back to sleep?On the contrary, have you ever awoken from a nightmare with the intense fear that something really terrible was actually about to happen?Dreams are powerful. They stir, overwhelm & even inspire us to action.Jesus referred to God’s dreams or plans or intentions for the world as the “kingdom of God” or “kingdom of heaven”. He compared the kingdom to things like a mustard seed, a treasure hidden in a field and the yeast for leavened bread. The kingdom of God is small and subtle and yet, has the power to transform everything.The kingdom breaks into our world, our hearts & even our visions for the world. God’s dreams have inspired men & women to work for peace, reconciliation, justice, restoration & equality.When God’s dreams become our dreams, we are compelled to do something.During Advent worship gatherings & our new 3D group, we will prepare for the arrival of God's dream. We will hear from the prophets - those bizarre & even at times repulsive characters in Scripture who were connected to God’s dreams in a way that almost drove them & everyone else crazy. They could see & hear what others could not. They were called to wake others up to the coming kingdom. We will also explore the events surrounding the arrival of Jesus - the One who embodied God’s hopes & dreams for creation.We are not just re-visiting these stories because it’s that time of year again. We are exploring them because we forget, wander & fall asleep. We need to awaken to God’s intentions, which can be quite different from those emerging from the other hopes & dreams that try to order our lives.We would love for you to join us for any of our Advent gatherings:

• Sunday, November 29 - December 20: Community Worship Gatherings at the Third & Main Event Center
• Wednesdays, December 3, 10 & 17: We Make the Road by Walking 3D Group (dinner, discussion, discovery) meets at Kevin & Susan’s (1443 Silver St.) at 6 p.m. All the info is here.
• Wednesday, December 17: Homemade Gift Exchange (during 3D group): Each year, we host a gift exchange for those interested. It is a fun way to get to know each other, while also practicing relational gift giving. We make, upcycle or “re-gift” things to other group participants. Names will be drawn on 12/3.
• Thursday, December 24, 4 p.m.: Community Christmas Eve Gathering with Church Without Walls & St. John’s Lutheran Church at the corner of Market St. & E. Monroe.

During Advent, we are also conspiring to spend less on gifts and give more relationally. Again this year, we are encouraging our community to give a gift through The Well to our mission partner, Amani Sasa, a women's refugee advocacy program in Uganda. You can learn all about their life-giving work here.