Advent is Better Together

Advent is personally one of my favorite seasons, one of the most beautiful seasons in the church year — a time when we slow down, light candles one by one, and step into a story far bigger and more hopeful than our own. It’s a season of longing, expectation, and holy mystery. One of the greatest gifts of Advent is that we experience it together.

Kierstie Renninger

At 1st Pres, we have the blessing of being an intergenerational church — a community where every age and stage brings something sacred. Children remind us how to marvel. Teens ask brave questions that keep faith honest and growing. Adults carry the everyday challenges and joys that shape our prayers. Older generations offer wisdom rooted in years of walking with God’s faithfulness. Together, we embody the truth at the heart of Advent: God was with us then, and God is with us now.

Advent orients us around four anchors — hope, peace, joy, and love — each wrapped in God’s grace and inviting us into a posture of gratitude.

Hope breaks into our world like the first candle piercing the darkness. It is not optimism or wishful thinking; it is the grace-filled assurance that God’s light is stronger than any shadow. We give thanks for the ways we see that hope in one another — in a child’s wonder, a volunteer’s kindness, or a simple act of showing up.

Peace meets us in the quiet moments and the crowded ones alike. It’s the unearned grace that settles our spirits when life feels chaotic. We learn peace from each other as we worship, pray, and share life across generations. And for this shared peace, we give deep gratitude.

Joy bursts forth in music, laughter, and the beautifully unpredictable life of community. Joy is a gift — pure grace — not dependent on circumstances but rooted in Emmanuel, God-with-us. We are grateful for the joy we experience when we gather, messy and marvelous, to celebrate God’s presence.

Love is the very heartbeat of Advent. Love is why God came near. Love is why we open our doors, care for one another, and extend welcome to anyone searching for connection. Love is grace in action — and gratitude is our response.

This Advent season, we encourage no one to travel alone. Whether you arrive feeling full or fragile, hopeful or worn thin, there is space for you here. Lean into the wonder. Receive grace freely. Let gratitude shape your days. Allow this community to hold you, remind you, and walk beside you.

We hope you’ll join us for one of our most cherished traditions: our single worship service at 9:00 am on Sunday, December 14th, when we gather as one church family for the beloved UnPageant. This joyful, spontaneous retelling of the Christmas story is a living picture of grace, gratitude, and the love that unites us across generations.

Advent is better together. Come experience the hope, peace, joy, and love that anchor us — and the God who still chooses to dwell with us.

In His Name, Kierstie