November 29thI see it all now
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ADVENT: A Mighty River of the Spirit
Theme: This Advent we are taking inspiration from Richard Foster’s book Streams of Living Water. Using the image of a river that swells as its tributaries flow into it, Foster refers to different spiritual traditions as “streams of spiritual life” that combine to produce a community of life and faith which he calls “a mighty river of the Spirit. (p.xv). For each stream we highlight a Biblical character who embodies a unique spiritual tradition. This week’s spiritual stream is the ‘Contemplative’ and we highlight Mary and her response to the call of God on her life.
The series is intended to help us to see the big picture of the Christian faith. While believers often focus on the differences between faith traditions, this series calls us to remember the one thing that binds Christians of all time, places, and doctrinal distinctiveness together: the worship of the Child of Bethlehem. Preparing for the birth of Jesus in this context can stimulate our Advent hope for his return—when the one church of Jesus Christ will be cleansed of all that has divided it, and when those who have gathered around the throne of the Lamb, from which the river of the water of life flows (Rev. 22:1), will be eternally united in their worship of God.
[adapted from Reformed Worship – September 2002, written by Peter Hoytema. Additional material by Val Regier]