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Advent and the Advent Wreath · Centrally Speaking

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Centrally Speaking is the Central Schwenkfelder Church's podcast.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: It speaks about issues that would be of interest to our society.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: In particular, it addresses how a Christian worldview intersects with Western secular culture.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: In the spirit of the church's founder, we take the perspective of the Middle Way, which is in agreement with the historic Christian Church.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_03: I'm Dr.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_03: Drake Williams, Minister of Mission and Theology of the Church.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_03: Our website is www.cscfamily.org.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_02: Christmas is a special time for Christians worldwide.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_02: But what is frequently forgotten in the celebration of the Christmas season is Advent.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_02: Advent has been something that the church has celebrated for centuries.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_02: And also in the celebration of Advent, of many Christian seasons in Advent reads.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_02: We're very glad to have today Reverend Dr.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_02: David McKinley, who's been the senior pastor here at Central Swan Center Church since 2005.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_02: And has been in the ministry, an ordained minister for now 30 years, having been ordained in 1995.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_02: So he's led this church through 20 Christmas and Advent seasons, and also led Christians through this season for some 30 years.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_02: David, really glad to have you on this podcast again and look forward to talking with you about this subject.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Drake.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's a pleasure to be here.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_02: Let's start first with Advent.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_02: In a nutshell, tell us what Advent is and why it's important in the life of the church.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: Well, like uh the season of Lent, Advent was started within the first few centuries of uh Christianity.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: I think Advent dates back to the fourth century.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: And uh instead of just honoring or celebrating one day, by making it a season, it then encourages more reflection, more prayer, more worship, which I think is right.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: So Advent is going to be a little more than three weeks of our calendar.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's going to start on or around November 30th, and then last, of course, through Christmas Day.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: So that's 24 or 28 days, depending on the calendar that you use.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: And it's a time of prayer and reflection with a sense of anticipation of the coming of the Christ child.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: It's been celebrated for since the fourth century A.D.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: That's a that's a really long time.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: It is.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_02: Why did the church decide to celebrate the Advent season, you know, dating back to a time like this?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: Why have such a season?
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it's a great question, Drake.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: I think because there's so many elements that surround the Christmas story, and it's important uh for we as human beings.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's interesting.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: Fourth century is a long time ago, and yet it fits right into our culture today, or it's actually counter-cultural if we can see ourselves as uh so fast-paced, short attention span, task-oriented, get it, get it done, move on.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: The season of Advent is a time to contemplate, it's a time to pray, it's a time to anticipate.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: And so uh I was thinking about this.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's a time to savor the Christmas holiday.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, just like you would enjoy a meal and not eat it fast.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: You want to take the time to enjoy the smells and bells of the season.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: And so Advent allows for that from a worshipful standpoint, not the commercialism, but of course the worship side of it, to uh worship the Lord because he has done great things, because nothing is impossible to him.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: And there's so many themes within the season of Advent.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_02: What would some of those themes that are worth contemplating be?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, as ministers, and I'm sure that you can agree with this, there are only so many sermons that you can bring to the Advent season, but still there are several.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: For instance, Jesus being born of a virgin, as told in the prophecy of Isaiah, Jesus being born to peasant parents who made the extra effort of traveling many miles from Galilee, Nazareth, to Bethlehem, uh, near Jerusalem for the census.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: Also, the whole situation around them being rejected and having to deliver the baby by themselves in a manger in a cave.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: And then the shepherds receiving the angelic announcement.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: And shepherds were very, they were ultra-common people, dirty, untrusted, and in a sense, blue collar, uh, which I think is a wonderful idea.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: And then you have Joseph's nobility, his love for Mary on the one hand, but yet his ethical standard on the other, and he wants to divorce her quietly because he does not want to be found guilty of immorality because he did not touch his wife before she gave birth, and uh she he finds out that she's pregnant.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: Can you imagine what was going through his mind at that time?
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: And yet then the angel visits him in a dream and says, Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what is inside of her is conceived of the Holy Spirit, and you will call his name Jesus, and he will save his people from their sins.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: Just that whole statement brings goosebumps to me uh when I think about uh God's power and God's love and the players in the story that Joseph was a very special person, as well as Mary.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: So bringing all of those out, all those themes of God's power, his strength, his sovereignty, his love, his provision for this couple, that is very common.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that they are common, uh, and yet they are in the shadow of God's almighty hand and the vehicles through which God works a wonderful miracle that has blessed humanity uh since Jesus came to this earth.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_02: A lot of these themes seem like they pick up just good mainstream biblical themes, like the humble one, the shepherd being the first to see, or Joseph in the tension with the law, but also his care for others.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, that's those are massive things throughout the whole biblical record.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_02: And in some ways, it comes to uh all into a crescendo in the Advent season, doesn't it?
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it does.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: It never gets old.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: It warms the heart, it encourages an attitude of worship, and it makes Christmas special every year.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: Throw everything else away as far as uh the commercialism and the gifts and the other things, but this is a sight to behold.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_02: And there's an anticipation to it too, like you were saying about being born of a virgin, as foretold in Isaiah, what 700 years written before Jesus' birth?
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_02: A people anticipating for 700 years?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know what that's it's hard for me to fathom what that's like.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: You're right, you're right.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: And also, as you and I love to read theology, foretold in in Genesis chapter three, you know, uh the first appearance of the gospel there with God saying, He will strike your heel, but you will crush his head, uh saying that to uh the first couple.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: So it is, it's it's an amazing time and it never grows old.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_02: One of the ways that we celebrate the Advent season is with the use of an Advent wreath.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_02: Could you say something about a wreath?
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe for somebody who has never been to our service and never seen one, what does it look like, first of all, and then where did it come from?
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: Great question, Drake.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so an Advent wreath is greenery in the shape of a circle, and the greenery represents the new life that God is able to give us, and even in the background of winter, and so otherwise a season of death or coldness or dreariness, yet the evergreen represents the new life that God gives us, and then in the shape of a circle, representing God's unconditional love that never ends, and so in the shape of a circle that represents that, then with a large candle in the middle, which is the Christ candle, it's white.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's the same candle that we also then use in the season of Lent when we celebrate the Tenebrae service.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's called the Christ candle, and that's in the center, that's usually a larger candle.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then there are four taper candles that surround the Christ candle that are four of them are purple, and one of them is pink.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: And purple is the color of the Advent season.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: One could also say purple is the color of royalty, and that's who Jesus is.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus is our king.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: Then the one candle that's pink is represents joy, and pink evidently is the color of joy, and it's a heightened sense of anticipation done about halfway through the Advent season.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: And so there are four taper candles, and they each represent a theme that comes from the Advent season.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: For central, these are hope, joy with a pink candle, peace, then love.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: But in other denominations, it's something different.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: The order might be switched around.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: There might be the insertion of a candle of promise versus, for instance, love.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: The whole idea is four themes that surround the coming of Christ.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: Three purple candles, one pink candle as situated in evergreen branches in the shape of a circle.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: And it's beautiful and it's celebrated both within the worship service, but also some people celebrate the Advent wreath at home.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a tremendous uh tradition that we observe.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: I guess if somebody was unfamiliar with uh the tradition, if they came to one of our services, they would see the Advent Wreath up front in the sanctuary or in the fellowship hall.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_02: And we have a family that comes forward and uh will say something about the candle that's being uh lit, and that it'll be uh lit in the service, and and that whole time takes maybe about three to five minutes or so.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: But I think it's very touching to see a young family come forward and have uh the kids uh light a candle and have the mother and father explain.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_02: Uh maybe you have a word to say on that too.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: So the history of the Advent wreath, they say dates back to Germany.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: German Christians brought this over to the Americas, who knows what year.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: Some date it as late as the middle of the 19th century.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: Some may say that it's earlier than that.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: But it comes from Germany, and it's I think it's interesting that the Schweinfelders were German people in Silesia, way back, of course, in the uh 1500s, Schweinfeld dying in 1561.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the Advent wreath is something brought over by German Christians.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's celebrated here and in many of the mid to higher liturgical churches, and we would even classify ourselves as minimalist in these actions and observances, and yet we have enjoyed an Advent wreath, certainly as long as I've been here and as you having grown up in the church since at least the 70s, and it probably predates that even.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: The wreath and its lighting helps prepare us for the coming of the Lord.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: And the light, you could say, represents the light of Christ, as Jesus said in John 8 12.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm the light of the world.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light of life.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_02: Such an important thing during a dark winter.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: It does give this sense of Jesus as a light coming into a very dark world.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: Diminish daylight, uh it I mean, it just all the lighting of the candles, you know, it all fits in nicely.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_02: I like your thought about the importance of extending the observance of Christmas.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_02: So you've led this congregation for 20 years through the Christmas time, the Advent season, and if it evolves with other churches to more towards the Midwest.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_02: What do you think the value is of observing the Christmas and Advent season for a longer period of time?
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_01: I think in this day and age, Drake, more value than ever before as our culture seems to be lending itself more and more to immediate gratification.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we are task-oriented, we like to check the box, get things done.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: And especially Christmas has developed into such a commercial time, and we all have many things to do as we prepare for the Christmas holiday from a secular standpoint.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: There's bound to be family that comes over, shares a meal, we exchange gifts, we might go to a concert.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: There's lots of things to do, and so the more contemplative, the more prayerful, the more worshipful sometimes gets pushed to the side.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, as recent Gallup poll indicated, that now, the first time in the history of America, less than 50% of our citizens say that religion holds an important place in their lives.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so Advent is a great opportunity for local churches to remind our culture really what Christmas is all about.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: That it's not about the gift giving, it's not about commercialism, it's about Jesus, the best gift that ever came.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_02: So a protracted time of thinking about the themes and slowing down rather than getting the quick text message is really worthwhile.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_02: Let's talk about some of the themes that are represented in the uh Advent wreaths of hope, love, joy, and promise.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_02: Let's start with hope.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_02: Can you tell us a little bit about hope?
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think that uh we serve a God of hope.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: Someone once said that hope is faith applied to the future.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, it is the anticipation that things are going to be okay, regardless of the latest headline, regardless of our context, that God is upon his throne.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: Titus 2, verse 12 says that um that he is about training us to renounce all ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: And so Titus here is talking about Jesus' second coming because his first coming had already occurred.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: Might we say that as we observe his first advent, we look forward to his second advent, and thus he is our blessed hope.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: He is a God of hope that we can put our trust in.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: And people need hope.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: People need hope.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_02: People need hope right now.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_02: And they certainly that's in the Advent season.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_02: It's part of one of the Advent candles.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_02: That's one of the four.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: Want to say a word about love?
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so love is another candle that's lit on the Advent wreath, and it reminds us of God's character.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, the Bible verse that so many of us have memorized since we were children, uh, John 3 16, and Jesus is speaking of himself when he said, For God loved the world in this way, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: So God is love.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: That's the gospel in a nutshell, John 3 16.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: 1 John 4 10, in this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: And then, of course, 1 John 4.19, we love because he first loved us.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: God is all about love.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: Christmas is a time to celebrate that and recognize that, be reminded of that in case we forgot.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_02: It's easy to forget when it seems that people are shoving each other out of the way or there's such uh animosity in the political world.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_02: There is a God, and it's his love is seen in the sending of the sun.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_02: Amen.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_02: How about a word on joy?
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: Well, joy is represented by the third candle, and it of course is a color of pink.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: It reminds us that we can experience a heightened sense of emotional warmth because of what Jesus came to do.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_01: The psalmist wrote in Psalm 16, verse 11, You make known to me the path of life.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: In your presence there is fullness of joy, and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I quote that at the graveside of the death of a Christian, because even though death, of course, brings sadness, uh, faith in Christ brings a tremendous amount of joy.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: First Peter 1.8, Peter talked about the joy inexpressible and full of glory.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: And he speaks to his readers who did not see Jesus in real time, but rather came to faith after his ascension, of course.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: He says in 1 Peter 1.8, though you have not seen him, you love him.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: So that's one of the beautiful things about Christianity is that a person can have joy regardless of their outward circumstances, because God is the imparter of joy.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_02: We are in a somewhat joyless society too, aren't we?
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_02: And people are happy, but not necessarily a sense of deep and rich fulfillment and pleasure, pleasures that come from the Lord.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's so many of us that struggle with anxiety and depression.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: It is good to know that the Lord imparts joy to those who ask for it, to those who uh fix their mind on Him.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: The last candle is it varies among denominations, but for some it is the candle of promise.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: For others, it might be the candle of peace.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: Again, the candles, what they represent varies between denominations, and the order varies between denominations.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: But it's interesting in my research.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, for some denominations, there's a candle of promise.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: And Christmas reflects on the God of the universe who keeps his promises.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: He is the promise keeper.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: As Matthew 122 tells us, all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had commanded, had spoken by the prophet.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so isn't it wonderful that we serve a God who makes promises and keeps them in a day where a lot of people don't keep their word, but God always keeps his word.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: He's always faithful.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_02: Well then this uh advent wreath really f functions as a way to draw our thoughts to some of the main themes of the uh Christmas uh and advent stories.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_02: And I've always appreciated him.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_02: My time here is central for various reasons.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_02: Uh whether it be the families up front, or whether it be the themes, or whether it be just a word of prayer following uh a little focus on hope or on love or on peace or on joy.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_02: I guess one question that maybe some of our listeners are asking or might be asking is we celebrate the Christmas season, but why are you promoting Advent?
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_02: Why don't we call it the Advent season and over Christmas, or why why do we need both?
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_02: What would you say to that?
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: Uh that's a great question, Drake.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: So Christmas, of course, is December 25th.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_01: And Advent is the time building up to Christmas.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: And also, we should not forget is that it is a communal time.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's a corporate time.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's a time when God's people come together in the weeks before the Christmas holiday, and they bring to mind all of these things that we've been talking about.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: And so there is a sense in which the family of God experiences the same thing, is presented with the same themes, so that our faith can be built up together, we can grow together, we can be encouraged together.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so there's a collectiveness that's involved.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think Advent is important, uh, yet separate from Christmas in the respect that Advent is the time of anticipation.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_01: Christmas is the day of arrival, the celebration.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, of course, you know, there's been lots said whether Jesus was actually born on Christmas Day or born a little bit later in the year, and there's been arguments for and against.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think the exact day is really irrelevant.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: I think that it's a time that we set aside to recognize what exactly did happen, regardless of the date per se, but to recognize what did happen, that God stepped into humanity, himself clothed himself in human flesh, and came and then lived a sinless life, uh, went to a Roman cross, died as a criminal for the real criminals, uh, you and I and everyone that has sinned against the Lord, and that he came to bring the good news that through faith and repentance we can be reconciled to God and that our lives can be uh fulfilling and full of joy and peace, and uh, we know that we can abide with him after this life is over.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I'm looking forward to uh celebrating this Advent and Christmas uh season with you.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_02: For our listeners, maybe you can tell us when Advent will begin and what special services might be taking place they might want to uh take advantage of.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Drake.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: So Advent begins for us at Central Schwenckfelder Church this Sunday, November the 30th, is the first Sunday of Advent.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: And then it will carry through Christmas Day, and we will celebrate each of the Sundays uh with the lighting of the Advent wreath.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_01: There's also other events that take place uh throughout the Advent season.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: For instance, on Sunday, December 7th is our 94th annual United Choir concert.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_01: This is the United Schwenfelder Choir that has been in existence for nearly a hundred years.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_01: It brings together singers and instrumentalists from lots of area churches.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's a very diverse group, all to come together to celebrate the coming of the Lord.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_01: And that concert will take place at 2:30 p.m.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: on Sunday, December 7th.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: Then also there will be a community memorial service on December 14th that's sponsored by Williams Funeral Home, where we present a brief message and recognize those loved ones that have passed away over the last year.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: And so that is in the afternoon on December 14th.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_01: We also are going out Christmas caroling as an outreach at Central.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: Saturday the 13th, and we go to uh folks that are not able to leave their homes because of their health, or maybe they're in nursing facilities, and we go and minister to them and we sing carols to them.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_01: And then, of course, Christmas Eve, we have three services.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: 10:30 is our contemporary worship service with Christmas themes, and then two o'clock is a family service complete with children's choirs, and then 7 p.m.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_01: is our candlelight service.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: All three Christmas Eve services have wonderful music as well as celebrating the Lord's Supper.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: So this is for anyone who would like to come and take part.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, communion is available for those who have committed their lives to Christ.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: But it's a great time, and we hope to see many people come to these services and to be ministered to, and I'm excited about it.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_02: It's a great time of year, and it's a great time here at the church.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_02: And I'll just uh add my word to uh my friend David McKinley.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_02: I hope that many might come out and enjoy Advent.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_02: It's a time of anticipation, a time of joy, peace, love, promise.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: I hope that many of you will join us.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for today, David.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Drake.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's a pleasure.