Anchor Lincoln Advent Calendar 2025

Rebel, oh rebel, who is Hesed? 
Lord of heaven, lord of hosts.
Rebel, oh rebel, who is loyal?
Love. 
Lord of heaven, lord of hosts.

Rebel, ye rebel.
Self-seeking, wandering astray.
Rebel, ye rebel.
Pleasure-seeking, walking away.

Lord of heaven, lord of hosts. 
Loyal love, Hesed, Hesed.
Lord of Lords, Your loyal love has followed
these strays and offered the way.

Lord and rebel together, together.
Hesed, loyal love that never sways.
Lord and rebel together, together. 
Christ our way to loyal love, Hesed, Hesed.

Lights, Scripture and a Kids Craft.

These are a few of my favorite things… I have three things that sum up my household throughout the year but in December there is an extra hint of special that beams through each of these. Illuminating the reason for the Christmas season is a gift I am so thankful to share with my son Enzo and whoever steps in my home. 

Let the craft remind you that simple does it, let the scripture you choose be read and prayed throughout the day when it’s written down and posted in all of your favorite places at home and the lights, the sweet lights, grab cocoa and gaze at lights in your neighborhood or relish in the gift of light in your home. It’s easy to forget the sweet, simple gifts we have every day in this season sometimes so these three things always bring me back home.

Advent: An Invitation to the Waiting

I didn’t grow up observing Advent and as an adult I’m still trying to understand what it means. But I think one way to help me understand is through participation.

In Advent: The Season of Hope, Tish Harrison Warren writes that during this season “we take time to reflect on how Jesus, whom the people of Israel longed for, meets us today. We look at the places in our own lives where we yearn for Christ to come, places where we need hope, encouragement, help, and deliverance.”

In periods of longing, in times of waiting in my life there is always tension and even questioning. So, to encourage time spent meditating on the Word, I’m sharing a couple songs that express that yearning and invite you to listen to one today, before or after your scripture reading. (Songs listed in no particular order.)

1. Before The King (feat. DanaNecole) – Geoffrey Golden, DanaNecole
2. King of Glory (feat. Shana Wilson-Williams) – Todd Dulaney, Shana Wilson-Williams
3. Throne – Live – Jordan G. Welch
4. Sovereign God – Maurette Brown Clark
5. I Need Thee – Cory Henry, Bishop Carlton Pearson
6. (I Need Thee – Paul Zach, Jessica Fox, and iAmSon is another nice rendition)
7. Show Yourself Strong – Fred Hammond

If you want something with a little more tension, check out:

• O Come, O Come, Emmanuel – Sharon Irving
• Trouble So Hard – Vera Hall (this song may not be appropriate for kids)
• All in His Plan (feat. Le’Andria Johnson & Mary Mary) – PJ Morton, Mary Mary, Le’Andria Johnson
• God Is Good – Jonathan McReynolds

Bright lights bloom in the frost and the dark
Warm, holy music melts back the winter silence
We remember
We look ahead

The long nights of the year, like the dark nights of the soul
Death draped across the world, buried in a shroud of snow
But we remember
We look ahead

Long ago, God ignited a passage from the expanse above
Bringing divine life to our crooked globe of mud and grass
We remember
We look ahead

Soon, the skies will flash with His glory again
Angel voices will resound and our Lord will return
We look ahead
And we remember

For now, in the deep valley of time between holy peaks
We pray, we sing, we worship with hearts full of light
Celebrating an echo of what was and a glimpse of what will be
The summer of his life on earth and the spring of his second coming

In Christmas, we find the light of the Son

This past year has been marked by tremendous change for our church. Yet through it all, God has been faithful and the sense of community has only deepened. New relationships have formed and the congregation has continued to grow.

So it’s a fitting way to round out the year by hearing from many of the voices that make up the Advent Lincoln family. Each day for the season of Advent we will be posting the creativity and insights of different individuals or families as they reflect on the meaning of Christmas. One day might be a devotional or poem, while another might be a recipe or Christmas memory. Be sure to subscribe or check back daily to enjoy and be blessed by the amazing gifts God has given to members of our community.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel has come to Thee, O Israel!