Everything seems different at the end of the year. We put lights on our houses to dispel the growing darkness, Christmas music floods local radio stations, apple cider and cranberry sauce are again on the menu,
and wrapping paper and tape are always ready.
Things just look, smell, and taste differently during the Advent and Christmas season,
and these differences are a sign to us that God is about to do something radical and different.
Christmas is when God surrounded the divine with senses of his own.
That first noel was when God had eyes to see suffering, ears to hear our cries, and hands to hold those in need,
and all of these senses were bundled in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
“This will be a sign to you,” the angel told the shepherds, and they traveled to Bethlehem and found a child.
What signs do you see during the Advent and Christmas season that point you to the divine?
The Book Study for Advent 2023 is to help us to prepare for the celebration of God’s coming into this world again.
The Series is called “Experiencing Christmas” – Christ in the sights and sounds of Advent. 
The Book study is written by Pastor Matt Rawle, a United Methodist Pastor from Louisiana.
Books are available for the price of $13 – no worries if you are not able to pay for it, we will cover you.
You can also order them yourselves through the Methodist Bookstore: www.cokesburry.com

This is also a good opportunity to join one of our Bible Study Groups:
All Groups start reading and discussing the book the week after the first of Advent.
Mondays: 2pm – 3pm led by Carol McFayden and 7:30 – 8:30 led by Carol Kriegh
Wednesdays: 7pm – 8pm led by Saralynn Kerr
Thursdays: 1.15pm – 2.15pm led by Pastor Damian and Pastor Matt Goodale

To buy a book you can also pay online. Just use the "Book Study Fund".