What a year? Am I right? This year our traditions will probably look different. As a church we are used to a giant gathering of family and friends as we celebrate the birth of Jesus with songs, sermons and prayer for the new year. Many of us are facing a variety of things all at once. Perhaps it is the “Quarantine fifteen (or twenty)”, adjusting to a new work situation, kids at home or living alone, even our Sunday mornings look different! We have all experienced loss in one way or another this year. Our hope is that for you your loss has not been a loved one, but if it has been, please know that Jesus meets you in that too.
Advent is a season of preparing our hearts to celebrate the good news of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. As we approach Christmas morning you may find that you have a lot of emotions you are carrying with you. Joy mingles with grief and it can be hard to focus on the hope we have in Jesus. When this happens, it is helpful to unpack your thoughts and surrender them to Jesus. Our Holy Grounds team put together this prayer path hoping it will help you get honest with God about your feelings, fears and frustrations. As we lay these things down we make space in our heart to invite in joy, hope and dare we say, happiness. Will you join me us this journey? The road map will be the same but God meets all of us exactly where our hearts need Him to. We don’t know what the message is for you this holiday season, but God promises that when we seek Him, we will find Him if we seek Him with all our Heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
Before you Go:
Understand that this is not your typical drive to search for the best holiday light display. This is a prayer path. You will be invited to stretch, surrender, wonder and worship.
Step 1:
LISTEN to/watch this honest reflection called “Feelings” by Chandler Moore.
Step 2:
WATCH this lyric video for a song called “I Don’t Want to Go” and take some time to pray in your house or in your car before leaving. More than just tonight, where is God leading you? Is he calling you to go or stay? Ask God to join you on the road to Christmas morning as you drive tonight.
The Road:
A: Virtua Hospital, Mt Holly NJ
Let’s face this one head on. Pull into the visitors parking if you can find a spot and watch people come and go from the hospital (or not come and go as visitors are often not allowed due to Covid 19 restrictions). What are your feelings about this pandemic? Are you anxious? Tired? Stir crazy? All of the above? Whatever you’re feeling God can handle it. LISTEN to this song and process with God.
Scripture: Matthew 9: 35-38 - Grace has sent notes and food to those working on the front lines but the workers are too few. Please pray for everyone serving in the hospital tonight from the kitchen staff to the nurses, doctors, lab workers and cleaning crews. They are weary, they have seen a lot and they need Jesus.
Now, LISTEN to Laura Story sing her song Blessings. Ask God to shed a new light on the hospital scene for you. How is God using the lows of this pandemic as a blessing for you?
***note*** every stop won’t be this long but we have to lay it all down at the feet of our Savior before we can receive the blessing He has for us.
B: Grace (118D Burrs Road, Westampton)
Visual: Luminaries
Scripture: John 8:12
We may not be able to meet together at the church building for Christmas but we are all a part of God’s light. Take a luminary with you. Place it at your house as a reminder that God’s light lives in your heart and your home just as much as it does this building.
Prayer: Pray for Pastor Mike & Rachael as they lead our crazy flock of sheep. God has given them to us as our shepherds for this season. Pray for God to give us a united vision for 2021 and specific ways Grace can be a light in our community.
C: JOY (1 Brian Ct. Burlington Twp)
Visual: JOY letters
Scripture: Philippians 3:20-21, Ephesians 1:13-14
Song: Joy to the World/Our God Saves
Pastor Mike preached recently about how there was great joy at Jesus birth but there was also sorrow mingled in the story. His story began with a bittersweet night and ended with a beautiful and heartbreaking demonstration of love on the cross. Yet we are surprised when these two emotions show up at the same time in our lives. Why is that?
We know that joy is different from happiness. Happiness can be stolen from us by the circumstances of our day but our joy is rooted in the hope we have in Jesus. We can stand firm in the promise from God that we are citizens of heaven, sealed with his spirit and expectantly awaiting eternity with Him in heaven.
D: The Star (4 Warren Way, Burlington Twp)
Visual: Star with beams coming down
Can you imagine what it must have been like to see such a heavenly sign in the sky after hundreds of years of silence from God? Have you ever had the experience of seeing a bright star on a clear dark night? This star announced BREAKTHROUGH! It announced the birth of Jesus, Emanuel - God WITH us. Generations of silence and now THIS. Where do you need to see breakthrough? Where has God been silent? What is he saying now?
Song: The Story I’ll Tell by Maverick City Music
Bonus: Did you notice the Christmas countdown clock? Nothing breeds anticipation like a countdown clock. Imagine waiting hundreds of years!
E: Celebration
Breakthrough calls for celebration. When you’re this close you shouldn’t miss a chance to see the Burlington Lights. Located at 46 Steeplechase Drive this fun holiday light display supports the Burlington Township Food Pantry. You can make cash donations, food donations or simply be blessed by this neighborhood fun.
Discussion Question: What about Christmas makes people want to give back to the community?
F: The Magi (214 East Union Street, Burlington City)
Visual: Magi Silhouettes
Song: We Three Kings by Rend Collective
We already talked about how amazing it was for the Magi to discover the star. We know the Magi brought the baby Jesus gifts. What do you bring before the king? No really, you personally…what gift to you bring to God? To our church family? How has he uniquely designed you? Positioned you? impassioned you?
What gift do you bring?
It’s a few minutes drive to our next stop. You might enjoy this song on the way.
G: The Manger (2 locations available**)
Visual: Large wooden manger scene
Scripture: Luke 2
Song: Behold Him by Paul Baloche
You may have heard that it probably wasn’t that silent of a night when baby Jesus arrived. You may have also heard there was no room at the inn. What part of the manger moment connects with your heart this Christmas? For me it occurs back in Luke 1:38 when Mary responds “Let it be done to me according to your word.” The things God asks of us are rarely easy. They always have a cost. I am humbled by Mary’s bold response to the angle and her boundless trust in God’s goodness and God’s plan.
NEARBY AND NOTEWORTHY: The light display at 127 Dory Ct also supports a local food pantry. Unique in it’s own way, it’s worth a quick peak.
**Local Alternative:
If you aren’t planning on hitting the fancy display on Dory Ct you can shorten your drive by visiting a beautiful manger scene on the right hand side of Bordentown Road in Burlington City.
What did you see?
Thank you for joining us on the Road to Christmas Morning. Pastor Mike has mentioned that he has a deep love of Christmas lights because they remind him that even the smallest light shines brightly in darkness. I am curious what you saw as you drove tonight. What lights stood out to you? Did you have a favorite nativity, inflatable or decorated house. We all see things differently and perhaps God showed you something He didn’t show me. Email Lauren@gracealliancechapel.org or post on our FB Page (photos welcome). We would love to hear from you.