HOW TO USE THE 2020 WORLD-CHANGER

CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGNAdvent Reading

Reader 1: Hope.

Reader 2: It’s just one of those things…

Reader 1: One of those things that can lead to great excitement

Reader 2: And great disappointment.

Reader 1: The hope for a good grade,

Reader 2: The hope for a clean bill of health,

Reader 1: The hope for relational faithfulness,

Reader 2: The hope that things really will work out for good.

Reader 1: And then hope lets you down.

Reader 2: You didn’t make the grade,

Reader 1: The illness has returned,

Reader 2: Your relationship has been betrayed.

Reader 1: Things are not working out like you’d hoped.

Reader 2: And now what?

Reader 1: Do you dare to hope again?

Reader 2: Do you dare to trust again?

Reader 1: Do you dare to take a step of faith again?

Reader 2: Where do you find a hope that will last?

Reader 1: A hope that will satisfy?

Reader 2: A hope that won’t let you down?

Reader 1: A hope that works in this thing called life?

November 29, 2020 Week 1 – The Candle of Hope

Reader 2: We can find hope in the God of all Hope,

Reader 1: In the God who is strong enough to act,

Reader 2: In the God who cares enough to act.

Reader 1: No matter what happens, there is still hope.

Reader 2: Hope was born in a manger,

Reader 1: Hope became a person,

Reader 2: Hope breathed and lived among us.

Reader 1: Hope is here!

Reader 2: “For to us a child is born,

Reader 1: to us a son is given,

Reader 2: and the government will be on his shoulders.

Reader 1: And he will be called

Reader 2: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Reader 1: Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Reader 2: He is our hope!

Reader 1: Words are a funny thing.

Reader 2: Words come and go.

Reader 1: Some are popular for a season …

Reader 2: while others never really get a chance.

Reader 1: And of course, words change.

Reader 2: The same word in one context …

Reader 1: can mean something vastly different in another context.

Reader 2: Love is one of those words.

Reader 1: Love is a word used all the time to describe almost everything.

Reader 2: Everything from the simple things, —such as food, places, or objects—

Reader 1: To more serious things—such as friends and family.

Reader 2: Love is really easy to talk about, and yet, it’s even easier to miss what it actually is.

Reader 1: That’s because love cannot be fully understood by explanation or description alone…

Reader 2: but only through experience.

Reader 1: Love has to be experienced.

Reader 2: The Bible says that God IS love.

Reader 1: Love is not just something that God does.

Reader 2: It’s something He is.

Reader 1: And because God is love, we need to go beyond learning facts about God

Reader 2: And actually experience Him for ourselves.

Reader 1: We can experience God in prayer.

HOW TO USE THE 2020 WORLD-CHANGER

CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGNAdvent Reading

December 6, 2020 Week 2 – The Candle of Love

Reader 2: We can experience God in worship.

Reader 1: We can experience God in the scriptures.

Reader 2: We can experience God while serving others.

Reader 1: And through these experiences with God …

Reader 2: We catch a better look at what love really is!

Reader 1: We love best when we love God most.

Reader 2: “For to us a child is born,

Reader 1: to us a son is given,

Reader 2: and the government will be on his shoulders.

Reader 1: And he will be called

Reader 2: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Reader 1: Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Reader 2: He is our Love!

HOW TO USE THE 2020 WORLD-CHANGER

CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGNAdvent Reading

December 13, 2020 Week 3 – The Candle of Joy

Reader 1: The joy of the Lord is my strength!

Reader 2: When life gets me down,

Reader 1: When things don’t go my way,

Reader 2: When the darkness closes in,

Reader 1: I’ll remind myself

Reader 2: That the joy of the Lord is my strength!

Reader 1: That joy cannot be lost,

Reader 2: That joy cannot be stolen,

Reader 1: That joy cannot be broken

Reader 2: Unless I let it go,

Reader 1: Unless I take my eyes off the Savior

Reader 2: and focus on the storm.

Reader 1: But when that happens,

Reader 2: I’ll remind myself

Reader 1: That the joy of the Lord is my strength!

Reader 2: Joy does not come from something I create,

Reader 1: Joy does not come from something I buy,

Reader 2: Joy does not come from something I earn

Reader 1: But from the Lord above,

Reader 2: The giver of every good gift.

Reader 1: I’ll remind myself

Reader 2: That the joy of the Lord is my strength!

Reader 1: God’s Spirit lives within me,

Reader 2: And with God’s good presence comes

Reader 1: Joy, unspeakable joy!

Reader 2: So, I will remind myself again

Reader 1: That the joy of the Lord is my strength!

Reader 2: I’ll run to the Lord,

Reader 1: I’ll bow before my Savior,

Reader 2: I’ll lift up my hands in His holy name,

Reader 1: and proclaim that Jesus is Lord of all.

Reader 2: “For to us a child is born,

Reader 1: to us a son is given,

Reader 2: and the government will be on his shoulders.

Reader 1: And he will be called

Reader 2: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Reader 1: Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Reader 2: He is our joy!

HOW TO USE THE 2020 WORLD-CHANGER

CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGNAdvent Reading

December 20, 2020 Week 4 – The Candle of Peace

Reader 1: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

Reader 2: I do not give to you as the world gives.

Reader 1: Do not let your hearts be troubled

Reader 2: and do not be afraid.”

Reader 1: Peace is something our world desperately needs.

Reader 2: Peace is something we desperately need.

Reader 1: But where can we find peace,

Reader 2: A true peace that will last?

Reader 1: Peace is not the accumulation of strength,

Reader 2: Peace is not the ability to force others to do what you want.

Reader 1: Peace is not even the absence of conflict.

Reader 2: Peace is the result of a heart that has been reconciled to God.

Reader 1: Peace is the byproduct of a life that’s been changed by God,

Reader 2: A life that now belongs to God.

Reader 1: And God fills us with His peace,

Reader 2: And that peace flows out of us to others.

Reader 1: That peace is present in how we treat others.

Reader 2: That peace is present in how we speak to others.

Reader 1: That peace is present in the choices we make.

Reader 2: And where peace is absent,

Reader 1: We seek the Lord Jesus for it.

Reader 2: We trust in His way,

Reader 1: We acknowledge His will,

Reader 2: We walk on His path,

Reader 1: We follow the example of our Savior.

Reader 2: “For to us a child is born,

Reader 1: to us a son is given,

Reader 2: and the government will be on his shoulders.

Reader 1: And he will be called

Reader 2: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Reader 1: Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Reader 2: He is our peace!

Kenneth Spiller serves as the worship pastor of Parkgate Community Church, Pasadena, TX, and provides leadership to the church’s Spiritual Life ministries. He has been married to his wife, Arielle, for 19 years, and they have two sons, Michael and David. When Michael and David allow him any free time, Kenneth loves to play the guitar, spend time with his wife and friends, play board games, and read. Kenneth enjoys writing and published his first book, Journey of a Worshiper, in May 2016. Kenneth received his B.A. from Mid-America Christian University and was ordained to Church of God Ministries in 2010.