Advent is a time when we prepare our lives - hearts, minds, and spirits - for the coming of the Christ child. We do this by sweeping out the dusty corners of our hearts, cleaning up the clutter, to make space for God's hope, peace, joy, love, and presence.

 

We are excited to ask you to join us for: “God Comes To Us” an online retreat on zoom that offers four weeks of guided reflection through each day of the Advent Season. We would like you to consider then seriously and prayerfully, going on an Advent Retreat co-led by Rev. James Midgley, Pastor of Faith UMC North Haven, and Rev. Martha Epstein, Pastor of Clinton UMC.

 

Typically, we think of retreats as something way out of our reach timewise, and even a luxury as they can be quite costly. You would have to take a significant time away from work, arrange for child and pet care, and pay for room and meals. Going away for something like this is pretty much an impossibility for many of us.

 

Just how will this work?

We all gather for exactly thirty minutes on the Saturday mornings of Advent (Nov. 27, Dec. 4, 11, & 18) from 9:00-9:30 AM on Zoom. We’ll listen a brief talk that outlines the theme for the upcoming week. We begin and end right on time for these Saturdays on Zoom. Following the talk everyone will be provided with a scripture passage, a reflection, and a prayer to take with them for each day of that week. Our final Saturday gathering on December 18 we’ll celebrate our Advent journey together, sharing the ups and downs, and experiencing the joy we discovered in doing this together.

Retreatants are asked to commit to at least 10-15 minutes each day in time spent with God. Allow God to draw close to you, speak to you and prepare you for the most awesome Christmas gift of His Son to your life. The hope and goal for this retreat experience is that you awake on Christmas morning with an uncluttered heart that is free and open to receive the many gifts Christ has in store for you: the gifts of a real hope, a true joy, a deep faith, and an abiding love, to name but a few.

Materials needed: A pen, a notebook or journal, a Bible, and a heart wide open for God.

Cost: There is no cost, only gain!

Please be sure to invite a family member, co-worker, or a friend to participate with you!

How prepare to go on Retreat:

• Find the right place! A comfy chair, a quiet room near a window….choose a prayer space in your home where you feel most relaxed and peaceful.

• Find your best time! Are you an early riser or a night owl? When do you pray best? Stick with that time as best as you can.

• Talk to everyone in the house! Let everyone know that for at least 10 minutes each day, you will be in your prayer space and need for everyone to hold their questions and needs for a little while.

• Purchase an attractive journal, a good pen in which you will be writing the thoughts and emotions that come from your prayer time.

• Lighting a candle on a table nearby helps with distractions! Our thoughts drift naturally, and we are easily distracted, but the light of the flame on our prayer candle can draw our attention back to the conversation we are enjoying with the Lord.

 

Here is the Zoom Link

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