About this series theme
“Like a shepherd you feed your flock,
gathering the lambs and holding them close,
and leading mother ewes with gentleness.”
— Isaiah 40:11, The Inclusive Bible
Advent can be filled with worry about finding the perfect Christmas gifts. Deep down we want people in our lives to know they are special and that we love them. But sometimes we overlook the greatest gift of all… our very presence. Our spiritual ancestors were also worried — often about survival in the midst of political occupation. And the response of the scriptures is “the Holy Living One is with you.” Like a shepherd who never leaves the flock, we are held close. This season, we are invited to be the gift of presence for our loved ones, for our communities, for those who need it most.
As the series trailer says, “beyond the wrappings and bows lies an emptiness, a loneliness.” The statistics on despair right now are sobering, much less the personal experience you or your loved ones may have with this “phenomenon” we are experiencing. And so I decided to practice what I teach — one of the best ways to address a topic in community is through our community worship. This is because when we talk out loud about it, when we realize we are not alone, and when we search for the intersections of our faith narrative, transformation is possible. And then the fast-track to transformation is “practice.” We put our actions into play outside of worship, inspired by what we have experienced in worship. So this season we will be more “present” in order to work to dispel loneliness, emptiness, and despair. We will discover that our own presence is a present to others — and this is better than any gift money can buy.
See more about the scriptures, theology, content, and format of the series by checking out these files:
Watch the series trailer
This clip is included in the downloads as an unbranded video (without the WDS logo) for you to share on your church website, on social media, and e-newsletters.
This fully-scripted series includes:
Worship Scripts for Advent 1-4, Christmas Eve, and the Sunday after Christmas (including suggestions for hymns/songs/anthems)
Sermon fodder to help jumpstart your sermons
Communion liturgy that can be used any week
Individual and small group study resources
Guided journal for Advent which can be customized, printed, and distributed to your community
Visual and Media Arts ideas to bring the series to life in your worship space
Children’s Time scripts to engage the youngest members of your community
Series logo and Canva template for complete customization
Series video trailer to get the word out (customizable)
Daily social media posts to use on your accounts
Watch the “Get-Ready” webinar HERE (some references in the video to former platforms where the materials resided are obsolete… you will simply download files in this new format… EASY!)
Click HERE to go to the chat thread for this series (see and add photos, ideas, experiences, questions)
Access the Series
Paid Subscribers, scroll all the way to the bottom of this page to get to your download button. 👇 If you do not have a paid subscription, you may purchase this series a la carte for $50.
When you purchase the series a la carte, you will be redirected to the file-sharing site called Hightail/Open Text immediately. You do not need an account in Hightail, simply download all the files to your computer. If you need any assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us at marcia@marciamcfee.com.
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See the full list of series HERE
Marcia McFee, PhD is the creator and visionary of the Worship Design Studio. Find out more about her work HERE. Questions? E-mail marcia@marciamcfee.com
