A NEW HEART FOR A NEW YEAR
a series of conversations and study
based on Celtic wisdom

In the fall of 2020, Lead Pastor Rev. David Emery shared a Celtic prayer with the congregation, as his Tuesday e-news pastoral note. The prayer begins

Lord of my heart, give me vision to inspire me…

From there, the ancient pray-er offers petitions (‘give me’) and persuasions (‘save me from’) that have come back again and again as we have moved through the winter months in and into a new year, still facing the challenges of life in pandemic, national turmoil, and day to day personal challenges and concerns. Such is the character of wisdom: it endures.

Rev. Emery and a few colleagues began a conversation – How can we speak into the needs of the moment and offer guidance and inspiration to our people? That prayerful desire led to a theme – A New Heart for A New Year – January sermons in five different pulpits (Oklahoma, Illinois, Colorado, and two in Kentucky), and THIS study series: five interviews and discussion guides, on the themes of that Celtic prayer: vision, light, wisdom, courage, trust. We hope you’ll take time – maybe once a week? – to move through this 5-part series. Watch, read, discuss, journal. Perhaps alone, or with your spouse or family, with a friend or two online, or as you can safely gather in person. However you create the space to explore these insights, we know you’ll enjoy meeting these conversation partners, and will learn so much from their candid and bold leadership.

Find each video & discussion guide below,
and on our YouTube channel (under playlists).

COMPLETE DISCUSSION GUIDE
(introduction; full text of Celtic prayer; all discussion guides; interview bios)

top

Session 1 : give me VISION to inspire me
discussion guide

Session 2 : give me LIGHT to guide me
discussion guide

Session 3 : give me WISDOM to direct me
discussion guide

Session 4 : give me COURAGE to strengthen me
discussion guide

Session 5 : give me TRUST to console me
discussion guide

** All services will be live-streamed on YouTube and Facebook. **

If you plan to join us in-person on the 20th or 24th, we need you to RSVP.

Sunday December 20 – Music Sunday

• 9:00am Rising Worship: Christmas in Tune VII worship concert
• 11:00am Traditional Worship: The Story of Jesus cantata
• 7:00pm Concert: The Story of Jesus cantata

Thursday December 24 – Christmas Eve

(same worship content at each hour)

• 3:30pm (just added!)
• 5:00pm (some space remains)
• 7:00pm

November 29 HOPE

Isaiah 64:1-9

This is a prayer, or better yet a cry, for God to come down and fix our broken world. We have reached the end of our rope. All our schemes for self-improvement, for extracting ourselves from the traps we have set for ourselves, have come to nothing. We cannot save ourselves, and without God we are totally and completely lost.

“The prayer exhibits the two main features of genuine Advent hope: on the one hand, a deep sense of desperation about a situation out of control… On the other hand, a bold and confident trust in God is voiced, addressed to a God who can intervene (if God will) to make life peaceable and joyous.” (Walter Brueggemann)

Key Verse: “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence.”  Isaiah 64:1

December 6 PEACE

Mark 1:1-8

Every day there has been more bad news piled on top of bad news. It’s hard to see the silver lining with so many dark clouds hanging over us. What the world needs now is some good news, that something good, beautiful, hopeful is on the way. Mark’s gospel begins on a hopeful note, the good news of Jesus Christ.

 “Notice that Mark doesn’t call his book, ‘The Good News (Gospel) of Jesus.’ Rather, he titles it ‘The Beginning of the Good News….’ Which means that everything Mark has to say about Jesus – all the healing, preaching, teaching, exorcising, and even Jesus’ death and resurrection – is only the beginning of the good news. There’s still more to come.” (David Lose)

Key Verse: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark 1:1

December 13 JOY

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

This Sunday is about Joy, but it’s not just a happy, happy joy. It’s the joy in knowing that Jesus came to bring good news to the poor. Jesus quotes this text at the very beginning of his ministry. It’s his agenda. It should be our agenda too.

December 20 LOVE

Christmas Concert

9:00am – The Rising Band, Christmas in Tune VII

11:00am – Traditional Worship, Christmas Cantata

Both will livestream on YouTube and Facebook.

December 24 CHRIST

Christmas Eve Services

details TBD

September 22, 2020

Dear Harvard Avenue,

We are resuming in-person worship on
September 27, at 9:00am and 11:00am.

The service will be the same at both hours, and very similar to what you have been experiencing online since we suspended in-person worship in March. (Nursery care is available for children 3.5yrs (42months) and younger.) Our Comeback Team and our Staff have worked very hard to put in place the protocol necessary to make the worship service safe and meaningful.

PLEASE read the info describing
our safe worship protocol before attending.

Watch our videos for returning to public worship.

VIDEOS : — Welcome Back — Nursery Care —

INFO SHEETS: — Regathering for Worship — Regathering: Nursery —

We realize that many of you will not be ready at this time to return, and we honor your decision and support you completely. Meanwhile, we will continue to produce our online service for your worship experience at home.

Here’s a quote that is resonating with me today:

The church is not a theological classroom. It is a conversion, confession, repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness and sanctification center, where flawed people place their faith in Christ, gather to know and love him better, and learn to love others as he designed.
– Paul David Tripp

Love and Blessing,

David Emery, Lead Pastor 

We all hit dense patches of fog at some point in our life. Whether it is personal, spiritual, or professional, the fog creeps in quick and we cannot seem to get clarity on what to do, what the next move is, or even what direction to go in. What do you do when the fog rolls in?

In Romans Chapter 12 Paul talks about living a transformed life. In response to the mercies of God live differently. True worship is how we live out the love of Jesus.

In Romans 12:9-21 Paul gives us a list of traits that demonstrate a transformed life. There are as many as 30 traits in that list. These are timeless and eternal principles that are beacons when the fog rolls in. When the way is not clear and everything has changed these beacons give us confidence and direction. Everything has changed but in a sense nothing has changed too. No matter what is happening in the world we are called to become more like Christ.

I want to drill down and dig into this text rather than just pass it over. With each message I will pull something from the life of Jesus that demonstrates this particular trait. Each week we will read the whole text: Romans 12:9-21.

Be part of this deep dive with me!
Rev. David Emery, Lead Pastor

September 6.  The beacon of love. (Romans 12:9-11)
Paul says don’t fake it.  Don’t be a hypocrite. Love must be sincere. Love must be genuine. It’s not some gushy feeling, or something that we fall into. It is an intentional choice that we make. He talks about devotion, honor, zeal in serving.

September 13  Don’t run from hard. (Romans 12:12-13)
When things get hard we want to run from it. We want to avoid things. But Paul says don’t run from hard. Instead Rejoice in Hope. Be patient with affliction. Be steadfast in prayer.

September 20 Grow your empathy. (Romans 12:14-16)
Paul says mourn with those who mourn. People do not need our advice. They need our empathy. Going to talk about the power of empathy and how we grow it.

September 27  Do the right thing. (Roman 12:17-21)
Paul says do the right thing in the eyes of everyone. In other words do what is right no matter what. Don’t add to the misery that already exists. Don’t sink to that level. Live by the principles that you have in Christ. Don’t repay evil with evil. Live as best you can in peace with others. How do we do that when people are so divided at this time. This is about loving and forgiving our enemies and those who hurt us.

HARVARD IN THE BACKYARD

Harvard in the Backyard is a chance for you to invite someone to church without coming to the building. It’s a chance to say ‘This is something that matters to me. I think you might like it too.’ This is your opportunity to grow the church and expand our reach without needing to add a brick or break a sweat. Invite someone to church – by inviting them to your backyard!

The story begins in Philippi where Paul introduces three individuals that were all enslaved by the kind of things that we often choose over the gospel: Lydia, the business executive; the slave girl; and the hard-working jailer. Their lives portray dysfunction and emptiness, but are totally transformed by the Gospel. True joy and Christ’s love begin to live within them, giving them a life of purpose.

‘Philippians is a meantime epistle,’ David Emery said. ‘It’s Paul saying there is joy to be found, always, where we are.’

Joy, No Matter What : a study of Philippians
6-session video & study guide

If you plan to host a group LET US KNOW.
Tell us who’s joining you! (And send us a picture of your group together!)
And if you plan to study on your own, let us know that too!

DISCUSSION GUIDE (complete)
intro, background, getting started, plus six individual session guides

Session 1 : LOVE No Matter What
discussion guide

Held every 6 – 8 weeks, the Be Here! event is a great evening of casual conversation, questions and answers, time with pastors, and meeting others who are also sort-of-new to the Harvard Ave community. If you’ve wondered about connecting to Harvard Avenue, what it means to be a member, why that kind of thing even matters, then BE HERE events are for you.

Ordinarily,

our Harvard Avenue families created a ministry to host casual gatherings in their homes, providing a relaxed atmosphere and great time together. This is a wonderful opportunity to explore connections in church life; learn about our programs, practices, and ministries; and consider what it might means to become a member of Harvard Avenue Christian Church.

But IN THE MEANTIME, 

even though we can’t gather in someone’s living room like we usually would, we can each ‘gather’ in our own! Our first Be (Virtually) Here! event will be Tuesday June 2 @ 6pm. If you’re new-ish to Harvard Ave and ready to find our more, this is for you!

To RSVP (you’ll receive the link for an online meeting room) – or with other questions about the people and ministries at Harvard Avenue Christian Church – contact Connections Pastor Courtney Richards.

Outreach Ministry Team Lead Diana Booren, along with Community Pastor Kevin Howe, have created this quarterly update (click image below) to keep us posted on the ministries we are part of – and how to do more!

Fully committed to our ‘Become.’ core value, discover community engagement at Harvard Avenue as part of the ‘big picture’ of who we are.

Summer ’19: Support Grimes Elementary  // A Letter from Francis // Coming Events : Family Promise, Bridges Out of Poverty, JustHope’s Wine to Water

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