Christmas at Sunset Bible Church
Christmas Program 2024 "Under His Wings"
Three Performances of our Original Play Production
Saturday, December 14 at 2:00pm
Saturday, December 14 at 5:00pm
Sunday, December 15 at 5:00pm
Each performance is followed by a hot cocoa bar and Christmas cookie celebration!
Blue Christmas Service
Friday, December 20 at 7:00pm
A special service sponsored by our GriefShare ministry designed for grieving people in our church family and our community.
Honor your loss; embrace God’s Hope. Join us for worship in songs, readings, and a reflection of God’s hope for us and presence with us.
Christmas Carol Sing at Central Bible Church
Join our partner church for a festive, family-friendly Christmas Carol Sing on Sunday, December 22 at 5:00pm.
Holiday treats after the Carol Sing!
Central Bible Church, 1414 N Huson Street, Tacoma
Christmas Eve Services
Evening Candlelight Services
4:00, 5:30, and 8:00 PM
Each service will last about an hour and include singing familiar Christmas carols, a short message from the Bible, and conclude with lighting candles together as we celebrate our Savior Jesus Christ. We invite everyone to worship together as a family, and have something special during the service for our kids!
Reflections on the Season of Advent
by Pastor Jay
Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. For Christians, the season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from two different perspectives. The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of Messiah, and also to be alert for His Second Coming as promised in Scripture.
Advent begins on the fourth Sunday prior to Christmas Day and concludes on Christmas Eve. The four-week observance is helpful in calling us from our typically busy lives to thoughtfully consider the many aspects of the First Coming of Christ and to remind us to live each day anticipating His Second Coming.
Some of us were raised in churches that celebrated Advent each year. Others of us were not. I find the interest in historical observances to be a good thing. It is good for us to remember our connectedness with others who have gone before us, including some of the traditions that have been passed down through the centuries by people of faith. We have much to learn from those who have gone before us.
In the Sunset Bible Church family, we celebrate each Sunday of Advent with the lighting of a candle in our morning worship services accompanied by selected Scripture readings to identify the special theme of the week and to tell the broader story of Christmas.
The progression and special emphases go like this:
Week #1: The Voice of the Prophets (Hope)
Week #2: The Ministry of the Angels (Peace)
Week #3: The Announcement to the Shepherds (Joy)
Week #4: The Journey of the Wise Men (Love)
Christmas Eve & Christmas Day: Welcoming the Savior!
As we walk through this rainy and darker month, embrace the season of Advent! As the calendar year winds toward a close, may I encourage you to spend extra time in Scripture. Read one of the gospels. Think about the deep longing of those who waited expectantly for the first coming of Messiah Jesus, often in very dark times. Experience the mystery of those who heard the startling announcement of His birth. And finally, think soberly about the lostness and brokenness of the world and how Christ came to be a Servant, Redeemer, and Friend.