Category Archives: Advent

Advent, Events

Advent and Christmas at Gethsemane

COME AND FILL YOUR HEART WITH THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF THE SEASON!

November 27: Watch
December 4: Prepare
December 11: Rejoice
December 18: Behold
December 24: Christmas Eve
December 25: Christmas Day and First Sunday of Christmas
January 1: Second Sunday of Christmas
January 8: First Sunday of Epiphany

Lighting of the Advent Candles

NOVEMBER 27, DECEMBER 4, DECEMBER 11, DECEMBER 18
Each week during worship, we light advent candles in anticipation of Christ’s birth. Join us during these weeks of expectation to prepare for the birth of Jesus.

Advent Activities

GIVE TO THE ANGEL TREE, NOVEMBER 24 – DECEMBER 12
Choose a virtual ornament and then donate gift cards for blankets, meals, and gifts for children and families in need.

PREPARE YOUR HEART THROUGH AN ADVENT DEVOTIONAL
Download your free Advent devotional, “E.E. Cummings and the Joyful Poetry of Advent” – a perfect way to prepare for the hope, peace, joy, and love of Christmas day.

CALM YOUR SOUL AT HOLDEN EVENING PRAYER SERVICES, NOVEMBER 30, DECEMBER 7 & 14 AT 7 PM
Join us for midweek Holden Evening Prayer worship services to fill your heart with the sights and sounds of hope this Advent season!

SHOP THE SWEDISH CHRISTMAS MARKET & ENJOY THE LUCIA CHOIR CONCERT, DECEMBER 4 FROM 3-6 PM
The Swedish Women’s Education Association (SWEA) invites you to their annual Swedish Christmas Market & Concert in the Gethsemane MPR and Sanctuary. $5/person, Children under 12 free. Enjoy the Swedish Café and Christmas Market with crafts, dancing, and Santa. Then hear the SWEA Lagom Singers.

BEHOLD “LOVE’S PURE LIGHT” AT THE DRIVE-THRU ADVENT/CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION, DECEMBER 10 FROM 6-8 PM
Gethsemane youth and Gethsemane Lutheran Children’s Ministry invite you to join us for “Love’s Pure Light,” this year’s Drive-Thru Advent/Christmas Light Celebration.

Christmas Eve Services – Saturday, December 24 at 4 pm, 7 pm, 9 pm

FAMILY WORSHIP SERVICE AT 4 PM
Join us for a Family Christmas Eve carol sing and Holy Communion service.

WORSHIP WITH CANDLELIGHT, LESSONS, AND CAROLS AT 7 PM AND 9 PM
A traditional service of candlelight, Santa Lucia, and Christmas apples. Listen to the familiar words of scripture that foretell and proclaim the birth of Jesus. Sing the carols that help us tell that story. All are welcome! View the Christmas Eve Livestream page.

Christmas Day Service – Sunday, December 25 at 9 am

CHRISTMAS DAY NATIVITY OF OUR LORD AT 9 AM
Come join in the Eucharist, singing Christmas Carols, and hear the Christmas Story.

Advent, Giving Opportunitites, Mission Work

Angel Tree 2022

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It’s that time of year again! Gethsemane Lutheran members and families are invited to continue a neighborhood holiday tradition by sponsoring T.A. Brown Elementary School children and families. Once again, we’re asking individuals/families to donate gift cards that can be purchased through Gethsemane Lutheran Children’s Ministry (GLCM).

Choose an Angel Tree Ornament

Angel Tree Instructions

  1. Visit the Angel Tree Sign Up and select a family dinner and/or a child to sponsor (in the children’s slots, the M or F indicates gender). Provide your name, email, and phone number.
  2. Once you have signed up, purchase gift cards from either HEB (for family dinners) or Target/Walmart (for children’s gifts). For the blanket, give a check or $15 cash, do not buy a gift card. Please bring your gift card and/or money to Pastor Susie or Dar in an envelope labeled with the Angel number, the name of the family and/or child, and your name.
  3. Recommended amounts: children’s gifts $50 each and family dinners: families of 3 at least $75, families of 4-5 at least $100, and families of 6-8 at least $150.
  4. The deadline to complete your Angel Tree gift is Sunday, December 11th.

Thank you for your support of this ministry. Merry Christmas!

Advent, Events

“Love’s Pure Light” Drive-Thru or Walk-Thru Christmas Light Show

Saturday, December 10, 6-8 pm

Gethsemane youth and Gethsemane Lutheran Children’s Ministry invite you to join us for “Love’s Pure Light,” this year’s Drive-Thru or Walk-Thru Advent/Christmas Light Show! We’ll have Christmas carolers, greetings from Santa and a special surprise treat for you at the end. Don’t miss out on all of the fun!

Sign Up to Help With Set Up or Take Down
Advent

Advent Holden Evening Prayer

Join us for brief midweek Holden Evening Prayer worship services to fill your heart with the sights and sounds of hope this Advent season!

Written in 1985-1986 while Marty Haugen was the musician-in-residence at Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center in Washington State, this lovely setting of vespers follows the traditional form while using contemporary and inclusive language.

Wednesdays: November 30, December 7 & December 14
7 pm in the Sanctuary or via Livestream

Worship via Livestream

Advent, Learning

Joyful Poetry of Advent Devotional

Joyful Poetry of Advent: A pilgrimage through Advent based on the poetry of E.E. Cummings

Free Advent Devotional Available to Gethsemane Members

Pick up a copy in the Narthex or check G-News for a downloadable version.

The son of a pastor and a thoughtful theologian in his own right, E. E. Cummings often explored spiritual terrain in his poetry – including a group of brilliant, inventive, provocative poems related to Advent and Christmas.

In this Advent devotional, biblical texts and Cummings’ poems call us to keep awake, watch, and wait for God to arrive on Christmas morning. All you’ll need is your favorite Bible and Cummings’ “Complete Poems” (all the poems referenced in the devotional can also be found online). Week by week, simple candlelight services and weekly practices will help us read, reflect, sing, and prepare – all for the sake of deepening the joys of the season.

Sign Up for G-News to receive a free digital copy
Advent

Christmas Services

Online and In-Person Christmas Worship Schedule

Christmas Eve on December 24th:

In-person in Gethsemane Sanctuary
(RSVP to attend and follow all safety guidelines listed below)
5:00pm, 6:30pm & 8:00pm

Online Zoom Christmas Eve Service
(See details below to access)
6:00pm

Christmas Day on December 25th:

In-Person in Gethsemane Sanctuary
(RSVP to attend and follow all safety guidelines listed below)
9:00am

In-Person Worship Service Details:

PLEASE CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE, 512-836-8560 OR SEND AN EMAIL TO info@gethsemaneaustin.org TO RSVP TO EITHER THE 5PM, 6:30PM, 8PM ON CHRISTMAS EVE OR THE 9AM CHRISTMAS MORNING
IN-PERSON SERVICES. THANK YOU!

***REQUIREMENTS TO ATTEND IN-PERSON SERVICES***

  • Please wear a mask
  • Enter through the narthex only
  • Please use the hand sanitizer available at the door
  • You MUST call the church office and leave a message with your phone number to RSVP to attend
  • Maximum attendance is 75
  • If you are sick, have been around someone who has been sick or have any symptoms, PLEASE stay home

Online Christmas Eve Worship Service Details:

Download the Christmas Eve Zoom Worship Bulletin

To participate in the online service, you will need to download the Zoom app or program on you phone or computer. Here is the link to access the worship service: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6996794165?pwd=WnVETVBQZHEzNTJRdnhCeWU2ODBQdz09

If you’re on a phone, you may not be able to access that link directly. In that case, you will need to go to www.zoom.com, click “Join a Meeting” and enter the following:

Meeting number: 6996794165

Password: 234133

If you do not use Zoom, you may view the Facebook live stream of the online service through our Gethsemane Facebook page.

Advent

Baking Connections Virtual Event

Join us online for a special Gethsemane Baking Connections virtual event on Sunday, December 13th at 1 p.m.

Since we cannot feast and fellowship in-person this holiday season, we will be making beloved Gethsemane member Viola Hall’s famous Christmas Sugar Cookies together as a community from our own home kitchens! We will also visit together and discuss ways that baking can support our mental health, especially to battle loneliness and isolation during the holiday season in the midst of the pandemic.

Before the event, please read Viola’s recipe below, gather and pre-measure your ingredients (if possible). Then make plans to join us on Zoom!

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86907311600?pwd=UmtTYWFuR25QcmNhUGJTVUtIS0lEUT09

Meeting ID: 869 0731 1600
Passcode: 339144

You can also RSVP on Facebook to let everyone know you’re coming: https://www.facebook.com/events/675323860012801

Viola’s Sugar Cookies Recipe

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. Add baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, and flour. Mix until well blended. You can scoop out balls and flatten them for circles or roll them out and use cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheet, silicone baking sheet, or parchment paper. Bake for 12-18 minutes.

Substitutions for ingredients and for dietary restrictions:
*If you don’t have cream of tartar, you can substitute 1 tsp of lemon juice. Add to the wet ingredients instead of the dry mix.
*Use 1 cup coconut palm sugar or 3/4 cup maple syrup if avoiding refined sugar.
*For a healthier alternative to butter, try using 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or to avoid butter all together use 1 cup coconut oil.
*To make egg-free, mix 1 TBS ground flax or chia seeds to 3 TBS warm water; stir well and let it set for 5-10 minutes.
*For a gluten-free option, use King Arthur or Bob Redmill’s Gluten Free flour or make your own flour from old fashion oats. Pulse in food processor or blender until smooth.

Advent

Advent Midweek Holden Prayer Services

Please plan to join us on Wednesday, December 2, 9 and 16 as we continue our Advent Midweek tradition of education and Holden Evening Prayer worship. Adult and Confirmation classes will be from 6:15-6:45 followed by Holden Evening Prayer. Please use the following Zoom login, and sign in as early at 6pm for fellowship time prior to classes.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89197937652?pwd=VStTczFDTVp3bHBqVllsNjkreFNvUT09

Advent, Giving Opportunitites

Angel Giving Tree 2020

Gethsemane Lutheran members and families are invited to continue a neighborhood holiday tradition by sponsoring T.A. Brown Elementary School children and families. Due to Covid-19, the school has asked us to do things a bit differently this year. We will not be collecting items, but will be asking individuals/families to donate gift cards which can be purchased through Gethsemane Lutheran Children’s Ministry Pre-School.

Go to our Signup Genius website using the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4FAAA622A2F5CE9-angel

Select a family dinner or a child, provide your contact information and follow the link provided to pay through the GLCM website using PayPal or a debit/credit card. You may also mail in a check to be received by December 12th to GLCM 200 W Anderson Lane Austin TX 78752. Deadline for gift cards purchased online is December 13th.

Thank you for your support of this ministry. Merry Christmas!