Advent 4: Joy Candle
Read Luke 1:46b-55
In a time when Christian Nationalists are pushing a particular agenda of exclusionary theocracy in America, what would it look like for us to actually take Jesus’ life and teachings to heart? Could we bring hospitality and wholeness alive in our communities rather than vitriol and division?
This week at New Wineskins we’ll conclude our Advent journey through author, educator, and activist Parker Palmer’s series “A Hidden Wholeness” from The Work of the People. This week’s discussion video, titled “Wholeness and Hospitality,” invites us to consider how holding hospitality as a core virtue could help us heal societal wounds by rebuilding a sense of connectedness with all people and all things.
Please join us this Sunday, Dec. 22 in the New Wineskins Virtual Theology Pub powered by Zoom as we light the Joy Candle and talk about hospitality as a pathway to healing and wholeness.
6:00pm ET: Happy Half-Hour (informal meet & greet time)
6:30pm ET: Presentation & conversation begin
Check out this week’s discussion video
Click here to view this week’s discussion video on The Work of the People (email address required, no subscription necessary)
PLEASE NOTE: NO GATHERING ON DEC. 29
Advent 2025: Incarnating Wholeness
This Advent season, our New Wineskins community will take a four-week journey with American author, educator, and activist Parker Palmer titled “A Hidden Wholeness” from our friends at The Work of the People. Through each video session and each week’s gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary, we’ll explore the traditional Advent themes of Peace, Hope, Love, and Joy through the lenses of hospitality and grace.
Each week, you are invited to light a candle as we begin our time together to symbolize the collective light of our humanity as a beckon and beacon to peace, hope, love, and joy.
Descriptions below via The Work of the People. All videos available for viewing throughout the Advent season (email address required, no subscription necessary). Click here to download the discussion guides and full video transcripts.
Sunday, Dec. 1: A Larger Welcome (Peace candle) — This session explores the transformative power of hospitality. Parker Palmer reflects on how welcoming the stranger—both spiritually and civically—deepens our humanity, enlarges our worldview, and strengthens the bonds of community. Drawing from Scripture and lived experience, Palmer invites us to consider hospitality as a radical act of faith and connection. [Read Luke 21:25-36]
Sunday, Dec. 8: Habits of Hope (Hope candle) — In uncertain times, hope is sustained through small, faithful practices. Parker Palmer shares how cultivating habits of the heart fosters resilience and strengthens the fabric of community. This session invites participants to explore how intentional acts of love and courage can bring healing to both individuals and the world. [Read Luke 3:1-6]
Sunday, Dec. 15: Spaces of Grace (Love candle) — Spaces of grace are environments where safety, trust, and love create the conditions for transformation. Parker Palmer reflects on how such spaces foster healing, nurture connection, and enable people to flourish together. This session offers guidance for cultivating grace-filled spaces in our relationships, communities, and the wider world. [Read Luke 3:7-18]
Sunday, Dec. 22: Wholeness & Hospitality (Joy candle) — Wholeness emerges when we embrace life’s tensions with love and compassion. Parker Palmer explores the paradox of brokenness leading to greater capacity for connection, inviting participants to consider how holding tensions with grace can lead to healing and renewal. This session ties together the series’ themes, highlighting the relationship between hospitality, healing, and transformation. [Read Luke 1:46b-55]
Sunday, Dec. 29: NO GATHERING (Happy New Year!)
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