Celebrate Christmas
Christmas is just around the corner, and as you navigate the busy days ahead and look forward to annual traditions with family and friends, our prayer is that you would find time to rest in the confident hope and expectancy of this season. To help celebrate, we want to share these resources to help make Christmas even more meaningful in 2025.
hampers were delivered to Calgarians last year
pounds of food were distributed through the Food Link Program
of donations to the Calgary Food Bank come from food industry partners
people connected with and guided to 93 programs across 62 community partners
of the workforce at the Calgary Food Bank are volunteers
november 30 – December 17
Our Advent Outreach Project this year is in support of the Calgary Food Bank. The Calgary Food Bank aims to make food accessible to everyone in our city and is the first line of emergency food support for people facing crisis. As the city’s main charitable food hub and the most accessible food bank, the Calgary Food Bank has the capacity to serve families, individuals and organizations to fight hunger in Calgary. As you make your own preparations for Christmas this year, we encourage you to come alongside your neighbours and consider a donation towards this important outreach project.
Please bring your non-perishable items and leave them in the church foyer between November 30 and December 17.
Donation Items:
Pasta
Rice
Cereal
Oatmeal
Flour
Peanut butter
Canned or dried beans
Chickpeas
Lentils
Pasta sauce
Canned vegetables
Canned fruit
Canned soup
Please note that we can’t accept the following items: dented or unlabelled cans, broken/open packages, supplements/vitamins, homemade food, home grown food, out of date items, candy, pop, personal or hygeine items.
DECEMBER 3 | 6:30 PM
Join us for a special evening designed for the whole family to kick off the Advent season together! Through hands-on activities, creative stations, and meaningful moments, families will explore the hope, peace, joy, and love of Advent in engaging and interactive ways. Come ready to create, reflect, and celebrate as we prepare our hearts for Christmas. Drop in anytime starting at 6:30. Last arrival should be no later than 7:45 to have time to complete the experience.
Please register by December 1.
CHRISTMAS 2025
Advent Art Project
The Southview Art Collective presents the Advent Project, a gathering of works created in response to the five candles of the season—Hope, Peace, Joy, Love, and the Christ Candle. Each piece emerges from dwelling with these themes, tracing how God’s light moves through our world in subtle hues and steady rhythms. The artists respond not only to the story of Christ’s coming, but to the landscape of longing, waiting, and renewal that Advent shapes in us. Together, this collection invites our community to pause, to look closely, and to enter the wonder of Advent with open hands and expectant hearts.
Family Advent Readings
As you light each candle, read the comments and verse aloud.
2000 years ago, the people of Israel lived in a time of great turmoil and change. But during the wars with other nations and conflict with each other, their prophets began to speak a new message of hope. They prophesied that a special child would be born who would lead them out of the turmoil.
God told them that this child would come from the line of King David. So, these ancient people began to place their hope in this child. Thank you God, for your message of hope.
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.” LUKE 1: 68-69
Jesus was born in a world full of fear. People were afraid of political leaders, of famine, and of other nations. How could God help people with these fears? Jesus came from the line of King David, so he had power and authority to help. One of the key things King Jesus did was to accept and bless all sorts of people with one simple word: peace. Thank you God, that you give us your incredible peace.
“And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” ISAIAH 2:4
One of the people most excited about Jesus coming to the world was his cousin John. We know this because we read in Luke that Mary went to visit Elizabeth her cousin when she was first pregnant with Jesus. Elizabeth was pregnant too and the child IN her womb greeted the arrival of Mary and Jesus with joy. Thank you God, that you give us joy!
“And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.” LUKE 1:41
Why did God send his own Son, the seed of David, into our world where there were so many broken relationships and so much division? God did this to remind us of one of the most important things about Him: He loves everyone! God came to love Roman centurions, Samaritan women, Pharisees, political leaders like Pontius Pilate and each one of us as well. Thank you God, that you extend your love to everyone.
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” JOHN 3:17
Jesus, thank you that your light shines bright in our world. Give us eyes to see you this Christmas Day and throughout the year. Thank you Jesus, for giving yourself to us.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” JOHN 1:14
Christmas Day Reading
To mark the day, we encourage you to take a few minutes to participate in a Christmas Day reading with family or friends.
These readings can be used anytime on Christmas Day but perhaps are best used right before a meal. The Advent candle reading is for families or friends to read through together and can be accompanied by successively lighting a candle with each reading. Simply arrange four candles into a circle and place a special candle in the middle as the “Christ candle,” and proceed with the reading.
Realm offers a way for our church family to know what’s going on, and grow as a connected, engaged community of believers.