Expecting Emmanuel

Dear Reader,

I am honored that you have chosen to allow Expecting Emmanuel to accompany you through the Advent season. (Or that you are at least thinking about it!)

This page is a place to share supplemental resources for those using Expecting Emmanuel individually, in small groups, and with a congregation. The resources shared below are not included in the book. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the book and/or would like me to speak to your group about the women of Jesus’ genealogy!

Audio and Video Resources

Visuals

The artwork in Expecting Emmanuel is by the amazing Michelle Burkholder.

  • You can view (and purchase) original art by Michelle at their Etsy store.
  • You can purchase digital access and reproduction rights for the artwork and accompanying blessings from MennoMedia.
  • Check out these beautiful fabric re-creations of the images at First Mennonite Church in Bluffton, Ohio.

Hymn Lyrics to accompany Expecting Emmanuel series

Tamar: Advent Waiting

Prayer (by Joanna Harader)

God of Advent waiting,
You do not grow tired or weary, but we do.
Your understanding is unfathomable, but ours is very limited.
So guide us with your wisdom
And revive us with your power.
We enter into this sacred season of Advent
Resting within your wings.
Let us appreciate the light and the shadows of the season.
Renew our strength
And grant us your peace.
Amen.

Rahab: On the Margins

Prayer (by Joanna Harader)
God,
We pray for those on the margins,
For their safety,
For their wisdom,
For their power.

We pray for those at the centers,
For their openness,
For their compassion,
For their acting toward justice.

We pray for ourselves and all the spaces we inhabit.
Let us listen well—to others and to You.
Let us make the good and difficult choices.
Let us rest in your love.
Amen.

Ruth: A Journey of Love

Bathsheba: Considering Power

Prayer (by Joanna Harader)
God of power and might,
Who entered this world as an infant—
Small and so very vulnerable:
We pray that those with power will recognize the power they hold
And use it for just ends with wisdom and compassion.
We pray that we will each acknowledge whatever power we hold
So that we can use it intentionally in the service of love.
We pray that the vulnerable will be protected,
The oppressed will find justice,
And the powerless will be empowered by your Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Mary: Treasuring and Pondering

This was the prayer we used at Peace Mennonite after sharing family stories with each other on Christmas morning.

Holy Parent,
We come to you as children of the faith of Mary and Bathsheba, Ruth, Rahab, and Tamar.
We come to you as descendants of our own family lines, lifting up and giving thanks for those we have named here this morning.
And we come, most importantly, as your children—your children by creation and adoption;
As people loved by you and people called and gifted to share your love in the world.

We pray, on this holy morning, for your peace to prevail on earth and for your joy to find room in our hearts.

May we know your presence with us this day as we celebrate the Word made flesh in the birth of Jesus.
Amen

Mary and Anna: Faith in Community

Mary: Following the Light Through Fear

Prayer for Epiphany (by Joanna Harader)

Holy Creator,
Whose essence swept over the darkness,
Whose words created light,
Who separated the brightness and the shadows and called all good:
We seek your way and your wisdom in this season of Epiphany.
Let us enter into the light of each new day with compassion and courage,
Embracing joy and enacting justice;
Let us slip into the shadows of every night with contentment and confidence,
Accepting rest and anticipating renewal.
Reveal yourself to us, O God:
In our waking and in our sleeping,
In our faith and in our doubt,
In our clarity and in our uncertainty.
Lead us in your way,
Through divine light and sacred darkness,
One holy step at a time.
Amen.