Greater Glory—Introduction An Advent and Christmas Series through Haggai

This is part of the worship series, 
"Greater Glory”

Series Introduction 
 Advent 1  | Advent 2 | Advent 3 | Advent 4 | 
 Christmas Eve/Day | Christmas 1

Series Overview

Promises of a better, brighter tomorrow are all around us. They fill our feeds, drive strategic plans, and dominate political strategies. Everyone seems to offer a way to make the future better. Yet despite these endless blueprints, we still feel discontent with the results. What we see is not always what we get.

The prophet Haggai spoke to a religious remnant seeking to return home and rebuild their lives, but they quickly fell into their own visions of glory. Following their vision rather than God’s yielded disappointing but expected results: aimless planning, distracted worship, unfulfilled labor.

Advent finds its shape against these realities. As we wait for Jesus to return and establish his glory in the new Jerusalem, we feel the gap between the world we see and the world we are promised. The toil of waiting can turn our eyes to lesser, safer visions of glory. Haggai’s message, then, continues to speak to our wandering world: The Lord is ready to “shake the heavens and earth” (Hag 2:6) to break through our false promises.

This Reformed Worship series journeys through the book of Haggai and highlights four promises that God makes to his covenant people—promises that are ultimately found and fulfilled in the arrival of Jesus. Jesus—the one "desired by all nations” (2:7)—comes to show the world a greater vision for our lives, and his Spirit guides our hearts and hands to wait with purpose and work with hope.

Visuals To Come

Graphics for projection, sermons, and social media to go with this series are coming. They will be available as a free download in the resource section at the bottom of the page. 

Series Outline

Advent Candles

Lighting Advent candles is a familiar tradition for many churches. One candle is lit each week, representing the growing light that comes into the world through Jesus (see Worship Sourcebook D.1.4). Usually lit near the beginning of a service, during or in place of a call to worship, this is a wonderful opportunity to involve wider participation from your congregation.

• Involve families, children, and other groups. Readings can be shared, simplified, or translated. If someone is less comfortable reading publicly, have them light the candle or stand with others.
• Consider recruiting different groups that embody the diversity of your congregation: parents with children, Sunday school or youth group classes, empty nesters, retired couples, younger professionals, friend groups.
   

Some logistical matters to keep in mind:

• Traditional Advent wreaths include 5 candles: Four of them (3 purple/blue and 1 pink) are arranged in a circle, with one white candle in the center. Different traditions might have different assigned colors, or no prescription at all. Each week of Advent, a new candle is lit. On Christmas Eve/Day the center candle is lit. Candles lit in previous weeks can be lit before the service. See this RW resource for further background and suggestions https://www.reformedworship.org/resource/circle-light-four-themes-use-advent-wreath-candle-lighting-litanies-including-texts 
• Practice lighting candles before the service. Assume that people will be nervous. Especially if your congregation is less familiar with lay participation, offer clear written instructions (including which color candle to light) and an opportunity to walk through the logistics and test the microphones before the service. Consider establishing a cue for the reader(s) to come forward (eye contact with the worship leader, a verbal invitation from the liturgist).
• Use a lighter that is easy to activate. Many butane wand lighters and pocket lighters can be finicky—not great to pair with nerves! We recommend a rechargeable USB electric lighter.
• Pre-burn (prime) your candles to promote easier lighting and an even burn.
• Keep a fire extinguisher on hand. Open flames can be unpredictable. Consult your church’s insurance policy or rental agreement.

Christmas Carols During Advent?

Some contend that songs with explicit Christmas themes (e.g., “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “O Holy Night,” “Go, Tell It on the Mountain”) do not have a place in Advent services. While we respect this desire to let Advent and Christmas maintain their distinct characters—already too often muddied in a cultural holiday swirl—we gently offer these thoughts:

• Many Christmas carols are among the most beloved “heart songs” of a congregation. Depending on how many services you hold during the season of Christmas, there might be limited opportunities to sing songs that are meaningful to the church’s worship voice.
• Some Christmas carols have overlapping Advent themes. Isaac Watts wrote “Joy to the World” emphasizing Christ’s future return as king. Songs like “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “O Come All Ye Faithful” could be used as invitations to prepare our hearts to meet Jesus at the manger.

Getting to Know Haggai

Preaching through Haggai can seem daunting! Still, we believe that this series is an exciting opportunity to savor a punchy, yet often-overlooked, book. The shorter, manageable length (only two chapters) does not demand extensive cultural explanation for each sermon. Nevertheless, worship planners and preachers should read through the entire book, familiarize themselves with Haggai’s post-exilic cultural backdrop, and allow the prophetic challenge to penetrate your heart first.

We suggest a few resources to begin your study:
 

Online Introductions

• ESV Global Study Bible https://www.esv.org/resources/esv-global-study-bible/introduction-to-haggai/
• The Bible Project https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-haggai/
• Enter the Bible https://enterthebible.org/book/haggai/
   

Critical Commentaries

• Michael PV Barrett, Haggai, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/commentary/haggai/
• Mark J. Boda, Haggai, Zechariah, NIV Application Commentary (Zondervan, 2004)
• Andrew E. Hill, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (IVP Academic, 2012)
• Pieter A. Verhoef, The Books of Haggai and Malachi, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Eerdmans, 1987)
• Ian Deguid and Matthew Harmon, Zephaniah, Haggai, Malachi, Reformed Expository Commentary (P&R Publishing, 2018)
• Faithful Work after the Exile—Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Theology of Work Commentary, https://www.theologyofwork.org/old-testament/the-twelve-prophets/faithful-work-after-the-exilehaggai-zechariah-malachi 
   

Preaching Resources

• Center for Excellence in Preaching https://cepreaching.org/biblical_books/haggai/
• WorkingPreacher https://www.workingpreacher.org/bible-index
• Elizabeth Achtemeier, Preaching from the Minor Prophets: Texts and Sermon Suggestions (Eerdmans, 1998)
• Elizabeth Achtemeier, Nahum–Malachi, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (WJK Press, 2012) 
• Michael Williams, Hidden Prophets of the Bible: Finding the Gospel in Hosea through Malachi (David C. Cook, 2017)
• Interview with Amanda Benckhuysen on preaching minor prophets: https://worship.calvin.edu/resources/articles/amanda-benckhuysen-preaching-minor-prophets 

Find more worship and preaching resources on Haggai with Zeteo Search: https://zeteosearch.org/search/haggai