Grounded and Growing—A Series for Advent and Christmas

A Year of Grounded and Growing

A flourishing faith is one that is both deeply rooted and reaching outward—grounded in scripture and growing in understanding. Colossians 2:6–7 says, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (NIV). Throughout the year, we will dwell in this theme of grounded and growing, starting in Advent when we see the shoot from the stump, a promise of future flourishing. We will make our way to Lent, during which time we remember that the tree burns and becomes ashes; it is cut down, and yet it lives and comes alive again on Easter. And finally, we will make our way to the season of Pentecost at which point we will see a tree laden with fruit of the Spirit—the abundant harvest of a flourishing faith. Jeremiah 17:7–8 says, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (NIV).  We invite you this year to send out your roots and flourish: join us for a year of "grounded and growing
 

About the Advent and Christmas Series

In Advent, we start with the promise of a shoot in Isaiah and arrive on Christmas with the gift of the long-awaited seed. For out of darkness a light shines. From a dead stump a shoot grows.

We have provided a service outline for each week of Advent and Christmas which includes an Advent candle lighting as well as additional resources and creative ideas. Ahead of each service you will find a reflection to aid you in your worship and sermon planning. Links to each week are found in the chart below. 
 

About the Image

The artwork, created by staff member Emma Oehler for the Advent installment of the Grounded and Growing series, is available for download below. The image depicts an olive tree, drawing inspiration from Isaiah 11. Throughout this series, the olive tree serves as a central visual metaphor, showing progression through stages of growth: a shoot emerging from the tree (Advent), flowering branches, and the bearing of fruit. 

The olive tree was chosen for its biblical resonance. It is one of the few trees in Scripture explicitly described as both flowering and fruit-bearing. In addition, olive branches hold deep symbolic meaning in the biblical tradition, representing peace and reconciliation, which is especially fitting for the season of Advent. 

Two versions of the artwork are available: one with the accompanying Scripture text from Isaiah 11 and one without. 

This artwork is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution. You are free to share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided proper attribution is given to Reformed Worship. (Emma Oehler © 2025 ReformedWorship.org, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Used by permission.) The image can be adapted to fit your needs for bulletins, social media, or projection.