There’s 103 things we are all “preparing” as we move through December toward Christmas.
But is “Ourselves” even on the list?
At St. Paul’s this Advent, Pastor Kristen designed “Advent In A Bag” to help people prepare themselves for the good and great news of Jesus’ love coming into the world once again. Each week in December, I’ll share one of her activities for you to experience and enjoy to make sure that preparing YOU becomes more of a priority in this wonderful season.
Here’s one for the second week of Advent:
We have joy because God is with us.Light three hope, peace, and joy candles. Begin by recognizing that God joins you here. Say, Welcome Creator, Jesus, Spirit. Amen.What was the most fun thing you did today and what was the hardest thing you did today?READ: Luke 1:39-48 If Mary had visited Elizabeth during our modern times, Elizabeth might have picked her up at the airport. Elizabeth would have been waiting with flowers or balloons, watching for her cousin, Mary, to appear.And when Elizabeth saw Mary walking towards her, pulling her roll- ing suitcase behind her, Elizabeth’s whole pregnant body would have shivered with joy. And baby John inside her would have bounced around, knowing that something exciting was happening.Mary would have picked up her speed, laughing and jogging to meet her beloved Elizabeth, and they would have hugged and kissed each other. They would have probably been noisy, shouting with happiness. Anyone else at the airport would have seen and heard their contagious joy.It feels good to watch other people reunite after a long time apart. The joy grows between them, and it inspires onlookers to feel joy too. We can relate when we see this because we know what it feels like to be with someone we care about and who cares about us. It is like electricity passing between us when we are with someone we love. Maybe you have felt that feeling after a week away at camp, or after months of not seeing your grandparents, or when you return to school after a long summer away.Some people would call that electric feeling of love between people “the Holy Spirit.” When Mary and Elizabeth met each other that day, the Holy Spirit was there, too. And when God is present with us through the Holy Spirit, we are filled with joy! These are some of the feelings people have when they are around someone they love and trust:Warmth – Comfort – Excitement – Safety – Wholeness – Support – EncouragementElizabeth and Mary show us that when we are with people we love, God is there, too!REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION QUESTIONS• Have you ever felt “butterflies in your stomach” when you were excited to see someone? What does your body feel like when you are with someone you love? What feelings would you add to the list above?• How does our love for each other bring us joy? • How does our love for each other remind us God is with usDear God, thank you for your electric love and joy-filled laughter we feel when we are with people we love. When our bodies buzz with excitement, may we remember you are always with us. Amen.
There’s 103 things we are all “preparing” as we move through December toward Christmas.
But is “Ourselves” even on the list?
At St. Paul’s this Advent, Pastor Kristen designed “Advent In A Bag” to help people prepare themselves for the good and great news of Jesus’ love coming into the world once again. Each week in December, I’ll share one of her activities for you to experience and enjoy to make sure that preparing YOU becomes more of a priority in this wonderful season.
Here’s one for the second week of Advent:
We have peace because God is with us.
Light two candles to represent hope & peace. God is with you always, but begin by acknowledging God’s presence. Say, I (we) gather here in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Share/Contemplate a high & a low of your day. How do you feel when plans change? Do you enjoy it or feel stressed?
There was a man named Joseph who was going to marry a girl named Mary. After marriage, Joseph hoped they would have children together. Joseph was not planning on being a father be- fore they were married, and when he heard Mary was going to have a baby, he was afraid. Maybe Joseph did not understand there are many ways to be a family. He was not at peace with this new plan. In fact, he started thinking about ways he could change the plan.
Have you ever had a big change of plans? Did you feel at peace? Did you feel nervous? God knew that Joseph was feeling nervous.
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “do not be afraid” to embrace this new plan. The angel told Joseph to marry Mary, to name their baby “Jesus,” and that Jesus would save God’s people. This message must have given Joseph peace about the new plan because when he woke up, he married Mary and committed himself to be a father.
The writer of Matthew tells the reader this plan would fulfill a prophecy from the Hebrew Scriptures: “…and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”
This does not mean Joseph and Mary called Jesus “Emmanuel” around the house. Instead, it means every time Joseph and Mary thought about their son, they would remember God was present in their son and God wanted to be present with the whole world. Even though our plans change and unexpected things happen, God is always with us. Like Joseph, we can find peace knowing we are not alone when plans change.
REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
When has your family had a change of plans? How did you feel? What makes you feel peaceful?
Prayer: Practice Breath Prayer Take a deep breath in. Take a deep breath out.
Do you remember what Emmanuel means? It means God with us! No matter where we are, what we do, or how we feel, God is al- ways with us—just like our breath!
There’s 103 things we are all “preparing” as we move through December toward Christmas.
But is “Ourselves” even on the list?
At St. Paul’s this Advent, Pastor Kristen designed “Advent In A Bag” to help people prepare themselves for the good and great news of Jesus’ love coming into the world once again. Each week in December, I’ll share one of her activities for you to experience and enjoy to make sure that preparing YOU becomes more of a priority in this wonderful season.
Here’s one for this week: (can be done on your own or with fam around the dinner table)
We have hope because God is with us.
GATHER & PRAY
Light a candle to represent Hope. Begin by recognizing that God joins you here in the space you created. Say, I (we) gather here in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.OPENINGShare/Contemplate a high & a low of your day. Or ask what is something you’re looking forward to this week?READ: Matthew 1:1-17 Sometimes, when we tell the story of Jesus, we begin with his mother Mary. That is a good place to start. But the Gospel of Matthew begins the story thousands of years before Mary was born. Matthew begins with a list of all the ancestors who came before Jesus. It is a long list with names you may have never heard before. Matthew’s list sounds like this:“Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar…”And it continues like that until the end of the list where it says,“And Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.”14 + 14 + 14 = how many generations between Abraham and Jesus? So many years and so many people!Throughout those generations, there were ups and downs for the Jewish people. The people of Israel experienced slavery, freedom, prosperity, suffering, and exile. There were times they almost lost hope. But God was with them.If you study Matthew’s list carefully, you will find names of admirable people with integrity, problematic people who caused suffering, and people from other countries who never expected to find themselves in Israel’s story. God was present with all of them, showing the way, whether they chose the best path or not.Matthew’s list reminds us that even if our stories are imperfect or take unexpected turns, there is hope for our future because God is with us.REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION QUESTIONSIf someone told the story of your family, where and when would they begin?What is one of your favorite things about your family?Where do you find hope in your family story?What does your family hope for now? Lord, thank you for being with me (us) and with everyone who has come before us. May we remember that no matter how backward, sideways, or upside-down life becomes, you will always be there. Amen.
Had a powerful conversation with someone earlier this week. I was calling to check in on how they are doing. They are long time St. Paulers, but have transitioned to mostly online worship through the Livestream. But I miss seeing them so I thought I’d check in.
They, like many, find themselves frustrated at the “state of the world.” Everything from government to news feeds to how polarized we have become. It’s a conversation I have many times a week right now.
But what we discerned together is that sometimes when we don’t get a healthy dose of community, ministry and relationships, that wackiness of the world can get amplified. And the aloneness can even turn paralyzing.
Online worship is a great tool to stay connected to God in your faith journey. But I would suggest that coupling it with “Christian community at work” interactions may be even more important.
I shared with them that every time I hear about the Burrito Project team heading downtown Tuesday nights to feed and warm people, I get recentered.
Every time I talk with one of our missionaries at church and they tell me about their ministry that evening coming up, I get recentered.
Every time I gather in worship with people I’ve known for years or are just meeting, I get recentered.
This week, we will end the church year with Christ the King Sunday and gather after church for a pot luck meal. If you are needing some ministry, face or food time, please join us, If you are feeling disconnected and overwhelmed at various aspects of the state of the world, there is a seat for you. Around those tables, we will share things we hope for and things that bring us joy as we look toward Advent.
I doesn’t have to be St. Paul’s in Eggertsville. It can be any community of faith where we get to hear about God’s love and connection to us. (However, you are all probably less than 20 miles from a church named St. Paul’s of some denomination. We’re not super creative church namers)
Continue to worship in the way you can. But don’t forget the community and ministry time as well. It may just recenter you.Lord, thanks for the reminders of love and hope that we can find in community. Amen.
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