Sunday, November 20, 2016

Advent 1 A (November 27): Waiting! Anticipation! Celebration




NB: There is an updated 2022 blog for these readings with more resources. Please find in the archives in the column to the left.


Bible readings: Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44

About the images:
Upper Left: This is a free microsoft clip art.
Upper Right: This is a free microsoft clip art. The text is the last line of Judyth Hill's poem (see below).
Lower Left : This is my image and is copyright free for use in worship and related activities. The text comes from Judyth Hill's poem (see below).

Lower Right: This image comes from the awesome Church Galleries website which was decimated by hackers last year. At present it is possible to buy these images very cheaply however this particular one is free on the site this week.  Well worth the subscription!!! Visit the website at www.churchgalleries.com.


A NOTEOF THANKS:
Well!  Here it is, the start of another church year!  Happy New Year folks and a big thankyou to all 1500+ of you who visit this page weekly.  It is your visits which keep me sitting down each Sunday arvo to write another post.  Grace and peace, love and laughter to you all.

 Listening Song: I Wish We'd all Been Ready
By Cliff Richard on his album, Yesterday, Today, Forever (pictured at right) or by dc Talk on the WOW 1998 music collection.

Prayer: Open Our Eyes
From Cloth for the Cradle by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 1997, ISBN 1901557014, page 35 (pictured below left).

Advent Response: Behind the Corridors of Space
From Cloth for the Cradle by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 1997, ISBN 1901557014, page 19. (pictured at left).

Meditation: Waiting
From Cloth for the Cradle by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 1997, ISBN 1901557014, page 20 (pictured at left).

Film Clip: Are You Smarter Than a Fly 1: Christmas Pudding
This comes from a lovely little site called Max 7 . To save you time the exact address for this clip is: http://www.max7.org/resource.aspx?id=0ae2bbb9-a4ba-473d-bef5-476928b6cf3a. The clip is for kids but is equally useful for adults.



Discussion: Are You Smarter Than a Fly 1: Christmas Pudding
Have a go at answering the blowies question: What are you supposed to do when God comes to visit?

Film Clip: What is Advent Again?
Made by De La Salle - an excellent youtube clip



Drama: Asleep
Found in Mega Drama 2 by Verena Johnson (Ed.), Open Book, 2001, ISBN 085910916Xv2, page 29 (pictured at right). This drama is based on the Romans reading.


Drama: Waiting
Found in Let 's Make a Scene Too by Verena Johnson (Ed.), Lutheran Publishing House, 1991, ISBN 085910608X, page 70. This goes really well with the gospel reading.

Story: Unarmed Officers
Index 3894-3899
from Bible Illustrator for Windows Version 1.0d, Parsons Technology Inc., 1990 or go to http://www.calvaryfullerton.org/Bstudy/45%20Rom/1998/45Rom13d.htm and look at the illustration under Romans 13:12.

Story: Blind Mules
Index 503-506 from Bible Illustrator for Windows Version 1.0d, Parsons Technology Inc., 1990 or go to http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/illustrations-about-mining.asp?Keyword=mining and scroll about half way down the page. This story is also based on Romans 13:12.

Story: St Augustine's Conversion
This story is found on the web everywhere and is a good one to use. The verses he read are said to be Roman 13:11-14.

Story: Evangelism: Presence


Found as story No 56 in Your Point Being? by Graham H. Twelftree, Monarch, 2003, ISBN 1854245929 (pictured at right). This story fits well with the Romans reading.

Poem: Wage Peace
By Judyth Hill. You can find this poem all over the web by googling the title and author. Written in response to 9/11 it fits well with the readings for today. Try putting music
and pictures behind the words via powerpoint or similar software. Don't necessarily use 9/11 pictures - people are at war in all kinds of ways everywhere. Use pictures conjured up by Paul's words ("quarrels and jealousy") in the Romans reading. I used the music "The Journey Home" by Joan Doan on the CD Celtic Twilight Volume 2 (pictured at left).

Poem: All Earth is Waiting
by Alberto Taule and found in
Imaging the Word Volume 2 by Susan A. Blain, Sharon Iverson Glouwens, Catherine O'Callaghan, Grant Spradling (Eds.), United Church Press, 1995, ISBN 0829810331, page 82. I matched the words with images and music from Incantation by Lorema McKennet on her album, An Ancient Muse.

Response Activity: Pinning Our Hopes on Jesus (i) and (ii)
From Cloth for the Cradle by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 1997, ISBN 1901557014, page 54 and 56 (see picture above).

Response Activity: Advent Angels
I have done this on the first Sunday of Advent at any congregation where I have not done it before; irrespective of the lectionary year. Ask everybody in the congregation to write their name on a small card as they come in the door at the start of the service. Collect these all in a collection plate or whatever. At a given point in the service, explain that everybody is to have an anonymous advent angel who will pray for them for the duration of Advent (and may do other stuff as well such as sending an anonymous note of encouragement - but at the very least they will pray). Send the plate around and ask everyone to take one of the cards - they will become an advent angel to the person on the card they selected. NB Someone always pulls out their own name so make sure that they swap with somebody else or with you. This idea has been around for years but a good description of it can be found in Seasons of Celebrations by Patricia Mathson, Ave Marie Press, 1995, ISBN 0877935661, page 32 (pictured at right).

Response Activity: Complacency
Found in Bringing the Word To Life Together by Andrew Collis and Dorothy McRae-McMahon, Mediacom, 2010, ISBN 9780949656911, page 12. This works well with the gospel reading.

Response Activity: Three Doctrines
I printed a quote out from Barnabas (early second century) in large hollow print as follows: "The doctrines of the Lord are three: the hope of life is the beginning and the end of our faith; righteousness is the beginning and end of judgement; and glad and joyful loveis the evidence of the works of righteousness." I asked people to sit with the quote and then to colour in the phrase which spoke to them most and which helped them to connect with God. I found the quote in Resources For Preaching and Worship Year A by Hannah Ward and Jennifer Wild (Eds.) Westminster John Knox Press, ISBN 066422507, page 5.


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