Advent 1 C (November 28): Hoping/Watching/Waiting/Preparing/Creating

 

There is a 2024 version of this blog with lots more resources - see my archive at left

Bible readings: Jeremiah 33:14-16, Psalm 25:1-10, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 21:25-46

About the Images:
Upper Left: This is a photo I took on Norfolk Island which I overwrote with a Bible text. Please feel free to us it for worship and related activities. If you are interested in seeing more of beautiful Norfolk Island visit www.norfolkisland.com.au 
Upper Right: This watch tower was built on the south east coast of Australia at Boydtown near Eden by Benjamin Boyd in the 1840's as a lighthouse and as a whale lookout. It was never completed and was never used as an official lighthouse, however generations of whalers used it for spotting whales. If you want to know more about Boydtown visit http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boydtown. The photo is mine so please feel free to use it for worship and related activities.
Middle Left and Right: I took both of these photos in the old city of Jerusalem - one along  street (the little indented box in the wall) and the other at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, They both reminded me of hope - things growing in hard and unexpected places. Please feel free to use it for worship and related activities.
Lower Left: A free image from the Heartlight site - see my link column at left.

Lower Right: A free Microsoft clipart image with words from the Psalm 

Opening Prayer: Blessing Prayer

Found in Seasons of Celebration by Patricia Mathson, Ave Maria press, 1995, ISBN 0877935661, page 19 (pictured at right). This prayer is useful for the entire advent season.

Confession:
Use bits of the Jeremiah reading and the psalm.

Film Clip: The Man in the Egg
Found on Leunig Animated, Madman, 2001 (pictured at left).  This clip goes well with both the Gospel and the Thessalonians reading.

Film Clips: Paperless Christmas
www.paperlesschristmas.com has the greatest set of short films for use in church based on a modern look at the christmas story. A brilliant effort! 

Kids: Hope 
Ask the kids if they have ever planned something that didn't work out the way they intended it to. Share a story from your own life which will illustrate this and show them if possible (mine is a quilt which went horribly wrong between the planning and the completing!!!)
Tell them that Advent is the time when we remember all of God's terrific promises to us that everything will work out because Jesus is the one who brings us ......
Have huge letters H O P E stuck up in random order around the worship space. Ask the kids to help you sort them into a word they know.
Discuss with them what the word means and how it relates to Christmas.

Discussion: In pairs or threes.
What do you think has gone wrong with the world? How do you think it should be?
What do you think has gone wrong with our local community? How do you think it should be?
What do you think has gone wrong with our church? how do you think it should be?
Talk about waiting for change and about changing back or changing forward. Then discuss:
What are you waiting for?
What are we as a church waiting for?
What is this particular congregation waiting for?

Story: Goodness and Mercy Will Win
By Erskine White in Together in Christ, CCS Publishing Co. or find it at illustrations@CLERGY.NET This goes well with the Jeremiah reading.

Story: Some Things are Immovable
Found in Illustrations, Stories and Quotes to Hang Your Message On by Jim Burns and Greg Mckinnon, Gospel Light, 1997, ISBN 0830718834, page 47 (pictured at right). This story fits well with both the gospel and the Thessalonians reading.

Poem:
Accept surprises
that upset your plans
shatter your dreams,
give a completely
different turn
to your day
and - who knows? -
to your life.
It is not chance.
Leave the Father free
himself to weave
the pattern of your days.
By Dom Helder Camara in A Thousand Reasons For Living, ISBN 0800606647.

Prayer/poem: The Coming Bushman
Found in Outback Christmas by Pro Hart and Norman Habel, Lutheran Publishing House, 1981, ISBN 0859105628 (pictured at left).  This fits in well with the gospel reading.

Meditation: And This Shall Be A Sign to You 
By Robert A Raines in Imaging the Word Volume 1 by Kenneth T Lawrence, Jann Cather Weaver and Roger Wedell (Eds.), United Church Press, 1994, ISBN 0829809716, page 78 (pictured at right). This fits in well with the Gospel reading. I put these words with a series of images of babies and used the 11th Commandment by Ben Harper and the Blind Boys from Alabama on their album, Let there Be Light, (pictured at left) as backing music.

Meditation: Waiting

From Cloth for the Cradle by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 1997, ISBN 1901557014, page 20 (pictured at right). This fits well with all the readings.

Prayer for Others; Pinning Our Hopes on Jesus (i)
Found in Cloth For The Cradle, page 54 - see at right
 
Response Activity: Pinning Our Hopes on Jesus (ii)
Found in Cloth For the Cradle, page 56 - see at right

Response Activity: Advent Angels: 
This is an advent version of secret buddies. Encourage or organise people (in the sense that you pair people up somehow without them knowing - like you do for secret buddies or Chris Kringles) to be advent angels ie where people do unexpected favours or give unexpected encouragement or praise anonymously to others in the congregation.

Response Activity: Fridge magnets:
Give everyone a small (laminated maybe) card with the words of Psalm 25:4-5 on it attached to a small fridge magnet (see above image)

Also:

Kids: Oi Get Off Our Train

By John Burningham, Random House,  with lots of ideas for a whole worship service found in Worship is For Everyone by Julie Pinazza, Openbook Publishers, 2000, ISBN 0859109259, page 42 (pictured at left). This goes well with the Thessalonians  reading.

Creative Ideas: Jeremiah: The Prophet of Hope

Found in Multi-Sensory Prophets by Mike Law, Scripture Union, 2007, ISBN 9781844272587, page 37(pictured at right). This is based on the Jeremiah reading.

Proper 23 B (October 10): Let God Sort It/Treasure Chests

There is a 2024 version of this blog with lots more resources - see my archive at left

Bible Readings: Job 23: 1-9, 16-17, Psalm 22:1-15, Hebrews 4:12-16, Mark 10:17-31

About the images:
Upper Left: The needle image comes from Wickimedia Commons, and the camel from Microsoft free clipart.  

Upper Right: This is my photo - please feel free to use it for worship and related activities. I see this as a choices picture - the world often reflected in the window of our faith. 

Middle Left:  This is a free image from Church Galleries - see my link column at left.

Middle Right: This is a free image from the Hermano Leon site - see my link column at left. 

Lower Left: A free image from Cerezo Barredo - see my link column at left

Lower Right: A free image from Heartlight. - see my link column at left.

Listening Song: What Good
By Third Day on their album, Time (pictured at left). This songs matches in well with the gospel reading.

Film Clip: Home Movie

Make a home movie of random people in your local area - not necessarily church people but mix a few in.

Ask them all the same questions:

1. What does being rich mean to you? and

2. How do you get to have eternal life?

Ask the congregation to then discuss these same two questions.

Film Clip: Schindler's List

Show the scene near the end of the film  when Schindler is leaving and all the people he has saved crowd around to thank him, however, all he can think about is the ones he didn't save and he looks at his wealth with new and despairing eyes. If you can watch this without weeping, you are tougher than me.  I suggest you watch it a few times before showing it in church so you don't end up a crying mess in the pulpit.

  

Quotes: Millionaires:

Andrew Carnegie: Millionaires seldom smile.

John Jacob: I am the most miserable man on earth .

John Rockefeller: I have made many millions but they have brought me no happiness.

W.H. Vanderbilt: The care of $200 million is too great a load to bear. There is no pleasure in it.

Discussion Questions: Millionaires

In pairs or threes:

• What do you like to think is in your treasure chest?

• Evaluate what Jesus would think of your treasure.

Meditation: Four Changed Lives

Found in Present on Earth by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose, 2002, ISBN 0901557642, page 183, (pictured at left). This goes well with the gospel reading.

Prayer for Others
Make a powerpoint presentation of pictures from your local newspaper of war, famine, accident, murder, ... (the hard and sad things that we read about) to some contemplative music and allow people to pray either during or after the presentation.

Prayer: Child, I am Here
By Michel Quoist in Prayers of Life, Macmillan, 1965, ISBN: 0717101584 (pictured at right). This goes well with the gospel reading.

Also:

Story Plus Other Stuff: Some Very Hard Homework

Found in Wally the Dodgy Trolley and other Stories of Faith and Humour by Ian Johnson, Scripture Union Australia, Lidcombe, 2000, ISBN 0949720984, page 70 (pictured at left).

Poem/Meditation: Follow Me

By Ruth Burgess in Dandelions and Thistles: Biblical Meditations from the Iona Community by Jan Sutch Pickard (ed.) Wild Goose Publications, 1999, ISBN 1901557146, page 48 (pictured at right). This goes well with the Mark reading.

Worship Activity: The Presence of God

By Jim Burns and Robin Dugall in Worship Experiences, Gospel Light, 1999, ISBN, 0830724044, page 83 (pictured at left).  This is based on the Psalm.

 

Prayer Exercise: When God Seems Distant

Found in Prayer: Heart of the Pilgrimage by Jenny Youngman, Upper Room Books, Nashville, 2007, ISBN 0835898369, page 35 (pictured at right).  This is based on the Psalm.

Kids: The Little Gate

By Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen and found in their book, Stories Jesus Told, Candle books, 2005, ISBN 101859855881 (pictured at left).

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Proper 22 B (October 3): Sticking Up for Others

 

There is a 2024 version of this blog with lots more resources - see my archive at left

Bible Readings: Job 1:1; 2:1-10, Psalm 26, Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12, Mark 10:2-16.

About the images:

Upper Left: This is my image so please feel free to use it for worship and related activities.

Upper Right: I took this photo of my kids about thirty years ago. I wanted to take a photo of Kate without the teddy bear (which had the odd name of "Winter") and, as you can see if you look closely or click on the image to enlarge it, her eyes filled with tears at the very thought. Her big brother, Jared, immediately sprang to her defence and insisted Winter be part of the photo as he comforted Kate. Naturally, I photographed them all :-) Please feel free to use it for worship and related activities.

Middle Left: A free image from Cerezo Barredo -see my link column at left.

Middle Right: This is my image so please feel free to use it for worship and related activities.  It reminded me of the words in the blessing song from Together in Song 779, May the Feet of God Walk with You because the last two lines fit beautifully with the gospel reading - May the child of God grow in you and his love bring you home. 

Lower Left:  It is World Communion Sunday this Sunday (or thereabouts).  This image is free from Creative Commons.  The copyright details are attached to the image.

Lower Right:  This is a free Heartlight image - see my link column at the left.

Listening Song: People Putting People Down

By Bob Dylan on his Hardest To Find album, 1996 (pictured at right)

Psalm 26: The Prayer of the Innocent Believer

Often called the above name for obvious reasons - works well if you ask different people to read a verse or two each. Get them to read from where they are sitting in the congregation and choose the readers from a variety of ages and gender, different ethnic backgrounds and various abilities/disabilities etc etc.

Kid's Story: Jesus loves kids

I can't source the original idea for the story about James, but it pops up in various places and in various forms when Googled eg

http://www.liturgiesonline.com.au

where Moira Laidlaw uses it for a similar purpose.

Take along a large photograph of one of your children or a child who is special to you and, if possible, take a photo of the kids as they come and sit around the front. Discuss with them about how photographs are a good (sometimes!) record of what a person looks like. Hold up your photo - say that its not a bad likeness of the child you love. Tell them that even though the child's face is imprinted on your heart you still like to have a few photo's around as well. 

Then tell the following little story (from the internet).

Three years old James was visiting his grandparents and he was playing in the garden just outside the back door whilst his grandmother was making tea. It was getting pretty dark and stormy and she was just going to call James indoors when there was a flash of lightning.

Thinking that James would be afraid, she rushed to the back door just as he came running in, filled with excitement - "Guess what, Gran," he shouted "God just took my photo!"

Well, we know that lightning is not really God taking photos of James or anyone else. Do you know why? Because God doesn't need to take our photo because God is with us all the time. And we know what God is like because we know from the Bible what Jesus is like. So, that's almost as good as a photo. And while we haven't any photos of Jesus either, we have enough words written about him to know what he was like. 

Tell the gospel story for today of the children coming to him.

Then ask the kids to put on badges that say "I am one of God's beloved children" and if there is time and availability of badges, ask them to distribute one to every member of the congregation - alternatively, they could make the badges during the service to distribute to everyone just before the benediction.

Kid's Story: Jesus and the Children

By Andrew McDonough, Lost Sheep Resources, 2007, ISBN 9781921229091 (pictured at right).  This is one of a brilliant set of books and each can be downloaded for a small cost from the web as a slide show.

Discussion on the Gospel Reading: Mark 10:13-16

1. Who is being hurt or put down or rejected?

2. Who is doing the hurting? - why?

3. How does Jesus respond to those doing the hurting?

4. How does Jesus respond to those who have been hurt?

Film Clip: A Colour Purple

(pictured at left) Show the clip where Shug Avery comes back to reconcile with her father and he walks out on her. Ask the same four questions as above replacing the word "does" with "would". 

Film Clip: The Preacher's Wife

(pictured at right) Show the clip where the Rev. Henry Biggs prays for help and Dudley, the angel, arrives in answer to his prayer. Unfortunately, Biggs puts the angel (God’s help) down by thinking it’s all a bit of a joke and drives off.

Drama: Out of the Mouths of Babes

In Mega Drama 4 by Verena Johnson (Ed.) Open Book, 2002, ISBN 0859100186, page 58 (pictured at left). This drama is based on the gospel reading.

Further Discussion: Our Community

1. What sections of our community here in .....(put in the name of your own community) do you think our church may hurt or put down or reject?

2. How?

3. How would Jesus respond to these sections of the community?

4. How would Jesus respond to us?

Response Activity:

Give everyone a business card with a clip art drawing or sketch of two people hugging - this works best if one person is larger than the other.

Also give everyone a pencil. Encourage everyone to use this card and the pencil as a conversation starter with God.

Ask: Is there someone you need to reconcile with? Do you need to put your arms around someone who you have hurt? Then colour in the larger figure?

Or do you need a hug this morning, do you need Jesus arms around you today? Sometimes we sit on the other side of the fence like David in Psalm 26. Sometimes it is us who are hurt, sometimes it is us who suffer some sort of put down or rejection. Then colour in the smaller figure?

Either way, don't show it to anyone - it is for you and God alone.

Listening song: I Am

By Jill Phillips on her self titled album (pictured at right). I have suggested this song before but it fits beautifully as something that can be listened to either after or during the above activity.

Response Activity: Meditation and Symbolic Action: Testimony and Prayer of Three Anonymous Children

From Present on Earth by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose, 2002, ISBN 0901557642, page 111 (pictured at left). I put images with the third testimony and backed it with music: Searching from the Past by Secret Garden on their album, Earth Songs.

Also:

Prayer Exercise: Guided Imagery Prayer

Found in Prayer: Heart of the Pilgrimage by Jenny Youngman, Upper Room Books, Nashville, 2007, ISBN 0835898369, page 70 (pictured at right).  This is based on the Gospel reading.

Poem: In some very tiny places
Found In Due Season by Herbert F. Brokering, Augsburg Publishing House, 1966  in the spring section. Based on the Hebrews reading.

Sermon ideas: The Priority of the Oppressed

Found in Life on the Road by Athol Gill, Herald Press, 1992, page 195.  This is based on the Gospel reading. 

Meditation: Testimony and Prayer of Three Anonymous Children
Found in He Was in the World by John L. Bell, Wild Goose Publications, 1995, ISBN 094798870X, page 74 and based on the Mark reading.

Meditation: I Sang For Him

Found in Present on Earth by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 2002, ISBN 0 901557 64 2, page 78ff.  This is based on the Mark reading.

Invocation

By Susan E. Brown and found in Before the Amen by Maren C Tirabassi and Maria I. Tirrabassi (Eds), Pilgrim Press, Cleveland, 2007, ISBN 978 0 8298 1750 8, page 117. Based on the Mark reading.

Commitment to Teaching and Learning

By Deborah Gline Allen and found in Before the Amen by Maren C Tirabassi and Maria I. Tirrabassi (Eds), Pilgrim Press, Cleveland, 2007, ISBN 978 0 8298 1750 8, page 229. Based on the Mark reading.