Keep watch (Matthew 24:36-44)
Call to worshipUsing an alarm clock for the call to worship (or to introduce the children’s talk) Use an alarm clock for the Call to Worship. Begin with it ringing. Then launch into a call and response something like
Leader: Wake up, you sleepy Christians! People: The night is gone. The day is here. Leader: Be ready because God is at work in the world. People: Let us worship and serve God together. From Worshipping with Children Assemble a Nativity SceneIf you have a community-facing noticeboard or window, you can assemble the nativity scene over the weeks of Advent, building a sense of anticipation.
Perhaps you can start with the stable standing empty, add Mary and Joseph the following week, shepherds the next week and fill the sky with angels on the fourth week. These could be simple figures, coloured by the congregation (see here for several options). If you have a crib service or other Christmas Eve worship, this is great timing for adding Baby Jesus to the scene. Alternatively, you might be using the new Strandz ‘Christmas on the Move’ resource. In which case you would start with the stable, and maybe add more things to the stable each week (animals, manger) as Mary and Joseph make the pilgrimage closer and closer. Visio LectioThanks to Rev. Sarah West for this print for the 1st Sunday in Advent, from Visio Lectio
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Intergenerational litanyHere’s an intergenerational litany inspired by Matthew 24: 36-44. It comes from the Liturgy Center website.
Litany: Matthew 24:36-44 Jesus said to his disciples ... Be ready! Whatever you are doing ... Be ready! You could be eating or drinking, just ... Be ready! Be ready to do what God wants, just ... Be ready! Like Noah was! God told Noah to ... Be ready! You never know what might happen, so ... Be ready! Be ready to do what God wants, just ... Be ready! Be ready to help others. Are you ready? We’re ready! Be ready to forgive. Are you ready? We’re ready! Be ready to be kind and friendly. Are you ready? We’re ready! Be ready to think about others. Are you ready? We’re ready! Be ready to say you are sorry to those you hurt. Are you ready? We’re ready! Be ready to accept people. Are you ready? We’re ready! Be ready to do what God wants … We’re ready! ~ from Children’s Liturgy of the Word, First Sunday of Advent Year A. Posted on Liturgy Centre. http://www.liturgycentre.org.nz/ Alternative CollectCome, O come Emmanuel,
you are the way, the truth and the life; Come, living Saviour come to your world which waits for you. Hear this prayer for your love’s sake. Amen |
Gospel ConversationsWe start our new church year with a Gospel reading which has been used in songs and films and books, often to create a sense of fear. Our panel look past and through this veneer to the grace and promise and HOPE behind it. Lisa and Nicki are joined by Joel, who happens to be on the ordination retreat Michael is leading - so there are thoughts here about listening for God's call as well. (Note that although the reception at the B&B where the retreat is being held gives Mike's voice a bit of an echo, the other voices are clear, so persevere!).
The Unusual JourneyOn Your Marks
The time of Advent gives us the opportunity to get ready for the celebration of Christmas. Not, however, the getting ready of buying presents, making the cake, sorting the travel, and so on, but of preparing ourselves to hear afresh the miracle of the incarnation. How do we highlight this aspect of Advent with our children’s groups, who are under so much pressure to think only of the commercial side of the season and who are targeted to become ‘consumers of Christmas’ not pilgrims on the way to a mystery? The following idea suggests some possible approaches that could be used over the four weeks leading up to the Feast. Get Set You will need four key objects: a blank map, a magnifying glass, a compass and a black postcard. Each of these is developed in different ways as described below. Go! Advent has its origins in the Latin for ‘coming towards’ or ‘the approach’. The idea of travelling towards something special is the true meaning of this season. Over the next four weeks invite your group to become travellers or pilgrims on an adventure, as they set out on their journey towards Christmas. Begin by packing a suitcase together (or maybe packing individual rucksacks) with some unusual items, namely: a blank map, a magnifying glass, a large compass and a mysterious black postcard. Each of these different items will help us on our way through Advent. Focus on one item for each week, along with the accompanying Bible story/stories, games, craft ideas and worship activities. Week 1— A Map Hand out a series of ordnance survey maps—perhaps of the area where you live—and discuss the sort of things that you find on these maps. It will include streets, rivers, woodland, mountains and hills, important buildings, railways and so on. However, the map we need for our journey is rather strange. Produce a piece of A1 paper that folded up to be like a map but that is blank. Our Advent map does not have any streets, rivers, woodland and so on. Instead there are arrows. Draw on six large arrows, all pointing from the bottom of the map to the top, coming in from different directions. These arrows have names on them. Write on the names of Abraham, Judah, Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel They are all famous people from the Old Testament, who show us the way to go on our Advent journey. In the space to which all the arrows are pointing now draw or attach small pictures of the following, linked to each of the names:
These are the strange directions we have.
On our Advent journey, we’re following arrows. Play the game where the children walk around your meeting area but when you call out ‘freeze’, they must stop still and then all turn towards the object you call out, becoming human arrows pointing the way. For the Bible story, read about the strange map that we need to make to find our way through Advent as outlined in Isaiah 40:3-5 What would this map look like? A straight highway in the desert and all the valleys and hills flattened out; no uneven paths and beautifully smooth roads! This would make an unusual map. It is the route we need to travel to see God’s glory revealed on earth, which is the mystery of Christmas. Throughout these Advent sessions ask the children to draw around one of their feet onto card and create a group set of footprints. Today the footprints should be put together to create a massive arrow, which is the direction we’ve been set on our journey. As a craft idea, why not make some small scrolls to represent the stories of Abraham, Judah, Moses, David, Isaiah and Daniel. These scrolls could be put together in the form of an arrow |
