Advent Begins!
Welcome to our first Advent Worship Companion! We’ll be reflecting on many different passages of Scripture over the next month. We’ll be focusing on the coming of Christ both in the future as King on the Earth and in the past, as he came as the King, not with pomp and ceremony, but humbly as a baby born in poverty.
Peter Koenig, Swords into Plowshares, 20th C., U.K.
Anchor Texts:
Psalm 150 NIVUK - Praise the LORD. Praise God in his - Bible Gateway
Questions to Ponder:
First, make sure you read each passage of scripture above. They have been chosen to be read in conversation with each other. Keep them in your mind as you ponder the questions below by yourself or with others.
What is a goal you have for Advent and Christmas this year? If you don’t have one, what is one way you can: Worship fully? Give more? Spend less? Love all?
Advent is a time we focus on the coming of Christ in the future. Re-read Isaiah 9:6-7. How does his future coming bring you hope today? Christians are people who live according to the way of God’s coming kingdom, even in the dark world today. How Jesus’ rule and reign affect the way you behave today?
Re-read Isaiah 2:1-5. Which part brings you the most hope? Why? If this is what God will do in the future, and we’re supposed to live int he light of the future today, what does this passage mean for the way we need to live now?
Re-read Psalm 150. How much do you think about yourself? Things you need to do. The need to have your way or your say? Thinking about what others thing of you? Advent is a season where we are reminded to think less or ourselves, to take ourselves lightly, and to find our peace not in sorting out our own problems but in praising the one Who Is, Who Was, and Who Is To Come. What do we praise God for at Christmas? What can you praise him for in your life right now?
Pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise!
The Theme for Kids:
This week we begin the season of Advent! This video will teach us about the main themes we can put into practice as we get ready for Christmas.
The Theme in Song:
“Hail is arrival! The King of Creation, the infinite infant God.” This song highlights the beginning of Advent perfectly. We celebrate his coming and look to his future coming.