A message to children on the 2nd Sunday of Advent —
Read Luke 3:1-2 out loud to the children:
“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler* of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler* of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler* of Abilene,2during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”
What did that mean – all those names of people you know little if anything about?
Let me read these verses again, with some changes, and see if the meaning of the word might make better sense for us today:
“In the 2nd year of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s majority government, when Dalton McGuinty was still premier of Ontario, and Jim Watson was mayor of Ottawa, and the Rev. Susan Johnson was the national bishop of our ELCIC, and the Rev. Michael Pryse was the bishop of the Eastern Synod, the word of God came to us – right here at Faith. And we will leave here and go into our schools, and homes, to our work and sports teams, over mountains and along highways to share the good news of Jesus Christ. As it is written in the Bible …”
What difference did that reading make? Maybe it brought the bible a little closer to home.
John the Baptist was called to be a messenger of God – to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus who was coming. Two thousand years ago, he was the first one.
Today, we are the messengers, along with our parents and friends and fellow believers. We can share the good news and invite others to celebrate with us.
How can we get ready for Jesus’ coming?
1gift4good.
One small deed/act/gift to another person …. Ideas?
– Drop a loonie in a Salvation Army kettle in the mall
– Parents – become an organ donor by signing the back of your drivers’ license
– Pray for someone in particular
– Light candles on the advent wreath
– Learn a new song
– Read the bible out loud for someone
– Make a Christmas decoration to give to someone in the nursing home or to an elderly friend or relative
– Invite someone to church for Christmas
– Parents – let someone else have that parking spot near the mall, or let someone in front of you in a long line up
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for coming to us this Christmas. Prepare our hearts to receive you, by doing and giving, one small gift for good. Amen.
Raspberryman 