Bible Study –Second Sunday of Advent – Prepare The Way
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
Advent means “coming.” The coming of the baby Jesus, God among us in human flesh. The coming of Christ again "the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. In between those two great comings is God’s constant longing for each of us to come to God, to love God, and to let God love us. "Be alert." Notice. Listen. Watch. For what? For the ways God will choose to get our attention this season. For those moments when we notice that our ways are not in alignment with God’s ways. For those shimmering glimpses of the Kingdom of God.
John the Baptist, cousin of Jesus, dressed in camel’s hair and lived off the land, driven by the message he has heard from the prophet Isaiah, "Prepare the way of the Lord." "Stop," John is saying. “Look at yourself and your life. Make a fresh start. Begin again. Come, be baptized. Someone is coming to lead the way. My job is to point to that someone.”
Opening Prayer: Thank you, God, for being with us today. Thank you for speaking to us through other people. Help us to recognize them and prepare the way for your coming. Amen.
Please open your Bibles to Mark 1:1-8 and read or read the scriptures below.
Mark 1:1-8
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”
4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with[f] the Holy Spirit.”
John the Baptist, cousin of Jesus, knew the stories in the Bible, especially the story written by the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah told that a messenger would come and that messenger would prepare a path for Jesus. Now this John was a very odd-looking man. He made clothes out of camel’s skin, and wore a beat-up old leather belt. About all he ate was honey and locusts (which didn’t mean bugs, it was a kind of bean). Anyway, John told the people to stop! Stop what they were doing and look at their lives to see what they needed to do and what they needed to stop doing. John baptized the people who came to hear him, and he told them that he was not the messenger, but it was his job to point to the messenger.
Questions:
- John the Baptist was preparing the way for Jesus to come. He wanted them to be ready. What do you think he told them to do to be ready?
- What kinds of things do you think John told people to stop doing?
- Why do you suppose people came out to the wilderness to listen to this man?
- Can you picture what he might have looked like?
Click here for the young learner’s lesson
Videos (Click on url)
God’s Story: John the Baptist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NMHOLPWeTM
The Preaching of John the Baptist - Mark 1:1-8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOPKWl61my0
Gospel of Mark Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGHqu9-DtXk
Song: Prepare the Way of the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSkIz4Xm09U
Activities:
The Advent Wreath: The custom of having an Advent Wreath originated centuries ago in Germany, and today its use has become popular in homes and churches with the observance of Advent. The continuous wreath stands for eternity. The holly with its thorny, prickly leave is regarded as a symbol of the Crowns of thorns and so recalls the Passion of Christ. In this way the Advent Wreath connects the birth and death of Christ. The liturgical color is purple or blue. The four colored candles refer to the four Sundays in Advent. All of the candles refer to the ushering in of the Kingdom through the birth of Christ.
How To: Make Your Own Advent Wreath: https://news.xcp.org/7401/faith-in-action/how-to-make-your-own-advent-wreath/
The first Sunday lit candle represents sorrow, repentance or a plea for pardon. The candle is called the “PEACE candle, a symbol of the preparations made to receive and to cradle the Christ child.
The second Sunday’s candle represents sorrow. The candle is the “HOPE” candle, for it represents the period of waiting that preceded the birth of Christ.
Prepare the Way: If John the Baptist was here to prepare the way for Jesus, let’s think about how we are preparing the way for Jesus to come this Christmas. How are you preparing the way? John the Baptist told us that we need to ask forgiveness of our sins. What do you think a sin is? Sin is anything that separates us from God of from each other. What do you think we need to ask forgiveness for? It may not be big things, but think about those things for which we want to ask God’s forgiveness. Things like: being mean to someone, borrowing my sister’s things without asking, not doing something I was asked to do, etc. Think about it and then write them down.
Sandpaper Block Art: Take a piece of rough wood or a little block and a small piece of sandpaper to sand the block of wood and make it smooth. Paint or use a marker to write on each block of wood, “Make our crooked ways straight and our rough places smooth.”
John the Baptist Prepares the Way - Crossword: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/john-the-baptist-prepares-the-way-4
John the Baptist Prepares the Way - Word Search: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/john-the-baptist-prepares-the-way-1
John the Baptist Prepares the Way – Decoder: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/john-the-baptist-prepares-the-way-2
Prayer: Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
