Bible Study “Second Sunday of Advent – ”Prepare the Way to the Lord”
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 extends an invitation. The invitation: don't just do something – stand, watch, prepare. Stand. Choose to believe that ours is a safe universe – a universe God chose to enter as an infant. Watch. Look for a coming that has already come and will come again. Prepare. Snatch moments from our busyness. Watching for wisps of awe and wonder to show up. Rediscover that God has chosen to dwell in us and we are invited to dwell in God.
Advent Theme: Christ will come again: We watch, we prepare, we get ready.
The people who came out to hear John the Baptist would have recognized the Isaiah passage he was proclaiming. Did these people notice that something was not quite right in their lives? Apparently so, why else would they have come out to hear this bizarre-looking preacher? And so we, in the 21st Century, look for what we need to do to "prepare the way of the Lord." What is cluttering up the path? Will there be room in our inn for the Christ child to come and be born in us?
Can you think of any "Good News”? Today you are going to be looking at some heavy-duty words find in Bible stories and see if you can come up with our own definitions of these words.
Opening Prayer: Loving God, Thank you for John the Baptist who called people to repentance and forgiveness. Amen.
Please open your Bibles to Luke 3: 1-6 and read or read the scriptures below.
Luke 3: 1-6
3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”[
Reflection Questions:
- Who is John the Baptist? (The cousin of Jesus. John has read Isaiah - the passage he is quoting here -- and is trying to get the people ready for the message Jesus will bring.)
- John the Baptist is "proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. " What do you think this means?
- How would you define "sin?" (Some definitions: doing something wrong, thinking really bad thoughts, putting our own selves down, choosing to ignore God, something that separates you from God, something that separates us from each other, etc.)
- Who are the three types of people you can "sin against?" (Ourselves, our neighbor, God)
- What do you think the word "repentance" means? (If we said repentance has three steps, what might they be? (1. Noticing 2. Saying I am sorry 3. Changing the behavior)
- What happens to your relationship with God, when you say you are sorry and change your behavior? (God completely forgives you -- forgets all about our blowing it - goes on as if nothing has happened, and you are free to start over.)
- What happens to your relationship with another person when you say you are sorry and change your behavior? (Sometimes you can completely patch up the friendship. Sometimes, the other person is not ready to start over.)
- What happens to your relationship with yourselves when you tell yourselves you are sorry and change your behavior? (You have the potential to completely forgive yourselves or you might unnecessarily hang onto the guilt.)
Click here for the young learner’s lesson
Videos (Click on the words or url)
Advent 2C Luke 3:1-6 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5usiR_M9cI
Luke 3:1-6// John the Baptist Prepares the Way// Second Sunday of Advent – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL7cBn1s1kk
Activities:
Advent Wreath – Light the second candle which is Preparation or Bethlehem. We praise you, O God, for this victory wreath that marks our days of preparation for Christ’s advent. As we light the candles on this wreath, strengthen our hearts as we await the Lord’s coming in glory. Enlighten us with your grace, that we may serve our neighbors in need. Grant this through Christ our Lord, whose coming is certain and whose day draws near. Amen.
Good New - Find "Good News" item in the newspaper, in a magazine, or online.
You will need an envelope that can be sealed, paper, pencils and Bibles. What you write is for your eyes only and you will seal what you write in the envelope. You can draw something, write something, or leave the paper blank. You can write about someone or something you want to forgive or someone or something you want to begin to work on.
Decoder – Prepare the Way Luke 3
Spiral - Prepare the Way Luke 3
Word Search: https://thewordsearch.com/puzzle/3078239/prepare-the-way-of-the-lord/
Prayer: Thank you God for always forgiving us and for showing us how to forgive others and how to forgive ourselves. Amen.
