Advent 1 - Preparation & Hope

Call to Worship

Isaiah 2:3 (NRSV)

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”

Primary Scripture

Matthew 24:36-44

Kidz Message

Introduction to Advent (“To-come”)

Ask about Christmas , family, and presents

- Excited for what is “to-come”

Have you heard the word Advent before?

Advent means “to-come” [repeat]

“the Advent of Christmas” is like saying “the coming of Jesus’ birthday”

Imagine that someone is coming to your house, but you don’t know when they’re going to arrive. What do you do?

- Get ready!

[Joke about how the little ones have no clue about time]

The Hope Candle

One of the ways we get ready Jesus coming is by lighting Advent Candles

Stand up and walk to the wreath

Each candle represents a gift Jesus brings during the advent season.

- Hope, Peace, Joy, Love, and Christ himself

I know you’re all excited about getting presents for Christmas.

Jesus’ presents are similar because they are from someone who loves you and they can make you feel happy

Jesus’ presents are different because they never break, get lost, or run out. They also are for you and everyone else!

Today’s present that Jesus is coming with is hope, our first candle.

Have a kid help light the hope candle.

“We light this candle as a sign that our hope that we can be restored”

Starting the Christmas Story

Sit down with the kids

You see the story of Christmas starts a LONG LONG time ago in a dark place.

God’s people, Israel, had been taken away from their homes and they didn’t know when they could go back home again.

How do you think they felt?

- SCARED

Well when it’s dark and you feel scared, does turning on a light help? Well God sent a man named Isaiah to his people to give them the gift of hope, which, like a candle gave them light in that dark place.

EDITED SCRIPTURE

Isaiah 2:2-3 [paraphrased] “In days to come the mountain that God’s house is on, will be the highest of the mountains. All sorts of different people from all over the world will come and say, “Come on! Let's go up to God’s mountain, the place God lives with his people; so that he can teach us his ways and we can walk in his paths.”

That was good news to God’s people. It gave them hope that they wouldn’t be stuck in the dark forever. It’s like their guest called and said “I’m on my way!”

So when you’re helping your grown ups decorate and get ready for Christmas, remember that Jesus’ is coming soon! We have hope because we know he’s on his way and we want to be ready for the party when he arrives.

Prayer

Dear God,

We are so excited to for your son’s birthday.

Help us to get ready for the party and to share our hope with others.

Amen

Sermon

Bumper Video - “Hope shines bright in you [Jesus]”

Slide - Advent

Series Introduction

Tell the story about Jen and remembering Advent candles with her Dad at the Burke's house.

Advent is like stepping outside of time for a moment. We are invited to experience the past, present, and future all at one

Past: Remembering the story of Jesus’ birth

Present: Experiencing Jesus in our hearts today

Future: Anticipating Jesus’ final coming w/ all of heaven in tow.

Stepping out of time has a way of adjusting our perspective.

My prayer is that this season will be more than a simple repetition of the past, but an opportunity for refreshment, renewed vision, and re-invigoration for what is to come at Christmas and beyond.

Misplaced Hope

Slide - Hope

Tell story of Street Evangelism on Spring Break - Hoodie Guy from Alaska

- Misplaced Hope led him to broken choices, not the other way around.

We get caught in a cycle where we wish things were better, but they don’t seem to get better, so we lean into the things that provide momentary relief.

Tell about a friend who is an addict.

- Addiction dimmed the hope into nothing but a wish.

Explain the difference between a hope & a wish

- Wish is something you want to happen

- Hope is something you believe will happen

SLIDE - reflect

Reflect: What do you say you “hope” for that you really just “wish” for?

Relief from your addiction

Change in our culture

Healing in your marriage

A Better relationship with your kids

Friendship instead of loneliness

Wishes are disappointments waiting to happen, they are inherently passive

True hope has confidence that things will get better, but it’s not just about what we believe, it’s about what we do.

Slide - Big Idea

Big Idea: True hope inspires you to get ready for better

The kind of hope Jesus offers is not just a wish (something we want to have happen), and it’s not even a goal (something we are trying to make happen), it’s a promise, something the creator of the universe tells us WILL happen.

Example from Kidz message: How you prepare when you KNOW a friend is coming over.

You know you believe in the reality and power of Christmas when you experience that kind of hope.

Are You Ready?

Today’s scripture is a warning from Jesus himself about waiting for his coming, or to be more specific, the coming of his kingdom on earth, the new creation.

Waiting for Christmas and New Creation with Hope is like sitting with a pregnant woman before she goes into labor.

- She is uncomfortable, craving for the baby to come

- Her pain is bad and it’s only going to get worse!

- You have no idea when it will actually happen.

So what can you do? You can get ready. That’s what the scripture is about today.

Past: It was about true hope for a lost and exiled people anticipating the coming of God on Christmas

Present: It’s about true hope for you when you experience the broken parts of your life anticipating Jesus’ gift of transformation today!

Future: It’s about true hope for all humanity as we wait for the completion of the New Creation and the final return of Jesus with all of heaven in tow.

But this scripture if often misunderstood in the American church and that misunderstanding leads up to a misplaced hope.

Did you hear it and think it was talking about the rapture? If so, listen closer this time.

Scripture

Matthew 24:36–37 (NIV)

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Tell about “how it was in the days of Noah”

The people had no idea the flood was coming, they had been warned, but they didn;t believe it. and then one day, out of the blue, it hit...

Scripture

Matthew 24:40–41 (NIV)

Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

Explain how the “Rapture” describes the opposite of this lesson from Jesus

Hal Lindsey’s “The Late Great Planet Earth” and The “Left Behind” series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

Modern Theologians who believe in the rapture conveniently ignore this passage or try to say the wicked are “taken” to be judged.

If our hope is in a rapture, in being taken away from earth to a “better place” then we have no reason for Advent. Why celebrate “Christ’s return” if it’s just so he can pick us up in the driveway and bring us away to his house?

This warning is truly about us being inspired to face the hopelessness of this world with the Hope of Jesus, the truth that he is fixing it and we get to help.

So let me ask you,

Slide - Reflect 2

REFLECT: Are you ready for better?

Are you ready for life after you recover from your addiction

Are you ready for life when cultures all around the world are aligning with the will of God?

Are you ready for your marriage to be healed, to no longer be living on eggshells but enjoying the beauty of intimacy and partnership?

Are you ready for a restored relationship with your kids, where they are fully seen and supported by you and you are enjoying every single moment with them?

Are you ready to never feel lost and alone again, to have exactly the right amount of friendship that fills your life with joy?

Slide - Big Idea

Big Idea: True hope inspires you to get ready for better

Saying “I hope things get better” is just wishing. Trusting in Jesus who is bringing all things together in heaven and on earth is true hope.

My prayer is that this season will be more than a simple repetition of the past, but an opportunity for refreshment, renewed vision, and re-invigoration for what is to come at Christmas and beyond.

But, are you ready for it? Are you ready to start living today like Jesus could come to finish the job at any moment or are you just hoping to endure today with a wish that someday things will magically get better?

The real magic of Christmas is not in Santa or Presents, but in what God promises to do in the world through you!

Slide - Hope

Call to Action

Invite someone to follow Jesus

- Lead them in a prayer to get started

I believe you all want to be a part of making things better today, and assuming that’s true we made sure there is no excuse. We have so many opportunities to live out your hope and get ready for better.

Connect Center

Prayer

Benediction

From Ephesians 5:8-14 “Sleepers, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. May you live as children of light.” Amen