Faith that is Ready

Sunday, December 8, 2024

Introduction

The season of Advent is a time to receive the arrival of Jesus, which is actually a past event, a future hope, and a present reality. Jesus has come. Jesus will return. Jesus is here right now. In the Advent season, we reflect on what He has already done, we look forward to what He has still promised to do, and we receive what He is doing in and among us right now. In this series on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day, we will go through four traditional themes of the Advent season: Hope, Faith, Joy, and Peace.

Core Idea for this Lesson

“Faith is always about action. True Faith is accompanied by the readiness to act on what God says.”

Lesson

On the second Sunday of Advent we think about the Faith we have in Christ

The candle that represents this on the Advent wreath is sometimes called the "Bethlehem Candle." It represents the faith of Mary and Joseph who believed God’s message to them and acted on it.

Both Mary and Joseph received incredible messages from God

Luke 1:26–38 NLT

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.” 38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Matthew 1:18–24 NLT

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. 20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.

The examples of Mary and Joseph ought to inspire us - they are amazing examples of what it looks like to have faith

For both of them, God’s message meant their plans were going to change, their place in society was going to be different, and they had to move forward without the full picture

In order to respond in Faith, they were going to have to do something and they couldn't be restrained by fear.

To live a life of faith, you must be ready to act

Faith is not about believing only - it is about doing. The evidence of what you believe is in the way you live.

James 2:18–22 NLT

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” 19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? 21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.

Reflection

Take a moment to Pray:

Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us from what we have just heard - highlighting any points He wants us to focus on and apply this week.

Discussion and Application

Feel free to add your own question prompts as the teacher, or to create some on the fly as the discussion develops

Why does faith require action?

How can you prepare yourself to be ready to respond in faith?

What indications do we have in scripture about the way that Mary and Joseph lived their lives, prior to receiving these messages from God?

What is your take away from this lesson (What is the Holy Spirit prompting in you?) and what will you do with it this week?

Where to Land the Plane

We cannot have the kind of faith where we say we believe things about God - but don’t really live like they are true. That kind of Christianity is a false religion. If we’re going to receive from God, we must prepare our hearts to act on whatever He says - having confidence also that He will go with us and make a way for us when we step forward in faith.