Advent: Lighting the Third Candle – Waiting for Joy

4The Third Sunday of Advent (or thereabouts)

[Re-light the first two purple candles]

We Remember the Meaning of Advent

Advent is a word that means “coming” or “visit”. In the Christian season of Advent we prepare for the “advent” of Christ at Christmas. Our preparation includes many things:

• We remember Israel’s hope for the coming of God’s Messiah to save, to forgive, and to restore.

• We remember our hope for the second coming of Jesus.

• We remember our need for a Savior to save us from our sins.

• We prepare to welcome Christ at Christmas into our world . . . and into our hearts.

By lighting one candle each week of Advent, we help ourselves to get ready for the birth of Jesus. So far we have lit two candles. The first helped us to hope for God our Shepherd; with the second we asked God to come and forgive our sins.

Today we remember the joy of waiting, because we know how the story ends!

Prayer for God’s Help

Dear God, thank you for this season of Advent that helps us to prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. As we read the Bible and light a candle, may excitement for Christ’s coming burn in our hearts. Amen.

Scripture Readings

Psalm 126:1-6

This psalm celebrates God’s restoration of Israel — and it cries out to God for future restoration.

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Through the prophet Zephaniah God looks ahead to the time when he will renew and heal his people. It will be a day of great rejoicing, both for them and for God!

Philippians 4:4-7

We also rejoice in the Lord, in part because we know that “the Lord is near.” This means, not only that God is with us right now, but that Christ is coming soon.

Lighting of the Candle

[As someone lights the pink candle, the following should be read or paraphrased.]

We light this candle because, like God’s people centuries ago, we know that God has come in Christ and that Christ will come again. We rejoice in God’s work in history and in the future. The pink color means joy!

Prayer of Hope

Dear God, as we light this candle, we rejoice. We know how the first act of the story ended – with the birth of Jesus the Messiah. And we know that he will come again in glory. So even though the story isn’t over, we rejoice in our hope. We wait for you, rejoicing! Amen!

Closing Song

[To be sung to the tune of "O come let us adore him" from "O Come All Ye Faithful."]

We wait for you, rejoicing,
We wait for you, rejoicing,
We wait for you, rejoicing,
Christ the Lord!

[Source – Patheos Blog and Dr. Mark Roberts]

The Future of Social Media

2014Facebook, Instrgram, Twitter and Snapchat. Welcome to the exploding world of Social Media. Where will it all go and what trends are trending into 2014? Ryan Holmes, the CEO of HootSuite, a social relationship platform, recently wrote for Fortune magazine outlining five trends that could be poised to shake up the industry and the way we use social media in 2014:

1. The rise of ephemeral social networks.

2. Learn to tweet. Your boss expects it.

3. Social customer service kills the dreaded phone tree.

4. Social media finds you as you browse.

5. Get ready to see ads from the neighborhood pub on Twitter.

Read the full article for the details. 

For more, see ..

Top 10 Social Media Predictions for 2014

Major Changes coming to Social Media in 2014

Advent: Lighting the Second Candle – Waiting for Forgiveness

PurpleThe Second Sunday of Advent (or thereabouts)

[Re-light the first purple candle.]

We Remember the Meaning of Advent

Advent is a word that means “coming” or “visit.” In the Christian season of Advent we prepare for the “advent” of Christ at Christmas. Our preparation includes many things:

• We remember Israel’s hope for the coming of God’s Messiah to save, to forgive, and to restore.

• We remember our hope for the second coming of Jesus.

• We remember our need for a Savior to save us from our sins.

• We prepare to welcome Christ at Christmas into our world . . . and into our hearts.

By lighting one candle each week of Advent, we help ourselves to get ready for the birth of Jesus. Last week we lit a candle that signified our waiting for God our Shepherd.

Today we focus on the coming of Christ who brings forgiveness from our sins.

Prayer for God’s Help

Dear God, thank you for this season of Advent that helps us to prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. As we read the Bible and light a candle, may excitement for Christ’s coming burn in our hearts. Amen.

Scripture Readings

Psalm 130:1-8

In this psalm, we join the psalmist in crying out for God’s forgiveness.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

God promises to make a new covenant with us, in which our sins will be forgiven and forgotten.

Luke 1:68-79

When an angel appears to Zechariah in the temple and tells him that his wife will give birth to a son, the old man doesn’t believe the angel. As a result, Zechariah is unable to speak for many months, until immediately after the birth of his son John (the Baptist). Right after the birth, Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit and speaks the prophecy that we will read.

Lighting of the Candle

[As someone lights the second purple candle, the following should be read or paraphrased.]

We light this candle because, like God’s people centuries ago, we also need a Savior who will forgive our sins. The purple color reminds us of the seriousness of our sin and our great need for God’s forgiveness.

Prayer of Hope

Dear God, as we light this candle, we recognize our sin and our need for a savior. We wait for your forgiveness in Christ. We long to be purified so that we might present ourselves to you in righteousness. Come, Our Savior! Amen!

Closing Song

[To be sung to the tune of "O come let us adore him" from "O Come All Ye Faithful."]

O come to us, forgive us,
O come to us, forgive us,
O come to us, forgive us,
Christ the Lord!

[Source – Patheos Blog and Dr. Mark Roberts]

Nelson Mandela

NelsomnNelson Mandela passed away yesterday at the age of 95. He was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politican and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the first black South African to hold the office, and the first elected in a fully representative election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. 

After studying law in university he became a lawyer. In 1962 he was arrested, convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the government, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Mandela served 27 years in prison, initially on Robben Island. An international campaign lobbied for his release, which was granted in 1990 amid escalating civil strife. Mandela published his biography and opened negotiations with President de Klerk to abolish apartheid and establish multi-racial elections in 1994. As South Africa's first black president, Mandela formed a government of national unity in an attempt to defuse racial tension. He also promulgated a new constitution and created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses. Mandela subsequently became an elder statesman, focusing on charitable work in combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the Nelson Mandela Foundation. He gained international acclaim for his activism, having received more than 250 honours, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize and the US Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Xhosa clan name, Madiba, or as Tata ("Father"). He is often described as "the father of the nation".

USA Today recently listed a collection of quotes that personify his spirit:

1. "Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end."

2. "It always seems impossible until it's done."

3. "If I had my time over I would do the same again. So would any man who dares call himself a man."

4. "I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles."

5. "Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people."

6. "A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of."

7. "Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do."

8. "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

9. "I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

10. "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

11. "Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies."

12. "Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front."

13. "Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

14. "I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I fight it now, and will do so until the end of my days."

15. "A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination."

We pray for God's comfort for his family and friends at this time of loss and grief. May his impact live on through his great example of love for all people and forgiveness of those who hurt him so deeply.

Unsung Hero: Irena Sendler

IrenaLet me tell you the story of Irena Sendler. It’s a name that I didn’t even know until a few weeks ago, but once I heard her story, I will never forget her. Irena was born in 1910 just outside of Warsaw. By 1940 she had become an administrator in Warsaw’s welfare department as Hitler occupied Poland. Well, the Nazis, if you remember right, they took half a million Jews and they shoved them in the ghetto and then they cut off all the basic health services, even food. Now Irena was responsible for controlling tuberculosis in the area so she could go wherever she wanted without any restriction and she used that freedom to convince Jewish parents to let her hide their children. Imagine the scene, “Please let me take your children.” This woman worked so hard to rescue the children of the ghetto. Sometimes she carried them in a burlap sack or she would put them in a casket to elude the Nazi guard. She would put them in an ambulance right next to her in the back seat and her dog she trained to constantly bark when she was questioned so the Nazis couldn’t hear cries of the children in the sack or the coffin, they’d just hear the dog.

Sendler then gave the children all new names and documents and she placed them with Christian families. But she didn’t want their original identities to die so she wrote down their real names and buried them, underground in a jar, in her backyard, by an apple tree. Eventually she was caught by the Gestapo, she was brutally tortured, they broke her feet and her legs with wooden clubs, just beat her and beat her. She was then scheduled to be executed but she escaped by bribing a guard and she lived in secret until the war was finally over. Once she was free the first thing she did was dig up that jar next to that apple tree. She attempted to put the lives of the rescued children back together. Unfortunately, most of the parents were killed but she placed many with relatives.

Irena Sendler: she wound up rescuing 2,500 Jewish children from certain death at the hands of the Nazis. She lived the past few years, what an amazing woman, at a nursing home. She was actually cared for by a woman that she had smuggled out of the ghetto when she was only 6 months old. Irena had carried her in a toolbox with the dog barking at her feet.

In 2007, Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She lost to Al Gore and his movie about climate change. A year later, she died and it is despicable that she did so without winning the Peace Prize but I’m sure if you asked Irena she would be worrying about other things and right now, today, she is reaping her real rewards and they are far more substantial.

Near the end of her life, Irena said, "Heroes do extraordinary things. What I did was not an extraordinary thing. It was normal.” She carried a small note in her pocket that read, "Jesus, I trust in Thee."

Irena Sendler – an unsung hero.

[Details based on the American TV news story by Glenn Beck. For more information about Irena, check out her web site and the movie A Courageous Heart]

Advent: Lighting the First Candle – Waiting for the Shepherd

PurpleThe First Sunday of Advent (or thereabouts)

We Remember the Meaning of Advent

[Note: Someone can read or paraphrase the following. Or you might want to discuss the meaning of Advent together.]

Advent is a word that means “coming” or “visit”. In the Christian season of Advent, we prepare for the “advent” of Christ at Christmas. Our preparation includes many things:

• We remember Israel’s hope for the coming of God’s Messiah to save, to forgive, and to restore.

• We remember our hope for the second coming of Jesus.

• We remember our need for a Savior to save us from our sins.

• We prepare to welcome Christ at Christmas into our world . . . and into our hearts.

By lighting one candle each week of Advent, we help ourselves get ready for the birth of Jesus. The candles have different meanings, each based upon the Bible. These meanings help us understand how special the birth of Jesus is for us.

Today we focus on the coming of Christ as our Shepherd.

Prayer for God’s Help

[This prayer can be read, or simply used as a model.]

Dear God, thank you for this season of Advent that helps us prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. As we read the Bible and light a candle, may excitement for Christ’s coming burn in our hearts. Amen.

Scripture Readings

[Parents, you may wish to abbreviate or eliminate certain readings depending on the age(s) of your child(ren). You may also want to read these selections out of a Children's Bible.]

Psalm 80:1-7. 

In this Psalm, we join the people of Israel as they invite God their Shepherd to save and to restore them.

Isaiah 40:1-11. 

This passage looks ahead to the coming of the Lord, who will care for his people like a shepherd.

Revelation 7:9-17

Like God’s people before the coming of Christ, we also look ahead to the time when Christ, who is both the Lamb and our Shepherd, will finish his work and “God will wipe away every tear” from our eyes.

Lighting of the Candle

[As someone lights the first purple candle, the following should be read or paraphrased.]

We light this candle because, like God’s people centuries ago, we also look forward with hope to the coming of the Shepherd. The purple color of the candle reminds us of the seriousness of our hope.

Prayer of Hope

[To be read or paraphrased.]

Dear God, as we light this candle, we hope for your coming as our Good Shepherd. Please gather us in your arms, feed us with spiritual food, wipe away every tear from our eyes, and “let your face shine, that we may be saved”. Come, our Shepherd! Amen.

Closing Song

[To be sung to the tune of "O come let us adore him" from "O Come All Ye Faithful."]

O come to us, our Shepherd,
O come to us, our Shepherd,
O come to us, our Shepherd,
Christ the Lord!

[Source - Mark D. Roberts and Patheos.com]