At Christmas, we sing carols. Carols are special and sung only at Christmas.
Advent also has its own special music. Many of the Advent songs are centuries
old. Their message is asking Jesus to come again the second time. Here is an
Advent song performed in Israel. It is sung in both Hebrew and English.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnlxzOuW24k
Old Testament – Isaiah 6
Isaiah sees God and Isaiah doesn’t know what to do. Isaiah knows he is a sinner
and cries out. One of the angels Isaiah sees comes to Isaiah and touches him on
the lips with a coal. The angel tells Isaiah not to be afraid for Isaiah’s sins have
been forgiven.
God then asks who will go to speak to Israel for Him. Isaiah volunteers and begins
to tell Israel to repent and turn back to God. God tells Isaiah that Israel won’t
listen. Isaiah asks how long will it before Israel listens. God’s reply is when Israel
lies in ruins as a result of their disobedience to God.
These verses show us a truth we would rather ignore. There are consequences
when we ignore or disobey God. This week think over ways you might be ignoring
or disobeying God. Ask Him to help you.
Old Testament – Psalm 126
Israel by the time Psalm 126 was written had been punished for their
disobedience as Isaiah had predicted. But, now the Israelites who had been
refugees are returning to Israel. They are happy.
New Testament – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Paul gives advice to the Thessalonians and us too. He tells us always to be joyful
in prayer. We are to be thankful and we are to concentrate on what is good.
How are these things possible especially when life is hard?
The answer is in Paul’s writing. He tells us not to “quench the Spirit.” When we
“quench the Spirit,” we are not listening to the Holy Spirit. We are listening to
what we want and what the world tells us we want. We keep the Spirit alive in us
by spending time with God in prayer and reading His word, the Bible. By doing
these things and thanking God, we can be joyful even when life is tough.
New Testament – John 1:6-8, 19-28
The gospel of John was written by Jesus’ disciple, John. He starts his gospel by
telling us about John The Baptist. We met John The Baptist last week. He lived in
the wilderness, wore camel skins for clothing and ate honey and bugs. Yummy!!
The religious people were upset because large crowds were going to John The
Baptist to be baptized. They wanted to know why he was doing this. John The
Baptist tells them that he is the person who will announce the coming Messiah.
How are you preparing to receive Jesus at Christmas? Below is a video of today’s
verses from John.
Younger Children's Lesson-
This Sunday in Advent is about Joy and angels. Angels show up everywhere in the
Christmas story. An angel tells Zechariah that he and his wife will be the parents
of John The Baptist. An angel tells Mary she will have Baby Jesus. Angels tell the
shepherds that Jesus has been born. Color the angel below.
