Additional Scriptures 

Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12 

Preparation 

During Advent and Christmas create an arrangement of five candles as the focus of the worship center. You may use the candles in a circular wreath or arrange with greenery around them. The circle of greenery reminds us that God is eternal, without beginning or end. You may choose to use three purple, one pink (for the third Sunday, Joy) and one white candle (Christ candle) or an arrangement of candles of your choosing. Each Sunday the previous week’s candle(s) are relit before the service and one additional candle is lit during the Lion and Lamb skit. Light the fifth candle, the Christ candle, during a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service to signify the birth of Jesus. 

 For this Advent Sunday of Peace, prominently display a church seal image during the service. Have church seal stickers to distribute after the Lion and Lamb skit. Several options are available from Herald House.

During Advent set up the nativity scene progressively, one part of the scene each Sunday. This will give the sense that the figures are waiting in anticipation, just as we are. The scene will be added to each week during the Lion and Lamb skit. 

Prelude 

Carols of the Season 

“Silvery Star, Precious Star” CCS 419 

“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” CCS 415 

Welcome 

Today is the second Sunday of Advent and on this day our focus is peace. The scripture for today from Isaiah describes various animals and a child lying peacefully together. This may remind us of the Community of Christ church seal that shows the child with a lion and a lamb and the word “peace” beneath it. Community of Christ maintains a focus on peace. Pursuit of Peace (Shalom) is one of the Enduring Principles. It reminds us to work to share God’s peace with everyone. We envision a just and peaceful world for all people. We are reminded today to continue striving to be a peaceful people who share the peace of Jesus Christ with others. 

Scripture Reading: The Peaceful Kingdom 

Use a variety of ages as readers. 

Reader 1: A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. 

Reader 2: He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 

Reader 3: The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy my holy mountain; for the Earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 

Reader 1: On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. 

—Based on Isaiah 11:1-10 

Advent Hymn 

“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” CCS 437 

OR “Canticle of the Turning” CCS 404 

Invocation 

Response 

Second Sunday of Advent: Lion and Lamb Make Peace See below. 

Advent Peacemakers’ Hymn 

“Peace Child” CCS 402 

OR “Come, Join in Mary’s Prophet Song” CCS 308 

Advent Message 

Based on Isaiah 11:1-10 

Hymn of Peace 

“O Day of Peace” CCS 380 

OR “Dona Nobis Pacem” CCS 155 

Sing as a 3-part round. 

Focus Moment 

Watch the Community of Christ video “Jack and Jenn Pursue Peace on Earth,” (8 minutes). 

Download or view from YouTube

Lead a discussion of the video. 

• What were Jack and Jenn doing on “jammy day”? 

• What did Jack want to do when he heard the bullies had teased Jenn? What did Jenn want to do? 

The words discussed below could be projected or added to a flip chart for all to see. 

• What is the definition of “peace” from the Big Voice in the video? 

• What does “pursue” mean? The Big Voice defines pursue as practice but it also means to seek after, or to seek out. 

• What does “generous” mean? How is God generous? In generosity we find peace. 

Disciples’ Generous Response 

Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 163:3a-b 

Statement 

Sharing the peace of Jesus Christ involves generously and compassionately offering witness, ministry, sacraments, and community life that reconciles and restores people to right or righteous relationships with God, themselves, others, and creation. This holistic approach to proclaiming and demonstrating the gospel is faithful to our best understanding of God’s will… 

—Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th edition, page 14 

Let us share generously of ourselves. 

Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes 

Hymn of Sending Forth 

“Blessed Be the God of Israel” CCS 396 

OR “Comfort, Comfort Now My People” CCS 407 

Prayer for Peace 

Light the Peace Candle. 

Prayer 

God of all the Earth and all the Earth’s peoples move in us to pray for peace. 

May the spirit of reconciliation like floodwaters fill the places of political power. 

May the healing waters of God’s love baptize the hearts of warring people. 

May God use us to shatter walls of fear and prejudice. 

May we build, rather than destroy. 

Let God be our source of strength rather than relying on arms. 

May we arm ourselves with confidence in God’s creative power to move us from terror to trust. 

May we be God’s peacemakers. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

—Barbara Howard 

Sung Advent Response 

“Wait for the Lord” Sing twice  CCS 399  

Sending Forth 

Go, bring Peace, live Peace, share Peace, and be Peace. 

Postlude 

Second Sunday of Advent: Lion and Lamb Make Peace 

This can be done with puppets or two people, one dressed as a lion and the other, a lamb. 

Lion: Now is it Christmas? 

Lamb: No, this is the second Sunday of Advent. There are more than two weeks before it’s Christmas. 

Lion: But there are decorations up all over the place and Christmas music and Santa Clauses everywhere. Why isn’t it Christmas yet? 

Lamb: We still need time to get ready. 

Lion: What else do we need to do? I’m tired of cleaning the house and preparing. 

Lamb: We also need to do some cleaning of our lives during Advent. 

Lion: What does that mean? 

Lamb: It means that we have to stop being selfish and greedy. It means to make time to listen for God. It means sharing generously. 

Lion: Weren’t there animals in the Christmas story, who generously shared with Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus? 

Lamb: Yes! You are getting the idea of Advent. Let’s listen as a song about their sharing is sung. 

Ministry of Music or Congregational Hymn “Jesus, Our Brother, Kind and Good,” CCS 412; add the animals to the Nativity set as the song is sung (donkey, cow, sheep, camels). 

Lion: So, each animal gave a gift. Cool. I guess I understand better that we still need to prepare our lives for God’s gift. But just until Christmas, right? 

Lamb: No, just until Christmas is a start, but we are going to go further than that. We are always trying to become what God has created us to be. 

Lion: Wow! If we all lived like that, the world would sure be different. There might even be peace! 

Lamb: Do you mean how you and I have made peace? 

Lion: I love that Community of Christ uses us as symbols of peace on the Church Seal. We’re sort of famous! 

Lamb: Lion, don’t forget that Advent is about preparing our lives for the birth of Jesus, not so we can feel important and famous. 

Lion: OK, making peace in our hearts, in our lives, and in our world is definitely one way to get ready. 

Lamb: Let’s light the next Advent candle to represent Peace in our world and sing “Peace Child,” to help us remember to be peacemakers just like Jesus. 

Light the Advent candle of Peace. 

Distribute Church Seal stickers to everyone at the end of the skit. 

Gathering

Welcome

For the Advent season it is traditional to have Advent candles (four white candles, one for each week of Advent) or an Advent wreath (an evergreen ring, with four candles and one white candle in the center). One candle is lit each week with the center candle lit on Christmas Day. The lighting of the Advent candle takes place at the beginning of the spiritual practice.

Advent is a season of waiting in expectation for the coming of light into a darkened world in the form of the infant Jesus. Advent is spent anticipating and spiritually preparing for the arrival of the Christ-child. Scriptures, symbols, and hymns help make Advent a time of expectation for Christ’s birth, rather than a frenzy of holiday tasks. 

The Advent season begins four Sundays before Christmas and is observed each Sunday until Christmas. An Advent wreath with four candles and one Christ candle in the center often is used to observe the weeks of Advent. One candle is lit each week until all are burning brightly on Christmas.

Prayer for Peace

Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.
Light the peace candle.

They call you the Prince of Peace.

We read those words in wonderment because we live in chaos and shattered dreams.

But when we read those words, The Prince of Peace, in our hearts, we want to follow.

Long have we known the commandment: “Follow after the things that make for peace.”

O Holy One, Teach us to love each other. Clear our minds of evil thoughts that keep us

from following you. Teach us to love each other. Clear our hearts of evil intent that

keeps us from following you. Teach us to love each other.

We want to venture forth to meet this need to love, but we are afraid of the

consequences. So we find many reasons not to follow you.

There seem to be many ways to follow, but only one way to not follow. Grant us the

desire and courage to follow you in the path of peace.

Teach us, O holy One, to follow you in the path of peace. So be it. Amen.

—Charles Kornman

Spiritual Practice

Take Five

Light the second candle of Advent and say:

Today we light the second candle of Advent. This candle symbolizes Christ bringing peace to the world. May we seek peace and patience in our lives. 

Read the following:

The Christmas season that mirrors the Advent season can be full of rushing and to-do lists. This is true for us in our spiritual lives as well. We hope that all our spiritual to-do lists will bring us comfort, spiritual guidance, and answers. Advent is a time of waiting and anticipating, but the light isn’t birthed right away. All the to-do lists can’t bring the birth of the Son of God sooner. We learn to settle into the waiting time. To Take Five at this time of year reminds us to go inward and be patient with waiting on God.

Read the following:

Today we are going to do five minutes of contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer helps us empty our mind and listen to God. We will breathe in and out to help open our minds to God’s whispers. Breathe in for eight seconds, breathe out for eight seconds.

We will repeat for five minutes.

Set the timer for five minutes. At the end of five minutes say “Amen.” Invite group members to share how this practice helped them feel peace during this season.

Sharing Around the Table

Isaiah 11:1–10 NRSVue

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.

They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

On this second Sunday of Advent, Isaiah presents us with two pictures. In the first picture Isaiah describes a righteous leader who will emerge from the descendants of King David. Every generation could benefit from a righteous leader endowed with a “spirit of wisdom and understanding…counsel and might…knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” One could argue that a leader who looks upon the poor with righteousness and decides with equity for the meek, and lays low the wicked, is a leader after God’s own heart.

In the second picture Isaiah reminds us that in the kingdom of God, life itself is different. Wolves will be living with lambs, leopards with baby goats, calves with lions, cows and bears grazing together, all the while led by a child. These images remind us that conventional wisdom and conventional ways of relating one to another will not hold.

For the reign of God to be ushered in, we must see differently. We must approach our relationships with God, each other, and the whole of creation differently. Isaiah gives us a goal. Though we may not attain it in our lifetime, we have a responsibility to try. As we wait for the coming of Jesus this Advent season we endeavor to change our own lives to prepare for the reign of God to come near.

Questions

1. From your perspective, what are the benefits of being led by someone endowed with the leadership characteristics mentioned in the text?
2. How might you incorporate those characteristics into your own leadership opportunities? 3. How might you approach your relationships with God, others, and creation differently to move closer to the goal outlined by Isaiah?

Sending

Generosity Statement

Faithful disciples respond to an increasing awareness of the abundant generosity of God by sharing according to the desires of their hearts; not by commandment or constraint.

—Doctrine and Covenants 163:9

The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing small-group ministries as part of your generous response. 

The offering prayer for Advent is adapted from A Disciple’s Generous Response:

God who is faithful, Be present with us as we plan our spending. May we use our resources to build healthy, happy relationships with you, with others, and with the Earth. May we remember the teachings of Jesus that challenge us to make lifestyle choices that are counter to our culture of accumulation and excess. Amen.

Invitation to Next Meeting

Closing Hymn

CCS 396, “Blessed Be the God of Israel”

Closing Prayer

Optional Additions Depending on Group

Thoughts for Children

Wait in Peace

Materials: printed copies of the Peace Seal, crayons

Explain: In very old times, the mark of a good leader was his or her willingness to protect the poor and other marginalized people. As a good leader, Jesus did these things. He brought peace by serving the poor and other overlooked people in society. As we wait for Jesus this Advent season, we can bring peace by doing what he did.

Lead children in an animal role-play:

1. Have one child pretend to be a lamb and another pretend to be a wolf. Ask them to act out what probably would happen in nature if a lamb and wolf came across each other.
2. Repeat with a calf and lion.
3. Explain that Jesus brings peace in all situations.
4. Have the children act out each role-play again, but this time invite them to incorporate actions of peace, kindness, and friendship.
5. Explain that this is what Christ can help us do. Through us, Jesus can bring peace, kindness, and friendship to any situation.

Ask: How can you follow the example of Jesus and bring more peace into your own life, family, and community?

Hand out Peace Seal pages for children to color, and invite them to return to their seats.

Exploring the Scripture

The Old Testament scripture passage for the second Sunday of Advent begins with anointing a new king from the lineage of David and Jesse. It continues with an emphasis on the kingdom of God.

Messiah means “the anointed one” in Hebrew. (In Greek, “anointed” is Christos, and in English, Christ.) During the histories of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, all kings were hailed as Messiah, the anointed one. Historical accounts praised David, who united the 12 tribes into one nation. Second Samuel 7:9–16 records a promise God made to David: “I will make for you a great name…” and “your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me….”

When Isaiah first wrote the words of Isaiah 11:1–5, he probably was expressing praise and hope for a living king, who was soon to be crowned—possibly Hezekiah. In his idealized vision, this future king will be endowed with gifts of the Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, might (strength), knowledge, and the fear (awe) of the Lord. The king will bring justice to the poor, equality for the oppressed, and faithfulness to God. If Isaiah was writing of Hezekiah, his hopes were not realized. These are traits the Israelites hoped for in every ruler descended from David, but their expectations were always unfulfilled. When the last Davidic king died, the writings were reinterpreted as a prophecy for future fulfillment.

Christians consider Christ as the center of history. Before Jesus’ time, the world prepared for his coming. Since his death and resurrection, his followers have been devoted to fulfilling God’s new covenant in Christ. We interpret the Old Testament scriptures as prophetic expressions that point toward Christ. From our perspective, we wonder why the Jews didn’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah. We must remember there were different descriptions of the expected Messiah from different prophets. Isaiah’s words helped the ancient Jews understand about the coming Messiah, but Isaiah presented only one image among many. Although the Gospel writers affirm that Jesus was a descendant of David, he did not fit the image of the king the Jews expected.

Verses 6 to 9 expand praise for the king into a hope for the kingdom of God. A new age of cos- mic peace will restore balance and nonviolence to all of creation. Animals will no longer kill one another. Even helpless babies and toddlers will be safe from harm. Here we find the lion, the lamb, and the little child—the basis of our church emblem. Finally, in verse 10, the vision of God’s peaceable kingdom is coupled with the future king of the lineage of David in the hope that all nations will come willingly to Zion and be united.

The vision of God’s kingdom loses its meaning if it is merely an abstract ideal, with no basis in the real world. The peaceable kingdom becomes a reality only when we unite our efforts with God’s initiative. As we strive to live the teachings of Christ and the will of God in our time and place, the kingdom of God breaks into our everyday existence. The kingdom transforms and heals us with peace and justice. In the teachings of Jesus and his ministry among those who were poor and marginalized, we find the beginning of that reality. God’s reign continues to provide hope and promise each Advent season as we prepare expectantly for the coming of Christ.

Central Ideas

1. Isaiah expresses a vision of a king for Israel endowed with gifts of the Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, might (strength), knowledge, and the fear (awe) of the Lord.
2. Isaiah thought the king would bring justice to the poor, equality for the oppressed, and faithfulness to God.
3. Along with Isaiah’s image of the future king, he describes the peaceable kingdom as a vision for God’s kingdom on Earth.
4. While we might understand Isaiah’s words as pointing toward the coming of the Messiah, Jews did not necessarily see Jesus as fulfilling this prophecy.

Questions for the Speaker

1. How would you describe the qualities of a king? How does this compare to Isaiah’s de- scription?
2. How might we go about making Isaiah’s vision of the peaceable kingdom a reality?
3. What is your understanding of the church seal (lion, lamb, and child) as a symbol? Why is this important to you? To the church?
4. What preparations are you making for the Messiah to come into your life this Advent season?

Focus Scripture Passage

Isaiah 11:1–10

Lesson Focus

How does our understanding of the peace of Isaiah, the peace of Christ, and the peace envisioned by the church build on each other?

Objectives

The learners will…

• learn about Isaiah’s vision of peace.
• discover Jesus’s vision of peace.
• understand how both visions influence the church’s vision of peace.

Supplies

• Bible or copy of Isaiah 11:1–10 and Matthew 25:31–46 for each participant
• Paper, pen or pencil for each participant
• Prayer for Peace reading available from www.HeraldHouse.org, search “prayer for peace”
• Picture of the church seal for each participant
• A copy of the church’s Basic Beliefs statement on Peace, Enduring Principle Pursuit of Peace, and the Mission Initiative Pursue Peace for each participant (end of lesson)
• Candle and lighter for Prayer for Peace 
• Community of Christ Sings (CCS)

Notes to Teacher

In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Isaiah 11:1–10 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year A: Old Testament, pp. 20–21, available through Herald House.

This lesson focuses our attention on a traditional Advent scripture, Isaiah 11:1–10. There are several layers of meaning here. The lesson builds on this scripture passage by looking at a parable of Jesus addressing judgment, followed by looking at how the church has incorporated peace into our Basic Beliefs, Enduring Principles, and Mission Initiatives. By the end of the class, participants should have a better understanding of why the church is so concerned about peace issues and encourages its membership to prophetically address those issues in their lives and communities.

Gather

Activates background knowledge, prepares, and motivates for lesson (15% of total lesson time)

Have the class reflect on the image of the church seal as someone reads Isaiah 11:1–10.

Engage

Invites exploration and interaction (35% of lesson time)

This lesson centers around a scripture from Isaiah comprised of Hebrew poetry. Most poetry can be classified as rhyming or non-rhyming. While Hebrew poetry at first appears to have no rhyme scheme, it contains a rhyme pattern known as “thought rhyme.” That is, each line is followed by the same line stated differently. For instance, in today’s scripture, the first couplet is a thought rhyme: “A shoot shall come out of the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” The second line, “a branch shall grow out of his roots,” “rhymes” with the thought in the first line, “a shoot shall come out of the stump of Jesse.” This is important in understanding the message in Hebrew poetry. If you don’t understand the first line, the second line may make it clearer.

Note: Verse 10 returns to prose.

Isaiah 11:1–10 addresses peace on two levels: for people and for the natural world. This passage is called by several names: the peaceful kingdom, the kingdom of God, and description of Zion.

Have someone read Isaiah 11:1–5.

Discuss the following in small groups or in the larger group:

• Who is Jesse?
• Who is the “he” in this verse? To whom would the people of the time think this passage referred?
• Read Isaiah 11:1–5 again. What are the main points describing peace?

Read Isaiah 11:6–10.

• What are the main words or phrases describing peace in these five verses?
• How does the phrase “for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” affect your understanding of the verses that come before it?
• What does the last prose line, “On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious,” mean to you considering the verses that come before?

In a passage called “The Judgment of the Nations” in Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus shares the judgment he sees coming for all people. It is a pronouncement about end times and a scripture for this Sunday of Advent for peace.

• What are the crimes being judged in this scripture?
• How do these judgments relate to the passage we just studied in Isaiah? How do they relate to the Advent of peace?
• Sit quietly for a moment and reflect on the judgment of the nations. How does this judgment affect the way you look at your life? The life of your congregation? The life of your community?

Respond

Takes the learners from hearing to doing (35% of lesson time)

Read and discuss together the Basic Belief on Peace, the Enduring Principle Pursue Peace on Earth, and the Mission Initiative Pursuit of Peace (Shalom). These are the church’s stance regarding issues.

• How is the church’s stance on peace reflected in the passage from Isaiah?
• How is the church’s stance on peace reflected in the judgment issues in Matthew?
• Reflect on the statements above. Write down ways in which you, your congregation, and your community can live these ideals.

Send

Explores how the lesson might be lived (10% of lesson time)

Share together in a Prayer for Peace. Download examples at www.HeraldHouse.org, search “prayer for peace.”

Bless

Time of prayer, praise, blessing, and hope (5% of lesson time)

Read together Isaiah 11:1–2.

As a closing prayer, read together or sing “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” CCS 437.

Focus Scripture Passage

Isaiah 11:1–10

Lesson Focus

We will explore the concepts of the Peaceable Kingdom and what it could look like.

Objectives

The learners will…

• understand God’s desire for a just, fair, and compassionate world through Jesus.
• reflect on what the Peaceable Kingdom can look like by crafting their very own.

Supplies

• Bible
• Copies of Community of Christ seal handout (end of lesson)
• Copies of Peaceable Kingdom Building handout (end of lesson)
• Roads handout (end of lesson—you may need several if you live in a larger town)
• Picture or example of the current church seal (you may also include examples of past church seals)
• Writing utensils (pens or pencils)
• Markers, colored pencils, or crayons
• Lined paper
• Optional: craft supplies (construction paper, glue, cotton balls, chenille stems, etc.)

Notes to Teacher

In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Isaiah 11:1–10 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: Old Testament, pp. 20–21, available through Herald House.

As you prepare, identify an area in your congregation where you can display a 2-D paper village your class will be creating. Ask the presider of the worship for some time for you and your class to share about the peaceable village your students created.

Gather

Activates background knowledge, prepares, and motivates for lesson (15% of total lesson time)

Pass out the Community of Christ Seal handouts and markers, colored pencils, or crayons. Explain that today we will be exploring the scripture passage that inspired the church seal. Provide students with examples of the current church seals and past seals, if available. The students will have the opportunity to get creative and design their own Community of Christ church seal. Have them include the lion, lamb, child, and the word “peace.” Encourage them to be creative and make it their own. Urge them to share what they created with the whole class when they are finished designing.

Old Church Seals

Current Church Seal

Engage

Invites exploration and interaction (35% of lesson time)

Read Isaiah 11:1–5.

Our scripture passage today comes from the Old Testament major prophet book Isaiah. The verses just read describe a promise from God of a Davidic king of the future. Do you remember the story of King David? He’s the one who bravely took down Goliath and ruled over ancient Israel. He is known as one of the greatest kings of that time. While not perfect, he plays an important role in God’s story of the Old Testament. The phrase “stump of Jesse” refers to a king who will rise from the family tree of David. 

The passage tells the readers the Spirit of the Lord will rest on this king with three pairs of gifts: (1) wisdom and understanding, (2) counsel and might, (3) knowledge and fear of the Lord. In this context, wisdom and understanding mean dealing with reality in a fair and just way in both political and judicial situations. With wisdom and understanding a ruler is kind, fair, seeks justice instead of oppression, and sees the whole picture. Counsel and might refer to both diplomatic and militaristic experience. Knowledge and fear of the Lord refer to acknowledging God in the world and being in “awe.” While fear is usually equated with being afraid of something, in this context it is a feeling of amazement and respect for God.

Ask:

• When you think of a king, what characteristics do you think of? Think of kings or rulers from TV or movies. What are they like?
• Who is someone in your life who gives you wisdom or understanding when you need it most? What wisdom did they give? How did you respond?
• Who is someone in your life who gives you counsel (advice) when you need it most?
• Who is someone in your life who is a spiritual mentor who has great knowledge and “awe” of God?

Read Isaiah 11:3–5 again.

These verses describe the justice when the coming king returns. The poor and meek will be protected and liberated, while the oppressors will be given proper justice. This new king will represent justice, righteousness, and liberation for all those who need it. In our Christian context we know that Jesus wouldn’t kill his enemies. Many times in the scriptures Jesus liberated the oppressor, too, as in the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector, or Saul (who becomes Paul) who persecuted the earliest Christ-followers.

Ask: What would justice toward the poor and meek look like?

Read Isaiah 11:6–10.

With a new king comes a new way to rule. A wise, knowledgeable, just, fair, and compassionate king can bring peace. Verses 6–10 lay out what the kingdom will be like when this new king rules: Peace. Prey will be safe from predators. Oppressors and oppressed can thrive together in harmony. Children, our most vulnerable members, can play safely without threats or danger. Put more simply, this new kingdom is a place where God’s creation can live safely without fear, without oppression.

This passage focuses on a future where God establishes a just and peaceful Earth, where all creation will live in harmony. In a world where human greed, violence, injustice, oppression, and struggle are real, a new king will help shape and guide God’s vision of harmony. Jesus is that new king. As disciples, we can be part of that vision.

Respond

Takes the learners from hearing to doing (35% of lesson time)

For this activity the class will create their own Peaceable Kingdom village. To begin, ask the following:

• What characteristics are important when being “in community”?
• If you could craft your own peaceful town what would that look like? What buildings would be in it?

Have enough copies of the Peaceable Kingdom Building handout for each member of the class. If you have a class of less than five, it is recommended that you print out extra handouts if students want to add to their village. Invite the class to answer the three questions on the handout. They may either write or draw their answers in each box. Have each student share about their building and its importance to our peaceful community. Keep in mind that everyone’s values are different so there may be a variety of buildings. That is okay. After the students create and share their buildings, go to a place in your congregation (blank bulletin board, wall, easel, etc.) to display your village. The Roads handout is included as optional décor. You are also encouraged to share your village with the congregation as part of the worship that day.

Optional

If you have the supplies, you may encourage your students to use crafting items (construction paper, cotton balls, chenille stems, glue, etc.) to design the village on the surface you and the class choose.

Send

Explores how the lesson might be lived (10% of lesson time)

Pass out the writing utensils and lined paper. Read aloud Isaiah 11:6–9 again. Have the students come up with three to five pairs of opposites that can live together in community if this vision of peace became a reality. Some examples to get the students thinking include: the bully will play with the bullied; the liberal can celebrate with the conservative; the Christian can worship with the atheist; etc. This activity can lead to some challenging but deep discussion, so invite your students to share what they wrote, why they wrote it, and how those opposites joining together can make God’s kingdom a better place.

Bless

Time of prayer, praise, blessing, and hope (5% of lesson time)

Have students sing the classic campfire song “I’ve Got Peace like a River” as their closing time together.

Focus Scripture Passage

Isaiah 11:1–10

Lesson Focus

Jesus’s birth brings the promise of peace, or God’s Shalom. When we mirror God’s love and peace to others we help build Shalom here on Earth. 

Objectives

The learners will…

• explore the examples of peace mentioned in the scripture passage. 
• identify ways Community of Christ focuses on peace. 
• brainstorm and discuss how to pursue peace by showing compassion.

Supplies

• Bible or Lectionary Story Bible, Year A, by Ralph Milton, illustrated by Margaret Kyle (Wood Lake Publishing, 2007, ISBN 9781551455471) 
• Edward Hicks’ painting of the Peaceable Kingdom, which can be downloaded in different sizes from the Vanderbilt Divinity School library: http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=53085 
• A Community of Christ church seal, either a physical sculpture or a picture 
• Difficult situation charade cards (end of lesson) 
• Advent wreath, candle for hope, and candle for peace 
• Butcher paper and marker or board and marker 
• Paper and crayons or markers 
• Community of Christ Sings (CCS)

Notes to teacher

In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Isaiah 11:1–10 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year A: Old Testament, pp. 20–21, available through Herald House.

Gather

Activates background knowledge, prepares, and motivates for lesson (15% of total lesson time)

Greet students by name and share with the class that this week they will add another candle to the Advent wreath, the candle of peace. Explain that the coming of Jesus’s birth is a promise of peace here on Earth—God’s shalom.

As you add the peace candle to your wreath, have the class echo-sing stanza two of “Hope Is a Light” CCS 398. Sing it through several times.

         Peace is a prayer, (peace is a prayer.)
         Peace is a prayer that starts with me, (Peace is a prayer that starts with me.)
         Light the candle of peace, (Light the candle of peace.)

—Daniel Charles Damon © 2007 Hope Publishing Company

Engage

Invites exploration and interaction (35% of lesson time)

Show the class a picture of Edward Hicks’ painting of the Peaceable Kingdom. Ask the students to look at the painting and then share their observations. Help them notice the animals standing with each other that would normally be predator-prey. Tell them that when this painting was created around 1834, Native Americans and white settlers were at war. Therefore, the people sitting together in the background also represent groups that do not get along.

Ask: Where do you see examples of peace in this picture? Write their responses under the word “PEACE” on a piece of butcher paper or board.

Say: In today’s scripture we will learn about God’s vision for peace.

Read together Isaiah 11:1–10, or “God’s Beautiful Dream” from the Lectionary Story Bible, Year A, pp. 21–23.

Ask: What is mentioned in the scripture story that we need to add to our ideas of peace? (Add additional ideas to the list on the paper or board.) What other examples can you think of? (Examples include sun and snowman, hunter and deer, sports opponents, fire and water, etc.)

Instruct the children to draw their own version of the Peaceable Kingdom where everyone and everything can live peaceably together in God’s Shalom. They can use examples on your class list or create their own.

Respond

Takes the learners from hearing to doing (35% of lesson time)

If possible, locate and visit a Community of Christ church seal in your building. Ask the children what they notice about the church seal. (It has the same lion, lamb, and young child mentioned in the Isaiah scripture.)

Say: Peace, or God’s shalom, is very important in Community of Christ. You can see it shown on the church seal, or the symbol of our church. It is mentioned in our mission statement, which is the formal statement of our values: “We proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace.” Pursuit of Peace is included as one of our nine Enduring Principles, which are what we will stand for forever. Pursue Peace on Earth is one of our five Mission Initiatives, overall missional goals for our church.

• What does Pursuit of Peace mean to you?

Say: In Edward Hicks’ painting and in our Peaceable Kingdom drawings we see examples of peace meaning getting along with others. But shalom means more than the absence of fighting.

• What are some other examples of peace or where do you see a need for peace?

God created us and the world with love and compassion so we can share that love and compassion with others. We can help create shalom.

• What does compassion mean? “Because we care [about] others, we may notice something they need and then we can help” (Of Water and Spirit, Herald Publishing House, p. 32).

Have students take turn acting through charades the disappointing situations at the end of the lesson. Once the class guesses what situation the child is acting out, brainstorm together how they could react if they see something like that happen. Repeat until all children have had a chance to act, or as time allows. Students can make up their own scenarios if they wish.

Send

Explores how the lesson might be lived (10% of lesson time)

Have students take turns reading the following scripture passages:

• Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not be afraid” (John 14:27). 
• Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). 
• Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. You were all called together in one body to have peace (Colossians 3:15). 
• And God’s peace will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The peace that God gives is so great that we cannot understand it (Philippians 4:7). 
• So let us try to do what makes peace and helps one another (Romans 14:19).

Create a living Advent wreath by having the students sit in a circle and take turns sharing how they can represent the peace of Jesus in the coming week.

Bless

Time of prayer, praise, blessing, and hope (5% of lesson time)

Sing stanza one of “Prayer of Peace” CCS 164.

         Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our feet.
         Peace within us, peace over us, let all around us be peace.

—David Haas, © 1987 GIA. Publications, Inc.

Difficult Situation Charades