Worship Tools
Worship Outline 1
Additional Scriptures
Psalm 80:1–7, 17–19; Isaiah 64:1–9; 1 Corinthians 1:3–9
Worship Setting
For the Advent candle lighting and focus, create an arrangement of five candles. This can be in a wreath, mixed with greenery, or other decorations as space allows. Traditional colors for the candles are three purple, one pink (Joy), and one white (Christ); or choose your own colors. Each Sunday the previous candles are lit before the service starts, and one additional candle is lit during the lighting of the Advent Candle. The Christ candle is lit on Christmas Day. For a hybrid service, encourage those watching from home to create their own Advent setting.
Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
“Psalm for Today”
God of our beginnings—
You are like a seed that breaks open to earth,
a plant that leans toward sunlight,
a tree that draws from earth and sky—
You grow in us.
God of our future—
You are like an unborn child with unrealized promise,
an unsung melody yet unheard,
an unknown world to be discovered.
You wait beyond us.
God of this moment—
Be our beginning—our new life.
Be our present moment,
our future,
our promised hope.
—Barbara Howard in Prayers and Readings for Worship, Vol. 2, Peter Judd, ed.,
(Herald Publishing House, 1996, ISBN 9780830907199), 13.
Opening Hymn
“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” CCS 400
OR “All Earth Is Hopeful /Toda la tierra” CCS 392/393
Encourage participants to sing in a language other than their own.
Prayer of Invitation
Response
Reading of Confession
Leader: Hear our pleas, O Shepherd of Israel.
People: Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we might be saved.
Leader: You have fed your people and given them life.
People: Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we might be saved.
—Psalm 80:1, 3, 5, adapted
Prayer for Peace
Light the peace candle
Prayer
O God of peace and reconciliation, open our hearts and minds to your presence. May we embrace your peace that you so freely share with us. Impress on our hearts the necessity of striving for peace and justice throughout the world. Amen.
Advent Candle Lighting and Focus Moment
Hope
Presider Note: Depending on your context, you may choose to pass out an index card and pen for people to write their responses and then share them aloud from their cards OR you can ask people to share them in real time without writing anything down.
We proclaim Jesus Christ, and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace. This Advent, we reflect on the kinds of conditions that exist when our communities become places where HOPE is a signal of God’s new creation dawning. Imagine hope as a tangible practice where you live:
When God’s hope is dawning,
I feel…
I smell…
I taste…
I touch…
I hear…
We light the advent candle of HOPE and pray to tend the signals of God’s hope dawning among us. May the flickering flame spark courage to notice, nurture, and name the new creation around and within us.
Light candle.
Amen.
Disciples’ Generous Response
Scripture Reading: Doctrine and Covenants 162:7a, c
Statement
There are many in the world, some as close as our neighborhoods, who live without hope. Some see no way out of their life’s circumstances; they live in despair and desperation. As disciples, we are called to share generously so others may live with hope.
Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes
Scripture Reading: Mark 13:24-37
Ministry of Music or Community Hymn
“God Almighty, We Are Waiting” CCS 397
OR “View the Present through the Promise” CCS 401
Preaching the Word
Based on Mark 13:24–37
Closing Hymn
“Hope of the World” CCS 29
OR “We Would See Jesus” CCS 35
Closing Prayer
Response
Postlude
Worship Outline 2
Additional Scriptures
Psalm 80:1–7, 17–19; Isaiah 64:1–9; 1 Corinthians 1:3–9
Prelude
Welcome and Invitation to Worship
O that you would come to us and make your name known so that the nations might tremble at your presence! Never have such awesome deeds been worked as when you have shown your power. Next to you, we are nothing; yet, despite everything we might do that is not aligned with your will, you love us. You are our God; you are the potter and we are the clay—the work of your hand. We are your people.
—Isaiah 64:1–9, adapted
OR
And he told us of a prophet, who should come before the Messiah, to prepare the way of the Lord; who would go forth and cry in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight.
—1 Nephi 3:7–8, adapted
Hymn of Expectation
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” CCS 394
OR “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” CCS 400
Invocation
Response
Scripture Reading: Mark 13:24–37
Prayer for Peace
Light the peace candle
Prayer
O God, we find many times that peace is so elusive. We seek peace, yet we find it is often just beyond our grasp. Help us find ways to engage in activities and ministries that bring peace to our families, our communities, and our world. May we always be found seeking peace and clasping the hands of others who also search. Together, help us make a difference, bringing hope and peace to our world. Amen.
Ministry of Music or Community Hymn of Peace
“Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” CCS 605
OR “We Are People of God’s Peace” CCS 306
Advent Candle Lighting and Focus Moment
Hope
Presider Note: Depending on your context, you may choose to pass out an index card and pen for people to write their responses and then share them aloud from their cards OR you can ask people to share them in real time without writing anything down.
We proclaim Jesus Christ, and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace. This Advent, we reflect on the kinds of conditions that exist when our communities become places where HOPE is a signal of God’s new creation dawning. Imagine hope as a tangible practice where you live:
When God’s hope is dawning,
I feel…
I smell…
I taste…
I touch…
I hear…
We light the advent candle of HOPE and pray to tend the signals of God’s hope dawning among us. May the flickering flame spark courage to notice, nurture, and name the new creation around and within us.
Light candle.
Amen.
Sermon
Based on Mark 131:24-37
Disciples’ Generous Response
Scripture Reading: Doctrine and Covenants 163:9
Statement
If we, as Community of Christ, truly came home to God’s grace and generosity we would be transformed, becoming a new creation through Jesus Chrst…. If we spiritually dwell in God’s grace and generosity, then Christ-like grace and generosity will flow in and through our lives, families, church families, and the worldwide church. Because Christ is the embodiment of God’s grace and generosity, we would be Christ’s living body on Earth, which is the fundamental purpose of the church…. Also, according to scripture, peace follows grace and generosity. Therefore, peace, or God’s shalom, would increase….
—Steve Veazey, “Generosity and Sharing,” Part 1, January 2015 Herald
Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes
Hymn of Anticipation
“We Wait in Hope for the Lord” CCS 267
OR “Hope of the World” CCS 29
Sending Forth Responsive Reading
Leader: God, your people wait. We anticipate the coming of Jesus.
People: Come and save us!
Leader: For whom do we wait? A king? A ruler? One who will overthrow the powers that seek to oppress?
People: Come and save us! Restore us, O God.
Leader: We yearn for your presence in our lives; forgive us for those times when we have turned away from you.
People: Restore us, O God.
—Psalm 80:1–7, 17–19, adapted
Sung Response
“Bless the Lord” sing twice CCS 575
OR “We Wait in Hope for the Lord” repeat stanza 1 CCS 267
Postlude
Worship Outline 3
Additional Scriptures
Psalms 80:1-7, 17-19; Isaiah 64:1-9; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Advent Worship Setting
For the Advent candle lighting and focus, create an arrangement of five candles. This can be in a wreath, mixed with greenery, or other decorations as space allows. Traditional colors for the candles are three purple, one pink (Joy), and one white (Christ); or choose your own colors. Each Sunday the previous candles are lit before the service starts, and one additional candle is lit during the lighting of the Advent Candle. The Christ candle is lit on Christmas Day. For a hybrid service, encourage those watching from home to create their own Advent setting.
Prelude
Carols of the Season
“God Almighty, We Are Waiting” CCS 397
“Angels, from the Realms of Glory” CCS 436
Call to Worship: 1 Corinthians 1:3-7
Let us worship in hope as we begin waiting for the gift of Jesus Christ.
Invocation
Worshipping Community’s Sung Response
“Wait for the Lord” sing twice CCS 399
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
Translations into Spanish and French for this hymn can be found online.
Spiritual Practice: Breath Prayer
Today we will practice a breath prayer. I will guide you through every step, pausing to let you develop your prayer.
Place your feet flat on the floor. If helpful, close your eyes.
As you inhale, pay attention to your stomach, maybe placing a hand there to notice the movement as you inhale (pause, allowing time for an inhale) and as you exhale.
Pause.
Take a few more deep, cleansing breaths.
Pause.
Now, as you inhale, think, or say, “hope” and remain silent on the exhale.
Devote 1-2 minutes for this.
As you are ready, switch and be silent on your inhale, saying, “hope” on the exhale. Devote 1-2 minutes for this.
When you are ready, say Amen. Take another breath and return your breathing to normal. Open your eyes when you are ready.
Sharing
In pairs, small groups, or the whole group, reflect and share whether you experienced any differences between using the word, “hope” with the inhale or the exhale.
Allow a few minutes for debriefing and then move directly into the Prayer for Peace.
Prayer for Peace
Light the peace candle
Prayer
Lord, hear our prayers for people and countries in need. For people leaving everything behind to flee to safety, for those who have lost loved ones, for lives interrupted, for education stalled, and for families separated. Lord, bless your people with peace.
We thank you for the friendliness of neighbors,
the kindness of strangers, for those who give of themselves to help others, for those who reject the urge to be silent in the face of injustice. Lord, bless your people with peace.
Lord, give the people of the world hope, for peace and justice to carry the day, for there to be new beginnings for all people, for freedom to replace fear, and for there to be a better tomorrow. Lord, bless your people with peace. Amen.
Scripture Reading: Mark 13:24-37
Hymn of Hope
“Hope of the World” CCS 29
OR “He Came Singing Love” CCS 226
OR “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” CCS 400
Scripture Exploration
Based on Mark 13:24-37
Advent Focus Moment and Candle Lighting
Hope
Presider Note: Depending on your context, you may choose to pass out an index card and pen for people to write their responses and then share them aloud from their cards OR you can ask people to share them in real time without writing anything down.
We proclaim Jesus Christ, and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace. This Advent, we reflect on the kinds of conditions that exist when our communities become places where HOPE is a signal of God’s new creation dawning. Imagine hope as a tangible practice where you live:
When God’s hope is dawning,
I feel…
I smell…
I taste…
I touch…
I hear…
We light the advent candle of HOPE and pray to tend the signals of God’s hope dawning among us. May the flickering flame spark courage to notice, nurture, and name the new creation around and within us.
Light candle.
Amen.
Sung Affirmation
“No Obvious Angels” CCS 418
OR “like a child” CCS 403
Disciples’ Generous Response
Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 163:9
Statement
During Advent, we are reminded of God’s abundant generosity in the gift of Jesus Christ. As we reflect on this freely given gift, may we be reminded that God calls us to bless the world with our own gifts. As we generously share our gifts and monies, we join the movement of God’s compassion bringing hope to the world.
Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes
Hymn
“All Earth Is Hopeful/Toda la tierra” CCS 392/393
Encourage participants to sing in a language other than their own.
OR “View the Present through the Promise” CCS 401
OR “I Wonder as I Wander” CCS 435
Benediction
Response
Postlude
Sacred Space: Small-Group Worship Outline
Welcome
Gathering
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 Day. 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 Day.
Prayer for Peace
Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.
Light the peace candle.
O God, we find many times that peace is so elusive. We seek peace, yet we find it often is just beyond our grasp. Help us find ways to engage in activities and ministries that bring peace to our families, our communities, and our world. May we always be found seeking peace and clasping the hands of others who also search. Together, help us make a difference, bringing hope and peace to our world. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Holding in the Light—Hope
Place a lit candle in the center of the group.
Spend a few moments in silence to become quiet inside and out.
- Ask each person to share about a person or circumstance in need of hope (write down each one).
- Invite people into a period of prayer in which these specific people and needs are placed in God’s loving, healing care.
- Read aloud:
As we focus on the candle’s light, imagine the person(s) prayed for being surrounded by God’s light.
I will read each name, and we will spend a moment after each one to engage in silent prayer.
We trust God to know the needs of each person or circumstance, and we compassionately hold them in the restorative, healing light of God.
Offer a brief prayer of thanks to close your prayer experience.
Sharing Around the Table
Mark 13:24-37 NRSVue
“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather the elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”
—Mark 13:24-37 NRSVue
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, with an emphasis on hopeful waiting. The Gospel of Mark does not include a birth story, so the lectionary text for this Advent season begins with comments on the end of time. This passage aids our Advent experience because it refers to the imminent coming of the Lord.
As we prepare for Christ coming into the world we are counseled to repent and wait expectantly with hopefulness, because God is a faithful God and seeks to establish the peaceable kingdom on Earth.
The future of the creation belongs to the Prince of Peace…. As we anticipate that future, we devote ourselves to seek Christ’s peace and pursue it. We do not know the day or hour of Christ’s coming but know only that God is faithful. (Sharing in Community of Christ, 3rd ed., p. 16)
The writer of Mark uses cosmic images and phrases from the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament to describe the coming of the Son of God into the world. This language commonly was used to signal important events. As hearers of these words, we know something significant is coming.
We are urged to be prepared and alert as we wait for the coming Lord. Waiting can be viewed as passive, as in waiting for a train after work to take us home. But we are told to practice a different kind of waiting—waiting expectantly, as in waiting for a train that is bringing a loved one home to us.
Here at the beginning of Advent we await the coming light of Christ. We do not know the day when God’s reign will be realized, but we live in hopeful expectation.
Questions
- Workers sometimes joke, “Look busy; the boss is coming!” What is the difference between being busy and being prepared?
- At this time in your faith journey, are you waiting passively or expectantly for the coming of the Messiah?
- What gives you hope this Advent season?
Sending
Generosity Statement
“Sharing for the common good is the spirit of Zion” (Doctrine and Covenants 165:2f).
We receive God’s grace and generosity. 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:
Reconciling God, Be present with us as we plan our spending. May we use our resources in ways that 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 394, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
Closing Prayer
Optional Additions Depending on Group
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
Choose one scripture to read from this selection: 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; Matthew 26:17–30; Mark 14:12–26; Luke 22:7–39.
Invitation to Communion
All are welcome at Christ’s table. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a sacrament in which we remember the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ. In Community of Christ, we also experience Communion as an opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant and to be formed as disciples who live Christ’s mission. Others may have different or added understandings within their faith traditions. We invite all who participate in the Lord’s Supper to do so in the love and peace of Jesus Christ.
In preparation let’s sing Community of Christ Sings 523, “As We Gather at Your Table.”
Blessing and serving of the bread and wine.
Thoughts for Children
You will need:
- Large poster board with a Christmas-tree cutout
- Small stars cut from construction paper
- Writing supplies
- Tape or glue
Say: Today is the first Sunday in Advent. Advent is a time of waiting and preparing. Just like people awaited Jesus’s birth, the coming of the Messiah, we await God’s preferred future. Waiting, however, doesn’t mean we don’t do anything. In fact, while we wait, it is important to prepare for what is to come and help bring it into the world.
Each week of Advent, we are going to practice waiting. We will sit together, quieting our minds and bodies as we wait. While we wait, we also will prepare by focusing on one word and seeing where that word takes our thoughts and feelings. When our time of waiting begins, we will use our breathing to help us focus on the word. When we breathe in, we will say the word in our heads. When we breathe out, we will say “prepare me” in our heads. You will continue to do this until our time of waiting is done, letting your thoughts and feelings help you better understand the word.
Our word for today is hope.
Invite participants into a time of waiting. For this first time, try for two minutes If participants become too restless, close the time sooner. After the time of waiting is done, give all participants a paper star and something to write with. Invite them to write or draw what their time of waiting was like on the star. After they have had time to write or draw, invite them to attach their star to the posterboard tree, using tape or glue.
Sermon Helps
Exploring the Scripture
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, with an emphasis on hopeful waiting. The Gospel of Mark does not include a birth story and it might seem curious that we are starting Advent at a point in the story just before the Passion of Christ. However, the comments on the end of time are suitable for our Advent preparation because they deal with the coming of the Lord. Christ came and Christ comes again: 2,000 years ago, today, and tomorrow!
Some refer to these verses in the 13th chapter of Mark as “the little Apocalypse” with likeness to the apocalyptic writing of John. In both accounts, God is coming into the world and the cosmos will be affected. We are counseled to repent, and wait expectantly with hopefulness because God is a faithful God and seeks to set up the peaceable kingdom on Earth. “The future of the creation belongs to the Prince of Peace…. As we anticipate that future, we devote ourselves to seek Christ’s peace and pursue it. We do not know the day or hour of Christ’s coming but know only that God is faithful” (Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition., 38).
Verses 24–27 of this reading describe the “signs of the times” using images and language from the Hebrew Scriptures (Isaiah 13:10, 34:4; Joel 2:10, 3:4, 15; Ezekiel 32:7–8; Daniel 7:13). It was common to use cosmic images to signal important events. The writer combines the end time judgment references from Isaiah, Joel, and Ezekiel with the coming of the Son of Man as described in Daniel. As hearers of these words, e undoubtedly know there is something significant coming.
Verses 28–31 contain a short parable of the fig tree with an image of tender, new life that is the forerunner of summer. We can have hope the Son of Man is near; God is faithful.
Verses 32–37 can be summarized as a wakeup call. We are urged to be prepared and alert, thinking beyond the present because “about that day or hour no one knows” (v. 32). When will the Messiah come? The writer of the Gospel of Mark advises us to keep awake for we do not know when the master will come.
Waiting can be viewed as passive, as in waiting for a train after work to take us home. But we are told to practice a different waiting—waiting expectantly, as in waiting for a train that is bringing a loved one home to us. We wait and watch for the Lord to arrive with expectation and a sense that we cannot predict when it will happen. We join with those who lived before the birth of Jesus who were faithfully expecting the Messiah’s arrival.
By focusing at the beginning of Advent on the return of the Son of Man, we actively wait in solidarity with those who have gone before and hear, with them, the challenge to keep awake and watch for the Lord. While we may think we know how the story ends, this text causes us to realize the paradox of living between “already” (Christ has come) and “not yet” (God’s reign on Earth is not complete). We do not know the day when God’s reign will be realized. We need to be reminded that Christ comes. We need to be ready.
Central Ideas
- God is faithful. We wait in confidence and with hope that God’s reign will come.
- Advent is a season of waiting—something important is about to happen.
- Expectantly waiting involves living as if Christ’s return is imminent.
Questions for the Speaker
- What testimony do you have of God’s faithfulness?
- How can you and your congregation use this Advent season as a time of self-examination? Are you prepared?
- Workers sometimes joke, “Look busy, the boss is coming!” Do you see any likenesses between this and today’s text?
- How are we like the servants (vv. 32–37), entrusted with work while the master is away?
- What can you do as a congregation to shift from passive waiting to expectantly waiting for the coming of the Messiah?
- What gives you hope for God’s reign to be realized on Earth?
Lessons
Adult Lesson
Focus Scripture Passage
Mark 13:24–37
Lesson Focus
Keep awake!
Objectives
The learners will…
- understand the relationship between waiting for the second coming of Christ and waiting for the coming of the Messiah.
- understand what it is we are hoping for as we wait for the second coming of Christ.
- relate the active waiting called for by this reading to the hope found in this Advent season.
Supplies
- Bible (NRSV)
- Pens, pencils, paper
Note to Teacher
In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Mark 13:24–37 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: New Testament, pp. 18–19, available through Herald House.
Gather
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the Advent of Hope. What is hope?
Share with the group or the person next to you what hope means to you.
Engage
We begin the season of Advent celebrating hope. Advent is about the coming of a person or event in the lives of the people. The Advent season encourages us to prepare for Christmas, to take hope in the coming of Jesus into the world.
However, we find ourselves confronted by a different kind of coming in this scripture passage near the end of Mark. The setting is just before Jesus is crucified, and Jesus shares the promise he will come again. This passage in Mark comes right after Jesus’ prediction of coming persecutions for his followers.
- How might this passage about Jesus’ return give his disciples hope?
The Advent season is a celebration of the coming of Christ in the form of a baby. At the time of his first coming, people were waiting with longing for the coming of a Messiah to set them free. But their idea of freedom took a very specific form. They were hoping for a king like David taking up arms and marching against the Roman Empire. These expectations prevented them from seeing Jesus as their Messiah.
In today’s scripture passage, we have a new prophecy of Christ’s return. Just like the Jews of Jesus’ time, we read our own times into it. We fail to understand the universal nature of the events Jesus lists. We see these events reflected in our own world. We ignore the “no one knows…but only the Father” in Mark 13:32, confident that we know. We ignore the warnings to watch, to stay awake.
- In what ways do these warning signs of Christ’s coming seem to apply to our world today?
- How do you understand Mark 13:32?
- This waiting involves action. We are not passive waiters. We are to watch and prepare; we are not to be caught sleeping. What do you think you are supposed to be doing as you wait for Jesus’ coming?
Respond
The Community of Christ story offers many suggestions how to actively wait for Christ. Doctrine and Covenants 165:1a–f describes how active waiting works in daily life, connecting these actions to the Enduring Principles and Mission Initiatives of the church (highlighted in italics below):
1 a. Community of Christ, a divine vision is set before you. Presented over the years through various inspired phrases and symbols, it is expressed now through initiatives in harmony with Jesus Christ’s mission.
b. As a spiritual venture, boldly follow the initiatives into the heart of God’s vision for the church and creation. Then, in response to growing insight about God’s nature and will, continue to shape communities that live Christ’s love and mission.
c. Lovingly invite others to experience the good news of new life in community with Christ. Opportunities abound in your daily lives if you choose to see them.
d. Undertake compassionate and just actions to abolish poverty and end needless suffering. Pursue peace on and for the Earth.
e. Let nothing separate you from this mission. It reveals divine intent for personal, societal, and environmental salvation; a fullness of gospel witness for creation’s restoration.
f. Continue to align your priorities with local and worldwide church efforts to move the initiatives forward. Additional innovative approaches to coordinating congregational life and supporting groups of disciples and seekers are needed to address mission opportunities in a changing world.
Our Enduring Principles are intertwined in the waiting: we enter the Kingdom of God together. Our mission on Earth until then is to be active participants in bringing it about. We are responsible for our brothers and sisters. We are concerned for the people and environment God left in our care. We wait actively, caring for the part of creation we are gifted and called to serve. In this way, we have hope in Christ and share that hope with others.
This echoes the Community of Christ Basic Belief on salvation:
As we yield our lives to Christ in baptism we enter Christian community (the body of Christ) and have the promise of salvation. We experience salvation through Jesus Christ, but affirm that God’s grace has no bounds, and God’s love is greater than we can know.
—Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, pp. 34–35
One Enduring Principle of the church is Blessings of Community. “We are called to create communities of Christ’s peace in our families and congregations and across villages, tribes, nations, and throughout creation” (Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, p. 32).
How do the Mission Initiatives, Basic Beliefs, and Enduring Principles of the church give you hope? Share your hope with the class in a word, a phrase, or a sentence.
Send
Sit quietly a minute, thinking about ways you can actively wait for the coming of Christ. After a moment, share with the group a word, a phrase, or a sentence illustrating ways you can actively wait.
Bless
Gather into a circle, holding hands if comfortable doing so. The leader will begin a prayer of hope. Then each person, in turn, will share a one-statement addition to the prayer. If the person wishes to make their statement silently, they may do so, and then gently squeeze the next person’s hand to signal they are finished. When the prayer returns to the leader, they will finish the prayer.
Youth Lesson
Focus Scripture Passage
Mark 13:24–37
Lesson Focus
I am so excited! Guess who is coming!
Objectives
The learners will…
- identify the hope of Jesus from the scripture passage.
- find meaning in the Basic Beliefs of Community of Christ.
- expand their roles as disciples.
Supplies
- Alphabet chart (end of lesson)
- Response cards—one set per student (end of lesson)
- Bibles
- Pen or pencils
Note to Teacher
In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Mark 13:24–37 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: New Testament (with focus on the Gospel according to Mark), pp. 18–19, available through Herald House.
Gather
Prior to class, make a copy of the alphabet chart at the end of the lesson.
Ask students to remember, but not share, a time when they were excited that someone was coming to visit them (for example, Santa, relatives, or friends to their birthday party). Next ask them to think of words to describe how they were feeling at that moment. Now have the students share their “feeling words” to fill out a class alphabet chart, one word that starts with each letter of the alphabet. For difficult letters, like “X,” write a word that contains the letter (exuberant, excited). Keep the chart for later in the lesson.
Options:
- For large classes, work in groups of three or four and have each group do all the letters. Keep each group’s answers separate for later in the lesson—do not try to combine.
- To complete in pairs, cut up the chart and assign a part of the alphabet to each pair. Then put the list together.
Engage
Share: Today is the start of the liturgical year where we, with many other Christians, begin with Advent to learn of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. We continue through the calendar until the next Advent, when we start again.
Without any preface or preparation, jump right into the scripture—Mark 13:24–3—and read it aloud. Students may be confused and surprised and wondering when they don’t hear the Nativity story but rather an end-of-times scripture.
- How do you feel about this scripture passage? Explain your thoughts. Let students process their disappointment and confusion.
Let’s reread the passage. (It is helpful if they all have the words or a Bible in front of them.) But before we start, listen for places in the scripture passage that convey hope. Reread the passage.
- What parts of the scripture passage share hope for you? Write these down to add to the alphabet chart later. You may not have any responses and that is OK. Here are some helps for basic understanding of the scripture passage.
- Verses 24–27 describe the “signs of the times” using images and language from the Hebrew Scriptures (Isaiah 13:10, 34:4; Joel 2:10, 3:4, 15; Ezekiel 32:7–8; Daniel 7:13).
- Verses 28–31 contain a short parable of the fig tree with an image of tender, new life that is the forerunner of summer.
- Verses 32–37 can be summarized as a wakeup call.
Help the students discover hope in the text.
- The fig tree image—Jesus is the fig tree, and we have hope of his coming.
- v. 31—God’s words will not ever pass away.
- v. 33—Keep alert—the time will come.
- v. 34—Be on the watch.
- vv. 35, 37—Keep awake.
Say: It is easy to become complacent (passive or routine) in your discipleship because the text says we don’t know when he will come. But the reference to the master of the house coming should be viewed from the point of view of our alphabet chart completed at the start of class. We should be Excited that Jesus is coming, even if we don’t know when!
Add the parts of the text the students relate to hope to the bottom of the alphabet chart.
Respond
With the class, define Advent—what it means to them. Advent is a time when we anticipate the coming of Jesus as a fulfillment of God’s promise.
Say: At the beginning of Mark’s Gospel, there is a Hebrew reference to what we in Community of Christ refer to as End Time. We have a Basic Belief about the End Time.
End Time
We press forward together in service to God, knowing that our labor is not in vain. The future of the creation belongs to the Prince of Peace, not to those who oppress, dominate, or destroy. As we anticipate that future, we devote ourselves to seek Christ’s peace and pursue it. We do not know the day or hour of Christ’s coming but know only that God is faithful. With faith in God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, we face the future in hopeful longing, and with the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray: “Thy kingdom come! Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
—Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, p. 38
Say: Look back at the alphabet chart and the words you wrote. This is how we should be feeling after reading the passage from Mark—hopeful, longing, and excited at Christ’s coming. We can call it Hopeful Waiting.
- What stories and parables from the Bible help you feel these words about Jesus? Let students respond and share as much as time allows. Then direct them to the response cards.
Students Respond
Lay out the response cards. Let students pick the type of response they want to give. Allow them to fill in the blanks. Then, go around the group and let them read what they wrote. They should use words from the alphabet chart to fill in the first blank.
Send
Verses 35–37 encourage the reader to “keep awake” to stay alert because we do not know when Jesus will come. Consider ways you can be awake and alert to watch for Jesus during this Advent season. You will find Jesus through songs, stories, images, scriptures, and various traditions in the weeks ahead. Keep Awake! and see what you discover.
Bless
Offer a prayer for your students for our journey through Advent. Direct them to take their response card home and hang it where they can revisit it over the next week.
Children’s Lesson
Focus Scripture Passage
Mark 13:24–37
Lesson Focus
Advent is a season of waiting—something important is about to happen.
Objectives
The learners will…
- understand the origin and meaning of the word Advent.
- discover that the Gospel of Mark does not include a birth story.
- discuss how to be prepared for the arrival of Jesus in our lives.
Supplies
- Community of Christ Sings (CCS)
- Board or large sheets of paper
- Strips of paper with one baby item written on each strip (bottle, bib, pacifier, blanket, crib, rocking chair)
- Timer
- (Optional) Baby items (blankets, diapers, bottles, bibs, or burp clothes)
- Sheets of paper for each student
- Pencils, crayons, or markers
Notes to Teacher
In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Mark 13:24–37 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: New Testament (with focus on the Gospel according to Mark), pp. 18–19, available through Herald House.
Gather
Welcome children to the group and ask if anyone knows what the word Advent means. Tell the students the word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means “arrival” or “to come.” Ask students what is coming in a few weeks. Many will say Christmas; extend the conversation to discuss how people prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
During Advent we consider aspects of Jesus’s coming that relate to joy, hope, love, and peace. Today’s focus is on love. Sing together “Hope Is a Light” CCS 398. This song works well as a call and response. The teacher can sing a line and have the children repeat it.
Engage
Say: The Gospel of Mark does not include a story about the birth of Jesus. Mark only focuses on the last year of Jesus’s life. It might seem strange that we are starting Advent with a scripture about Christ’s return. The scripture is appropriate for Advent because it deals with the coming of the Lord. Jesus came as a baby and Jesus comes again in our lives: 2,000 years ago, today, and tomorrow! Let’s read to see what Mark had to say about waiting for Jesus to come.
Read Mark 13:26–27, 32–37 (International Children’s Bible).
Then people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. The Son of Man will send his angels all around the earth. They will gather his chosen people from every part of the earth.
“No one knows when that day or time will be. The Son and the angels in heaven don’t know. Only [God] knows. Be careful! Always be ready! You don’t know when that time will be. It is like a man who goes on a trip. He leaves his house and lets his servants take care of it. He gives each servant a special job to do. One servant has the work of guarding the door. The man tells this servant always to be watchful. This is what I am now telling you. You must always be ready. You don’t know when the owner of the house will come back. He might come in the evening, or at midnight, or in the early morning, or when the sun rises. He might come back quickly. If you are always ready, then he will not find you sleeping. I tell you this, and I say this to everyone: Be ready!”
Ask if anyone has had a new baby come into their lives. Maybe a brother or sister, maybe a new cousin, or a friend of the family. Tell the students that you are going to play a game of baby Pictionary™. Here’s how to play:
- Have one person select a strip of paper with a baby item written on it. They can read the paper but cannot show it to anyone else.
- Set a timer for one minute. Start the timer when the student begins drawing.
- The student draws the item without using any words or numbers. The rest of the class tries to guess what the item is.
- If they guess correctly before the time is up, they get a point.
- Have another student draw the name of an item and repeat the steps.
Respond
Pull out a pile of items you might need for a new baby (blankets, diapers, bottles, bibs, or burp clothes) and place them in front of the students. Discuss how a family prepares for a new baby. What items do they need? Do they know exactly when the baby will come? Do they just sit and wait for the baby to arrive, or are there things they need to do to be ready?
Ask how a family preparing for a new baby is like the scripture passage we read. What can we do to be ready for Christ in our lives?
Hand out sheets of paper to each student and ask them to draw what they can do to be ready for Christ in their hearts. Encourage them to use only pictures and no words or numbers, like a game of Pictionary™.
Send
Invite children to share about their pictures or have the others guess what the images are.
Bless
Read or sing together “Hope Is a Light” CCS 398., stanzas four, as your closing prayer.
