Advent - A New Prophet: Week 1
Opening Prayer:
Lord God,
Help us pause.
Help us slow down.
Help us take the time to reflect.
Calm us and direct us so that we might hear You this Advent.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Key Scripture:
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:13-18
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
Luke 4:14-22
Today we start our Advent series — Advent; when we take the time to pause and reflect on the coming of Jesus into the world. If you missed Sunday’s talk you can catch up below: (Looking for the text summary? You can find that here.)
Discussion Guide:
Warm Up:
Icebreaker: The sermon notes that we often try to see birth as "shiny and happy", full of stars and angels, yet the first Christmas was set in a "brutal world".
Discuss: What is one "shiny" expectation you feel pressured to maintain this Christmas? Contrast that with one real challenge or "cry" you are carrying this season.
The God Who Descends
The Context of the Crib: We often imagine Jesus born in a safe environment, but Jo reminds us He was a "tiny, vulnerable baby in an oppressed community", facing mass atrocities. Jesus entered a world similar to the reality faced today by people in Nigeria, Sudan, Myanmar, or Palestine.
Question: If God chose to arrive in the "heart of pain and oppression" rather than a safe, modern hospital, what does that tell us about where we might find God today?
The God of Scars: Jo quotes the poem Jesus of the Scars: "The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak... to our wounds only God's wounds can speak". We are reminded that we don't just need advice on how to escape pain, but a God who "has been there".
Question: How does it impact your prayer life to know you can say to God, "You know what it's like to be hated" or "You know what it's like to live in fear"?
Study: The Jubilee Mission
Read: Luke 4:18-21 (The Scroll in Nazareth)
Context: Jesus didn't just come to sit in pain with us; He came to put things right. Jubilee (the year of the Lords favour) is the time when people are freed and oppression ceases. Jesus declared, "Today, this scripture has been fulfilled".
Question: Followers of Jesus are called to "partner together with God to put the wrong right". In your specific context (work, neighbourhood, family), what is one "wrong" that needs to be "put right"?
Practices:
1. Individual Practice - The "Simpler" Advent: Try avoiding the busyness of presents and food to "live simply" and spend time reading stories of Jesus or the prophets.
Challenge: This week, set aside 15 minutes a day to unplug. Read a passage from the Gospels with this specific lens: How is God communicating empathy here?
2. Prayer Practice - The Honest Cry: We are invited to "cry out to God" for ourselves and on behalf of the world.
Challenge: Instead of polite prayers, practice "Lament" this week. Verbalise your specific pain or the pain of the world (e.g., "God, you know what it is like to flee for your life, be with those in Sudan").
3. Community Action - Prophetic Presence: We are called to be a "prophetic people" who demonstrate that God is at work. This could look like:
Being Alongside: Identify someone currently suffering in your circle. Commit to simply being with them without trying to "fix" them immediately, acknowledging their pain.
Jubilee Action: As a group, decide on one tangible act of "Jubilee" (restoration/generosity) you can do this month. This could be financial support for a cause or a physical act of service for a neighbour.
Prayer
God, we thank You that You are not distant or abstract, but that You became one of us. Thank You that You know what it is like to be vulnerable and afraid.
Help us to see You more clearly this Advent. When we look at the pain in our world, help us to believe that You are at work and that the time of Your favour is here.
Make us a people who do what Jesus did: standing alongside those in pain and working to put wrongs right. Give us the courage to live simply and to be agents of Your hope.
Amen.