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First Sunday of Advent (Advent 1B) Sunday, November 30, 2008 Gospel: Mark 13: 24-37 Advent Highlighted Verses: Mark 13: 24-37
“But in those days,
after that
suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its
light, 25and
the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens
will be
shaken. 26Then they will see
‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with
great power and glory. 27Then he will send
out
the angels, and
gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the
ends of
heaven. 28“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. 29So also, when you
see
these
things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly
I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things
have
taken place. 31Heaven and earth
will
pass away, but my words will
not pass away. 32“But about that day
or
hour no one knows, neither
the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware,
keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It 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. 35Therefore,
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, 36or else he
may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to
you
I say to all: Keep awake.”
(Note:
This week's sermon describes church traditions associated with Advent
and may need to be adapted to describe your own church's marking of the
season. Note that this lesson is also premised upon the provision of an
advent calendar to each of the children present - a detail easily
eliminated if this is not possible.)
Today we begin a very special time of year in the church. We call it Advent. The word Advent comes from a Latin word - "adventus" - which means "coming." Can you guess what's coming? That's right, it's Christmas - which is the church's celebration of Jesus' birth. Advent is a time of waiting - and preparing our hearts for Jesus' coming. We mark the days and weeks Advent in different ways. One way is with candles. Do you notice the special advent candles here today? During each of the four weeks of Advent we will light another one, until all four are lit. Then on Christmas Eve, we'll light the fifth candle in the middle. Another way you might choose to mark Advent with your family is with one of these: an Advent Calendar. If you look carefully you'll notice that this calendar is covered with little doors - there are 24 of them. They may be hard to see right now, because they're all closed - but an Advent Calendar is a way of helping to count the days that lead up to Christmas. Usually we open the first door on the first day of December, which is tomorrow - and then open one more door each day. When all the doors have been opened, Christmas will have arrived. This one has a picture behind each door - but sometimes they even have chocolate inside. I have an Advent Calendar to help each of you count the days of Advent. But before we hand them out, let's pray. Dear God, We are ready to celebrate the coming of your son, Jesus. We thank you for sending him to Earth and ask that you give us the strength and wisdom to follow his examples. Amen. Copyright
2008 - The Children's
Sermon.Com
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