ADVENT PRAYER MATERIAL 2015
L’ARCHE INTERNATIONAL
WEEK 2
The week of John the Baptist
-telling us how to prepare into our homes and hearts the Prince of Peace
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(prepared by Rev. Doug Graves, United Church of Canada, and L’Arche Greater Vancouver)
INTRODUCTION
Many years ago there was a man who came to announce that it was almost time for Jesus to come. The man’s name was John the Baptist. He was a strange kind of man who dressed funny and ate bugs. (Matthew 3:4) But he had a very important job – to let people know that Jesus was coming very soon and to help them prepare for his coming.
LK 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
andLysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Artist: David Peacock, L’Arche Edinburgh
REFLECTIONby Rev. Doug Graves
John the Baptist preached about repentance, which comes from the word “Repent!” To “repent” means to ask God to forgive the things we have done wrong and to help us to change. It is different from being sorry! Being sorry is feeling bad that you did something wrong or hurt someone. Repenting is making changes so that you might never do it again. God does not want people to just feel sorry about things they are doing. God wants us to change and promises to help us become more loving people.
ACTIVITY
Have people draw or write something about a change they want to make or something that they would like to do differently that will help them become a more loving person.
Set out an offering basket and invite people to put their art or writing in the basket as a way of offering it to God and asking God’s help.
Questions for Reflection:
1. When we “repent” God promises to help us become more loving people. What are some of the ways that God helps us?
2. John the Baptist called the people of his day to change so that they and their society would be more like God intended them to be. Who are some of the people in our world who are calling us and our society to change and become more like God intends?
‘Joy’, KasiaMierzwiak, L’Arche Wroclaw
PRAYERS – a suggested format:
- Say the Our Father together
- Read Luke 3: 2b-6
- Have a time of silence.
- Take time to reflect on any of the material offered here and / or do any of the activities offered.
- Bless each other with the words spoken to Jesus by God at his baptism (slightly adapted) Mt. 3: 17
“You are my daughter/son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased.”
- Finish with the prayer below followed by the L’Arche Prayer and appropriate songs if wished. (This is the same prayer every week except for the second line. Maybe you could learn to sign it. One person could say and sign each line, and then everyone else repeat with the same signing).
Jesus, you ask us to welcome you into our homes this coming Christmas and always.
You sent us John the Baptist to teach us how to prepare our hearts to welcome you.
Thank you.
Help us so that we make our homes, homes of welcome for those you send us,
And welcome us into your home of Love, this Christmas and always.
Amen.
OTHER RESOURCES:
Some Quotes
“To repent is to come to your senses. It is not so much something you do as something that happens. True repentance spends less time looking at the past and saying ‘I’m sorry’ than to the future and saying “Wow!”
Frederick Buechner.
“We talk religion in a world that worships the bread but does not distribute it, that practises ritual rather than righteousness, that confesses but does not repent.”
Joan D. Chittister
“Do not say the confession and [then] refuse the assurance of pardon. To do that would be to… make your last stand against God. Guilt is the last stronghold of pride. For guilt is your opinion of yourself. Forgiveness is God’s opinion. Are you too proud to give up your opinion? To allow God to do for you what you can’t do for yourself?”
William Sloane Coffin Jr.
Possible Hymns or Songs:
“Lord, I want to be a Christian” (African American Spiritual)
“Give Me Oil in My Lamp” (Traditional)
“Prepare the Way” (Franz Michael Franzen)
NB: “Zion” is a code word for “God’s People”, so the first line could be sung “Prepare the way, God’s people, your Christ is drawing near”
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