WELCOME

WHO AM

I ?

MY PROMISES

MEDITATION OF THE MONTH

WEEKLY MEDITATION

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER

POETRY

ALTERNATIVE WORSHIP

THE SERMON SLOT

LINKS

 

SISTER MARIAN’S WEB-SITE FOR ADVENT 2008

 

ALTERNATIVE WORSHIP FOR ADVENT 2008

COME LORD JESUS

INTRODUCTION: NARRATOR: During Advent we remember Christ’s first ‘coming’ into the world and

  look forward to His second coming. BIBLE READINGS: from LUKE 1 and APOCALYPTIC readings from

   REVELATIONS.

  Until He returns He is with us in the form of the HOLY SPIRIT. And in this way, He comes to everyone of

 us, every-day!      Readings from, ACTS.

    What was the world like when Jesus was born? A few people may be chosen to act out characters here to

 tell in their own words what was going on when Jesus was born.

   What is the world like today? More characters tell how it is in their own words. (Comparisons with the lives

 of the first characters may be useful.) What difference did Jesus first coming make?

   SPEAKERS:

         A – God became a man.  

         B – We were taught a new way to live our lives.

        C – Jesus was made in the image of God and told His followers, ‘ If you have seen me, you have seen the

             Father.’

        D – His disciples and followers are called to imitate Jesus in their lives and  we too must carry on doing

           this today.

        E – Because He died on a cross and God raised Him to life again, He has promised that all who believe in

          Jesus also will have ‘eternal life’.

        F – Death has been over-come!

        G – Jesus’ coming brought the ‘LIGHT of GOD’ into the world, Illustrate).

        H – Jesus’ coming brought ‘JOY’ into the world, (Illustrate)

        I – Jesus’ coming brought ‘HOPE’ into the world,  (Illustrate).

   NARRATOR:

   There are still some very dark places in the world where many people are suffering. Some suffer physically:

  terrorism, hurricane disasters, flooding etc.Some suffer inwardly, spiritually and mentally: bereavement,

  addiction, depression, low esteem, fear, pointlessness, etc.

   Jesus is with us every day in the form of the HOLY SPIRIT.

   The Holy Spirit can change people and situations today and when Jesus comes to us in this form, He enables

  us to bring His ‘healing light and presence, not just into our own lives but into the lives of everyone else

  through us! We should be like, ‘REFLECTING MIRRORS’, absorbing the light of the Spirit and then

 ‘bouncing it off us onto someone else.

  (With children and young people, this could be illustrated using a mirror and a torch. This in itself could be a

  talk on ‘Reflecting Jesus’ Light’ to a Sunday- school, youth service or a school assembly.)

  PRAYERS

  Let us pray and ask Jesus to come to us, and all the places in the world where there is great suffering.

  (A large candle is lit and from that candle the members of the congregation come forward and light their own

  candles and as they do this, they say:“ Come Lord Jesus to ………”

  LEADER: Leads a prayer or dedication for all present, asking Jesus to come once again to them to change,

  enable and equip them for His service and to fill them with FAITH, HOPE and LOVE.

  This is followed by the LORD’S PRAYER and BLESSING.

  During the singing of the last hymn the congregation leave the church carrying their lighted candles,

 symbolic of their having received the light of Jesus and are now carrying it out into the world.