Advent: Coming
Hi Werb’s Kids and Werb’s Parents!
How are you doing?
It’s getting really cold now and I’m feeling even more Christmassy each day!!
Really hope you were able to join us online this week but as always if not then you can catch up on the STWDerby YouTube channel!
Today we’re still looking at Advent but today we’re not actually focusing on the Christmas story!
We know about Jesus’ first coming when he was a baby but instead we are gonna look forward to his second coming and what that means for us especially in this season of waiting!
A little reminder that Family Carols is approaching and I hope you’re as excited as I am to watch it!
You can watch in your own home OR if you want a change of scenery, you can come to church and join others for a watch party in the building!
If you’d like to come in person please remember to sign up HERE.
Stay safe and stay connected!
Amy x
Second Coming!
Last week we looked at how Advent is a time of waiting and how some waited years and YEARS for Jesus to arrive. We know that Jesus came as a baby to an ordinary family and was helpless and vulnerable.
And as we discovered last week this had all been prophesied or predicted in the Old Testament and even with this not many people were aware of His birth. Only a few Shepherds and some Wise Men came to his birth.
In our story we saw how Anna and Simeon were told by the spirit that Jesus would come and they were so excited when they got to finally meet him as they had waited their whole lives to meet him!
However when we begin to think about Jesus coming again to earth we find quite a different picture.
Jesus tells us in the bible that he’ll come back one day and make every right. And this is what we’re looking at today! We know our world is still broken. And we look forward to the day Jesus returns and makes everything perfect again as it should be.
This morning we looked at this story and chatted about whether we had ever had an unexpected visitor. Someone who came over as a surprise which made you panic or worry because the house or your room isn’t tidy enough and you’re embarrassed that you’re not ready for them, to greet them as they deserve?!
In this story Jesus tells us about what it means to be ready.
How many bridesmaids were ready and how many weren’t?
In Jesus’ day weddings were a little different to how they are now.
The bridegroom would arrive whenever he was ready, there was no set time and he would bring everyone who was attending the wedding with him!
Jesus uses this story as a picture to help us. He is showing us that we are like the bridesmaids and he is like the groom. And that we need to be ready for when he comes.
We saw how 5 of the bridesmaids were silly and unprepared they didn’t have enough oil to stay and wait which meant they then missed out when he came.
It’s been a long long time since Jesus left and we’ve been waiting thousands of years for him to return but in the bible Peter explains in 2 Peter 3:9 that Jesus is not slow in keeping His promise, but is actually showing and teaching us patience.
What Jesus really wants is for everyone to have an opportunity to repent, to say sorry for their sins and turn away from the bad things they’ve done and become His follower before He does return.
If we waited till Jesus returned to change and be better then it would be too late! We need to live the way he wants us to BEFORE he comes back. We need to prepare whilst we wait.
BUT HOW???
I think we need to do 3 things:
PRAY: talk to God often and keep your relationship with him really good
READ THE BIBLE: keep learning about God and just like our previous series taught us let’s be better disciples and followers of Jesus each and every day
SHARE: tell others about Jesus. Invite them to our Christmas services. Jesus tells us he won’t return until everyone has heard about him and had the chance to choose to follow him.
Jesus may not come back any time soon or even in out lifetimes BUT then again he might!
So why not live your life well and follow him so you are prepared and don’t need to worry.
Because if Jesus came back today, tomorrow, next week or next year would He find you prepared, following Him, treating other people well and looking forward to meeting Him or not?
GO DEEPER!
Write ten things they can remember about the Nativity story – the first coming of Jesus.
Now what do you about Jesus’ second coming? What will it be like?
Read these bible verses and make a list of all the things that will happen that will make it very clear that it is Jesus coming back and what will be different about His appearance this time.
Matthew 24:23 – 31
“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.
Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16
”For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.”2 Thessalonians 1:7
”And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels”Revelation 1:7
”Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.
And everyone will see him—even those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the world will mourn for him.
Yes! Amen!”
The Second Coming of Jesus will be very different from His first and no one will be able to mistake or doubt it!
You might want to draw a picture of what you think it will look like when Jesus comes again based off of these verses.
CRAFT TIME!
Some things to do during the talk:
Using playdough try to retell the story. Create the 10 bridesmaids and their little lamps.
Get creative!
Make your own pocket watch!
Use THESE instructions to make your own pocket watch to remind yourself that we are waiting for Jesus to come again.
On the inside draw a picture or Jesus or write this verse:
”Keep watch, you do not know what hour the Lord is coming!” Matthew 24v42Make your own lantern!
Create your own lamp and you could write on it the words PRAY, READ THE BIBLE and SHARE THE GOOD NEWS to remind you what we should do whilst we wait for Jesus to return.
HERE is the video with the instructions. If you’re feeling Christmassy make another and make your second one more Christmassy and festive!
WORSHIP
This song below is one that we sing often at Werbs.
The first verse especially talks about what will happen when Jesus returns. Take a look at the lyrics and talk together about what you think they mean.
“He’s coming on the clouds,
Kings and kingdoms will bow down.
Every chain will break,
As broken hearts declare His praise.
For who can stop the Lord Almighty?
Our God is a lion,
The Lion of Judah.
He’s roaring with power
And fighting our battles.
Every knee will bow before Him.
Our God is a lamb,
The lamb that was slain
For the sins of the world.
His blood breaks the chains.
Every knee will bow before the lion and the lamb,
Every knee will bow before him!”
Created by Amy Farrar from several sources.
