Peace
Read
Today is the second Sunday in Advent. Advent is a special time in the church year. It is a time when we prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus. We prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus born as a baby in Bethlehem. We prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus among us here and now. We prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus in glory at the end of time. On this Second Sunday in Advent, we are going to be focusing on peace. Advent is a time of waiting, but it isn’t a boring, sitting around kind of waiting. We are waiting in an active way. We are looking and preparing for Jesus to come as people who are at peace with God and with others.
Watch this video together:
Read:
In the Bible reading from 2 Peter, it tells us that God’s time is different than our time. It says that with God 1 day is like 1000 years and 1000 years is like 1 day. That’s very different than our time! We are also reminded that God isn’t slow in keeping promises, but instead God is patient. God cares about everyone. Jesus will come again and no one knows when that will be. Even those who watching and waiting will be surprised, but there is no reason to fear. We are reminded to be at peace. We can be at peace with God and we can be at peace with our neighbors.
Discuss
- When you hear the word “peace,” what comes to your mind?
- What does peace feel like?
- What do you do while you are waiting? What do you do while you wait in Advent? How do you wait in peace?
Song
Peace Like a River. Listener Kids.
Activity
If your family uses an Advent wreath, light the first two candles today and use this litany as you do so:
One: When the world seems scary or uncertain,
Others: The Lord is our peace.
One: When peace is hard to find,
Others: The Lord is our peace.
One: When we are nervous or anxious or impatient,
Others: The Lord is our peace.
One: When everything is good,
Others: The Lord is our peace.
One: You, Lord, are patient and loving.
Others: The Lord is our peace.
One: Today, we light the candle of peace.
Others: The Lord in our peace.
Pray:
Thank you, God, that you are with us. Thank you for the gift of Jesus and your promise to come again. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit as we wait. May the candle of peace be a reminder that you are our peace. Amen.
If you don’t have an Advent wreath, download the page below and color the first two candles either blue or purple.
Activity
Advent is a time of waiting. Time can feel very slow when we are waiting. Time can feel very fast when we are trying to do something hard in a short time. Here is a “Minute to Win It” game. See if you can complete the task in 60 seconds. There are others you can try on YouTube as well.
Prayer
God, as we wait during Advent, open our eyes to see your coming among us. Help us to see signs of your peace in our world. Use us to be peacemakers. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pastor Dan Fugate, Assistant to the Bishop for Discipleship in the Indiana-Kentucky Synod, ELCA, put this lesson together for Sunday School @ Home. There will be a new one for each Sunday while we are unable to gather together physically in our congregational buildings. Contact him at dfugate@iksynod.org.
Portions of this lesson adapted from Let Earth Receive Her King by The Foundry Publishing. Used with permission.
Advent 1 Fear and Waiting
Here at Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, Indiana-Kentucky, we have put together a series of original puppet shows that we will be posting each week during Advent.