Third Friday of Advent
Say The gospel of John begins by talking about Jesus, but it is different from any of the other gospel accounts. Listen.
Read John 1:1-5
Ask John 1:1 starts “in the beginning.” What other Bible verses have those words “in the beginning?”
Read Genesis 1:1
Ask What happened in the beginning? And from the John passage, who was there at the beginning?
Say If we keep flipping between John 1 and Genesis 1 we will see words and themes repeated between the two. Look at our wreath. Right now it is dark but watch what happens as we light each of our three candles.
Light the two purple candles and the pink candle (slowly, pausing between each one).
Ask What happens to the darkness as we light each candle?
Say Jesus is described as “the light.” He came into our world, which often seems dark and he brought light. Just as each candle provides more light and drives away dark, when we allow Jesus to live in our hearts, we will be filled with more light and the darkness will be pushed away.
Read John 1:10-13
Say This part may sound confusing, but there are important things to remember from these verses.
Ask When Jesus came to earth, did everyone recognize and believe him? What do these verses tell us about the ones who did receive him?
Say It does not matter where you are born or where you go to church. It does not matter how “good” you are or the mistakes you have made. We are all invited to be children of God. Believe in Jesus. Believe that he died on the cross for our sins. Believe that he rose from the dead on Easter. Christmas is just one week from today. How lucky we are to be children of God!
Pray Father, thank you for the gift of Jesus. Thank you for calling us your children. Lord, we believe in you and want you to be our light. Amen.
Sing Joy to the World
