Sacred wait: Advent pt.2 - guide

Gather

● Gather and open with prayer. You as the leader can pray, or ask someone else to do

that.

● Here is a prayer you can use:

Lord Jesus, be among us as we meet tonight. Some of us are weary and have had a

challenging day. Some of us need a reset for our faith. We all need to be reminded of

the peace we have in you. So help us to see you anew. And give us your peace. Amen.

Warm-up

Here are a couple of suggested questions to get the discussion-juices flowing, and help us all

continue to grow in knowing one another. The first question can be to do a little inventory of your

Home Church and get a sense of how it is for people, if you haven’t already. Or just move right

into the conversation.

● Is there anything you would like our Home Church to do more of? Differently? Any ideas

that you have?

● What feeds you spiritually? Worship? A sermon? Music? Prayer? Service? Something

else?

● Is there a book you are reading, podcast you are listening to, or series you are watching

that you are enjoying? Share it with the group.

Conversation

We began a sermon series for Advent called A Sacred Wait. Each of the four Sundays of

Advent will focus on a different traditional Advent theme. The four themes are hope, peace, joy

and love. Last Sunday Jonny preached on peace.

An Advent primer for those who may be unfamiliar:

Advent means “coming.” Advent is the season of spiritual preparation for the celebration of the

coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a practice that goes back centuries in the Christian

tradition. Churches and homes often have Advent wreaths with four candles that are lit to mark

the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. People make special effort in prayer, reading of

Scripture, service or other practices to prepare themselves for Christmas.

Advent focuses on waiting. As Christians we wait for God’s final and ultimate redemption.

Advent not only points us toward the first coming of Christ, but it recognizes that we wait for his

coming again.

Read Isaiah 11:1-9

● This passage is full of images: trees, animals, children, a mountain, the sea. Do any of

these images particularly catch your attention? If so, what do you suppose they mean?

● Have you heard this passage before? If so, do you remember where you encountered it

before?

Background to the tree and stump: The stump of Jesse refers to Israel and David’s

kingdom. Israel had been conquered by the great foreign power Assyria. If you read the

verses right before this it mentions the tree being cut down. The tree represents Israel,

and it had ceased to be like a cut down tree. But Isaiah says that a shoot, a new growth,

will come from the stump, and will become a Branch.

● What is the fruit that is said to come from this Branch?

● What are the other characteristics of this figure of which Isaiah speaks?

● Read Isaiah 4:2 and Jeremiah 23:5 and note what is said about this Branch. Christians

came to believe this Branch was fulfilled in Jesus.

● Jonny noted that the word for peace in the Old Testament is “shalom.” Shalom is not just

absence of conflict but refers to everything being good and whole and right in all ways. It

has to do as much with what is as opposed to what is not.

● Where do you see peace/shalom in the words of Isaiah 11?

● Is the picture of peace that is painted just for individuals or something that is more social

and relational?

● Name some of the places and ways our world needs peace. (See if you can name at

least 5 specific places and ways.)

● Where might Christ be asking you to extend peace this week? When you identify that

would you be willing to share that?

● Was there a new idea or something that challenged you in the sermon?

● What questions are coming up for you? What convictions are stirring in you?

Closing

● Have each person share one thing for which they are thankful right now. Have each

person share one challenge, concern, or place of adversity in their lives.

● If time, have an open time of prayer for people to pray for one another.. Encourage

people to do so without forcing anyone to have to.

End with prayer. Here is one you can use if you wish:

Father, thank you for the peace we have in you. Thank you for our church, for our

pastors and leaders, and the gift of community. We pray that worship and the Advent

Party will be full of celebration this Sunday. Keep us as we go to our homes and get

ready for another day.

And keep us in your peace. Amen.