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Advent 3: “Joy” Video Chat

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The lessons focus on significant words of the season. They are arranged: 1. Hope, 2. Peace, 3. Joy, and 4. Love. However, feel free to arrange them according to the Advent practices of your congregation.

Prep

Imbed the two videos into your video conferencing software. Watch this video to learn how to share video on your Zoom call. Create two screens with the texts for Psalm 126 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24.

Getting Started

Welcome all guests. Conduct a brief time for introductions of new participants.

Briefly review the scope of the study and The Bible Project. Revisit expectations regarding group dynamics, such as honoring one another with respect.

Offer an opening prayer.

Prompt discussion: When you hear the word “joy,” what comes to your mind? What feelings or memories are evoked?

Digging In

Introduce the video: In this video, we explore the unique type of joy to which God’s people are called. It’s more than happy mood, but rather a choice to trust that God will fulfill God’s promises.

Watch the video.

Following the video, note key ideas, such as the prevalance of joy or happiness in the Bible; biblical sources of joy; and joy as an attitude adopted based on hope in God’s promises. 

Invite participants to offer comments and observations on what they saw and drew. Discuss: Joy is a choice. It is an attitude that focuses on the character of God and rises above circumstances. Joy is different from happiness, which depends on happenstance. Joy is possible even in the midst of sorrow and suffering. Joy is the pure and simple delight in being alive in God’s world and in serving others and rejoicing in their good fortune.

Introduce Psalm 126. Psalm 126 is a community prayer for deliverance based on the remembrance of past deliverance. It is about joy remembered, and joy anticipated.

Invite volunteers to read Psalm 126 with resounding joy in their voices. The phrase “When the Lord restores the fortunes of Zion” refers to the people’s return to Jerusalem following the Babylonian exile. We can imagine the joy the people felt upon returning to their home.

Discuss: What emotions are evoked when you imagine dry river beds coursing with water? Of farmers rejoicing as they harvest a bountiful crop in the wake of drought? How do past restorations lead people to hope in God’s present and future restorations? For what do we hope in our homes and communities? Where is God bringing reconciliation and renewal?

Invite volunteers to read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24. Paul responds to a church that has been asking how they can rejoice in the Lord when people were dying? How could they continue to trust and believe that Jesus was “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25) in the midst of their grieving? Paul assures them in the second coming of Christ and the raising of the dead and calls them to rejoice in their lives regardless of the circumstances.

Watch this video and try not to be caught up in the joy!

Concluding Options

1. Have members of your group recall three of the most joyous moments you have experienced together during this Advent study.

2. Discuss: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 combines rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. Wonder together about the relationship between the three. Can you have one without the other two? How do rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks work together in your life?

3. Brainstorm ways you can be signs of God’s joy in the world. Choose a project to live out your commitment to joy, such as collecting smiles to see how many different ones you can gather.

Prayer

O God, give us joy even as our world fills us with sorrow. Help us to live joyful lives that witness to your abiding presence and promises. Thank you for delivering good news of great joy, the birth of Jesus Christ, your son and our savior. Amen.

Advent 3: “Joy” Face-to-Face Gatherings

hindscoachingLeave a comment

The lessons focus on significant words of the season. They are arranged: 1. Hope, 2. Peace, 3. Joy, and 4. Love. However, feel free to arrange them according to the Advent practices of your congregation.

Prep

Ready the videos; gather an Advent wreath with candles and matches; provide Bibles and refreshments, paper and colored pencils.

Getting Started

Welcome all guests. Conduct a brief time for introductions of new participants.

Briefly review the scope of the study and The Bible Project. Revisit expectations regarding group dynamics, such as honoring one another with respect.

Offer an opening prayer. Light three Advent candles.

Prompt discussion: When you hear the word “joy,” what comes to your mind? What feelings or memories are evoked?

Digging In

Make available paper and colored pencils and invite participants to doodle or draw as they watch the video.

Introduce the video: In this video, we explore the unique type of joy to which God’s people are called. It’s more than happy mood, but rather a choice to trust that God will fulfill God’s promises.

Watch the video.

Following the video, note key ideas, such as the prevalance of joy or happiness in the Bible; biblical sources of joy; and joy as an attitude adopted based on hope in God’s promises. 

Invite participants to offer comments and observations on what they saw and drew. Discuss: Joy is a choice. It is an attitude that focuses on the character of God and rises above circumstances. Joy is different from happiness, which depends on happenstance. Joy is possible even in the midst of sorrow and suffering. Joy is the pure and simple delight in being alive in God’s world and in serving others and rejoicing in their good fortune.

Introduce Psalm 126. Psalm 126 is a community prayer for deliverance based on the remembrance of past deliverance. It is about joy remembered, and joy anticipated.

Invite volunteers to read Psalm 126 with resounding joy in their voices. The phrase “When the Lord restores the fortunes of Zion” refers to the people’s return to Jerusalem following the Babylonian exile. We can imagine the joy the people felt upon returning to their home.

Discuss: What emotions are evoked when you imagine dry river beds coursing with water? Of farmers rejoicing as they harvest a bountiful crop in the wake of drought? How do past restorations lead people to hope in God’s present and future restorations? For what do we hope in our homes and communities? Where is God bringing reconciliation and renewal?

Invite volunteers to read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24. Paul responds to a church that has been asking how they can rejoice in the Lord when people were dying? How could they continue to trust and believe that Jesus was “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25) in the midst of their grieving? Paul assures them in the second coming of Christ and the raising of the dead and calls them to rejoice in their lives regardless of the circumstances.

Watch this video and try not to be caught up in the joy!

Concluding Options

1. Have members of your group recall three of the most joyous moments you have experienced together during this Advent study.

2. Discuss: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 combines rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. Wonder together about the relationship between the three. Can you have one without the other two? How do rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks work together in your life?

3. Brainstorm ways you can be signs of God’s joy in the world. Choose a project to live out your commitment to joy, such as collecting smiles to see how many different ones you can gather.

Prayer

O God, give us joy even as our world fills us with sorrow. Help us to live joyful lives that witness to your abiding presence and promises. Thank you for delivering good news of great joy, the birth of Jesus Christ, your son and our savior. Amen.

Advent 4: “Love” Video Chat

hindscoachingLeave a comment

The lessons focus on significant words of the season. They are arranged: 1. Hope, 2. Peace, 3. Joy, and 4. Love. However, feel free to arrange them according to the Advent practices of your congregation.

Prep

Imbed the two videos into your video conferencing software. Watch this video to learn how to share video on your Zoom call. Create two screens with the texts for Deuteronomy 10:17-19a and John 13:34-35.

Getting Started

Welcome all guests. Conduct a brief time for introductions of new participants.

Briefly review the scope of the study and The Bible Project. Speak about expectations regarding group dynamics, such as honoring one another with respect. What video conferencing protocols do you need to agree on?

Offer an opening prayer.

Prompt discussion: When you hear the word “love,” what comes to your mind? What feelings or memories are evoked?

Digging In

Introduce the video: The word “love” is one of the sloppiest words in our language, as it primarily refers to a feeling that happens to a person. In the New Testament, “love” refers to a way of treating people that was defined by Jesus himself: seeking the well-being of others regardless of their response.

Watch the video.

Following the video, note key ideas such as the Greek word “agape,” meaning self-sacrificial love; the love of God and the love for one another are entertwined; we receive God’s love through Jesus and give it away to others. 

Invite participants to offer comments and observations on what they saw and drew. Discuss: Love is a spiritual practice and not something you fall into. It is through loving that we experience the love of God. You can’t love others until you truly love yourself and acknowledge that God loves you with a love beyond anything you can imagine.

Introduce Deuteronomy 10:17-19a. The covenant people are in the last stages of preparation before they enter the land of promise. God through Moses extols the people to make love the law of their new homeland.

Invite volunteers to read Deuteronomy 10:17-19a. The people were to be like the Lord who shows no partiality, accepts no bribes, defends the fatherless and the widows, and loves strangers and immigrants, giving them food and clothing. After all, they had been aliens in Egypt.

Discuss: What does love mean for the Lord? Why do you think love is focused on actions and behavior and not feelings? How does being like the Lord compare to the creation story where God creates human beings in the image of God? What obstacles do you face when trying to love others as God loves us?

Invite volunteers to read John 13:34-35. These words of Jesus follow the footwashing. First he shows them what it means to love one another and then tells them. What does it mean to live like Jesus in love, not just feel it or talk about it? How does loving one another show the world that we are his disciples?

Watch the video “Foot Washing” from Chuck Knows Church:

Concluding Options

1. Discuss: In Jesus’ time, servants washed the feet of others. When he knelt and washed the disciples’ feet, they were startled that Jesus would take the stance of a servant. What does that mean for us?

2. Discuss: What if, instead of celebrating the Lord’s Supper, the church observed a footwashing during worship services? What would giving and submitting to foot washings in a worship service say about the way we love each other?

3. Discuss: The foot washing shows us that love and intimacy go together. It’s not easy to allow someone to touch our feet, is it? Brainstorm ways you can be signs of God’s love and intimacy in the world. Choose a project to live out your commitment to love, preferably one that will outlast the Advent-Christmas seasons.

Prayer

God of love, open our hearts and hands to extend your love to all the world, starting with those who are near. Thank you for sending Jesus because you so loved the world. Amen.

Advent 4: “Love” Face-to-Face Gatherings

hindscoachingLeave a comment

The lessons focus on significant words of the season. They are arranged: 1. Hope, 2. Peace, 3. Joy, and 4. Love. However, feel free to arrange them according to the Advent practices of your congregation.

Prep

Ready the videos; gather an Advent wreath with candles and matches; provide Bibles and refreshments, paper and colored pencils. Provide a pail, water, and towels.

Getting Started

Welcome all guests. Conduct a brief time for introductions of new participants.

Briefly review the scope of the study and The Bible Project. Revisit expectations regarding group dynamics, such as honoring one another with respect.

Offer an opening prayer. Light four Advent candles.

Prompt discussion: When you hear the word “love,” what comes to your mind? What feelings or memories are evoked?

Digging In

Make available paper and colored pencils and invite participants to doodle or draw as they watch the video.

Introduce the video: The word “love” is one of the sloppiest words in our language, as it primarily refers to a feeling that happens to a person. In the New Testament, “love” refers to a way of treating people that was defined by Jesus himself: seeking the well-being of others regardless of their response.

Watch the video.

Following the video, note key ideas such as the Greek word “agape,” meaning self-sacrificial love; the love of God and the love for one another are entertwined; we receive God’s love through Jesus and give it away to others. 

Invite participants to offer comments and observations on what they saw and drew. Discuss: Love is a spiritual practice and not something you fall into. It is through loving that we experience the love of God. You can’t love others until you truly love yourself and acknowledge that God loves you with a love beyond anything you can imagine.

Introduce Deuteronomy 10:17-19a. The covenant people are in the last stages of preparation before they enter the land of promise. God through Moses extols the people to make love the law of their new homeland.

Invite volunteers to read Deuteronomy 10:17-19a. The people were to be like the Lord who shows no partiality, accepts no bribes, defends the fatherless and the widows, and loves strangers and immigrants, giving them food and clothing. After all, they had been aliens in Egypt.

Discuss: What does love mean for the Lord? Why do you think love is focused on actions and behavior and not feelings? How does being like the Lord compare to the creation story where God creates human beings in the image of God? What obstacles do you face when trying to love others as God loves us?

Invite volunteers to read John 13:34-35. These words of Jesus follow the footwashing. First he shows them what it means to love one another and then tells them. What does it mean to live like Jesus in love, not just feel it or talk about it? How does loving one another show the world that we are his disciples?

Watch the video “Foot Washing” from Chuck Knows Church:

Concluding Options

1. Discuss: In Jesus’ time, servants washed the feet of others. When he knelt and washed the disciples’ feet, they were startled that Jesus would take the stance of a servant. What does that mean for us? What if, instead of celebrating the Lord’s Supper, the church observed a footwashing during worship services? What would giving and submitting to foot washing in a worship service say about the way we love each other?

2. Brainstorm ways you can be signs of God’s love in the world. Choose a project to live out your commitment to love, preferably one that will outlast the Advent-Christmas seasons.

3. Wash one another’s feet. Provide a pail, water, and towels. For those squeamish about showing their feet, wash each other’s hands. Say aloud John 13:34-35 as the group participates: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Prayer

God of love, open our hearts and hands to extend your love to all the world, starting with those who are near. Thank you for sending Jesus because you so loved the world. Amen.

Advent 2: “Peace” Group Video Chat

hindscoachingLeave a comment

The lessons focus on significant words of the season. They are arranged: 1. Hope, 2. Peace, 3. Joy, and 4. Love. However, feel free to arrange them according to the Advent practices of your congregation.

Prep

Imbed the two videos into your video conferencing software. Watch this video to learn how to share video on your Zoom call. Create three screens with the texts for Isaiah 9:2-7, 11:1-9; and Luke 2:8-14.

Getting Started

Welcome all guests. Conduct a brief time for introductions of new participants.

Briefly review the scope of the study and The Bible Project. Speak about expectations regarding group dynamics, such as honoring one another with respect. What video conferencing protocols do you need to agree on?

Offer an opening prayer.

Prompt discussion: When you hear the word “peace,” what comes to your mind? What feelings or memories are evoked?

Digging In

Introduce the video: “Peace” is a very common word in English. It means different things to different people. It’s also a very important word in the Bible that refers not only to the absence of conflict but also to the presence of something else. In this video, we’ll explore the core meaning of biblical peace and how it all leads to Jesus.

Watch the video.

Following the video, note key ideas such as the Hebrew word, “shalom,” and the Greek “eirene” meaning wholeness and completeness; Jesus gives us his peace; we are called to be people of peace. 

Invite participants to offer comments and observations on what they saw and drew. Discuss: “Shalom,” means “whole,” describing peace within oneself and peace between people. What is the connection between inner peace and outer peace? Can we have one without the other? How can we be people of peace without promoting compassion, justice, and unity?

Display the screen with Isaiah 9:2-7.

Introduce Isaiah 9:2-7. The covenant people are in exile in a foreign land, a condition the prophets said had resulted from their disobedience to God. Now, the prophet announces that God is extending peace and reconciliation to them through a new ruler. 

Invite volunteers to read Isaiah 9:2-7.

Discuss: What emotions do you detect in the reading? What does peace mean for the prophet? Why do you think the promise of a new leader evokes promises of peace? When have you felt that way about new leadership?

Display the screen with Isaiah 11:1-9 and ask volunteers to read aloud. What does the image of the peaceable kingdom mean to you? How does this passage express peace as the absence of conflict and the presence of connection and completion? What steps have you taken this week to make the world a more peaceful place?

Introduce the Vulcan hand greeting by watching the video below:

Practice making the Vulcan greeting with words of peace. Wonder together how such a greeting can be one of the tools for making peace. If your congregation passes the peace during worship, talk about ways to live out that greeting.

Concluding Options

1. Discuss: Where in your life do you experience connection and a sense of completion? What factors contribute to your peace? What hampers your sense of peace? How can you make peace in such circumstances?

2. Discuss where peace needs to be restored in your life and in your community. List your answers as a petition to God. Circle one thing on the list. Prayerfully consider what practical steps you or your community can take to bring connection and completion to that one fragmented place.

3. Display the screen with Luke 2:8-14 and ask volunteers to read aloud. Wonder together why the angels announce peace to the world at Jesus’ birth. How does Jesus connect you with God’s peace? What is it like to have peace with God?

4. Play and sing along to Cat Steven’s Peace Train.

Prayer

God of peace, you have promised the end of conflict on earth, yet the world is still at war. Give us the resolve to be people of peace wherever we are and with whomever we meet. This we pray in the name of Jesus christ, the prince of peace. Amen.

Advent 1: “Hope” Face-to- Face Gatherings

hindscoachingLeave a comment

The lessons focus on significant words of the season. They are arranged: 1. Hope, 2. Peace, 3. Joy, and 4. Love. However, feel free to arrange them according to the Advent practices of your congregation.

The Sankofa Bird, source: uncommongoods.com

Prep

Ready the video; gather an Advent wreath with candles and matches; provide Bibles and refreshments, paper and colored pencils. Plan to display the picture of the Sankofa bird.

Getting Started

Welcome all guests. Conduct a brief time for introductions of participants.

Briefly introduce the scope of the study and The Bible Project. Speak about expectations regarding group dynamics, such as encouraging questions and comments.

Offer an opening prayer. Light the first Advent candle.

Prompt discussion: When you hear the word “hope,” what comes to your mind? What feelings or memories are evoked?

Digging In

Make available paper and colored pencils and invite participants to doodle or draw as they watch the video.

Introduce the video: In the Bible, people who have hope are very different from optimists! In this video, we’ll explore how biblical hope looks to God’s character alone as a basis for trusting that the future will be better than the present.

Watch the video.

Following the video, note key ideas such as two Hebrew words, “to wait for” and “tension in waiting”; waiting for God, whose past steadfastness leads to trust; optimism is different from hope; Greek word, elpis, a living hope in which we and all creation are reborn.

Invite participants to offer comments and observations on what they saw and drew. Discuss: How are hoping and waiting like hearing thunder in the distance? What is difficult about waiting for someone or something? What tensions have you experienced in waiting?

Introduce Isaiah 40:1-5, 27-31. The covenant people are in exile in a foreign land, a condition the prophets said had resulted from their disobedience to God. Now, the prophet announces the people’s rescue because of God’s steadfast love and trustworthiness.

Invite volunteers to read Isaiah 40:1-5, 27-31.

Discuss: What does it mean to wait for God? How does knowing what God has done in the past give us hope for tomorrow? What is it about God’s character that evokes trust in the human heart?

Introduce the Sankofa bird from West Africa (above). The symbol is based on a mythical bird with its feet firmly planted forward with its head turned backwards.

Say: People of faith can learn from the Sankofa the truth that to move forward into God’s future, it’s crucial to know the past and what God has already done. God’s character is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. So we can hope that the God who liberated a people from slavery in Egypt and exile in Babylon and who raised Jesus from the dead will one day liberate creation from sin and death and raise all of us to new life.

Concluding Options

1. Identify people who have nurtured their hope in God. Honor these harbingers of hope by writing Advent/Christmas cards or making a contribution to an organization in their names.

2. Invite the participants to talk about their attitudes about the future, in light of current tensions and conflicts in the world. Listen to “I Shall Be Released” by Bob Dylan (or various other artists. Check out Nina Simone’s version!). Connect the song’s lyrics of longing and waiting with prison and social justice. Wonder together what makes Dylan’s song a fitting Advent song for our times.

3. Commit to a living hope by helping small businesses in your area that are struggling. Brainstorm ways to do so and follow through.

Prayer

O God, you tell us to hope in your faithfulness, yet when we look at the world, all we see is sin and sadness. Strengthen our resolve to be for the world witnesses to our living hope, Jesus Christ, your son, our savior, In whose name we pray. Amen.