Sunday, December 8th Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10
This passage is full of images of lions and lambs eating straw together and babies playing with cobras. What makes these images so special? Jesus brings peace and safety. In preparation to welcome Jesus, can you think of some things that cause you to be scared? How would you want Jesus to change your feeling?
Monday, December 9th Reading: Zechariah 6:12-13
The old prophets talked about Jesus as a royal King sitting on a throne in golden splendor and adornment. Do you think they would have been surprised to see how their royal King actually came to into our world? How do you think they imagined Jesus arriving?
Tuesday, December 10th Reading: Micah 5:2-4
God always works in ways that surprise people. He makes great things come out of small things. Jesus was born a poor baby in a small town much like Saverton, but God had a plan for Him that made Him “great to the ends of the earth.” God has a plan for you, too. A part of preparation is allowing God to make great things out of us–to allow Him to surprise us. Have you ever been surprised?
Wednesday, December 11th Reading: Malachi 3:1-6
Have you ever taken a bath and thought, “I can get away with not washing my hair?” But afterwards, your parents saw that you weren’t squeaky clean. Your parents weren’t mad, they just want clean kids. God likes squeaky clean kids, too–not just our bodies, but our lives. Are there areas of your life that you need God to scrub and clean for you?
Thursday, December 12th Reading: John 1:1-8
Like a parent opening the bedroom door in the morning to awaken us is the way God sent Jesus to be a bright light in a dark world. He is the Light. In preparation, we must allow more of God’s light into our lives. How can you open the curtains of your heart wider to let more light in?
Friday, December 13th Reading: John 1:-9-18
In Advent, we remember the coming of Jesus as a child born in a manger. But we also know that we are waiting for Christ to come again, a second Advent. The greatest way for us to prepare for His second coming is to make sure we are Children of God. How do we do this? By believing in Jesus and living our lives in a way that says, “God is my Father.” What else can you think of that would show others that you are Children of God?
Saturday, December 14th Reading: Mark 1:1-3
Have you ever tried skateboarding over gravel or ridden a bike over a fallen branch? What happens? In that same way, if we do not clear away the stones of sin and chunks of distraction from the road of our lives, it will be hard for God to do what He wants to do in us. What’s laying in your road?