Week: Receiving the Kingdom of God
As usual, we start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Today is the first Sunday in what Christians around the world call ‘the season of Advent’, which is the period before Christmas. The word Advent simply means arrival, and during this season we remember the arrival of Jesus in the world. Over the next four weeks, we will be listening to the many voices in the Bible who celebrated Jesus’ arrival.
Let’s begin by listening for the ‘voices from heaven’ that John describes in the book of Revelation. And let’s particularly listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from these verses.
Read by Hubo
Revelation 11:15
There were loud voices in heaven, saying:
‘The power to rule the world now belongs to our Lord and his Christ,
and he will rule forever and ever.’
Revelation 11:15b (NCV)Revelation 21:3-5
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.’
And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new!’
Revelation 21:3-5a (NLT)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
Now, let’s use the phrase at the end of the second Bible passage, ‘I am making everything new’, as we pray together.
Let’s begin by thinking about what’s going on in our own hearts. What do we feel anxious or angry about? What things do we know aren’t right? Let’s listen as God speaks to our hearts, ‘Look, I am making everything new!’
Father God, thank You that You sent Your Son to save us, to forgive us and to give us peace in our hearts. May we know the hope and joy of Jesus in new ways.
Let’s think about our family, our friends and our church community. Who do we know is facing difficult changes and challenges at the moment?
Lord Jesus, we want them to hear You saying, ‘Look, I am making everything new!’ We thank You that You promise to be with us all by Your Spirit today.
And Jesus, we also thank you that, one day, You will return in person, forever. On that day, we know that You will wipe away every tear; that every difficult change and challenge will come to an end.
Finally, let’s think about our nation, and other places around the world, particularly those where there are difficult changes and challenges. Let’s picture Jesus as He sits on the throne above every nation saying, ‘Look, I am making everything new!’
Come, Holy Spirit. We ask You to make peace in every place, especially during this season.
Let’s press pause and talk about our Sabbath question which is: As our week comes to an end, what was good about it – what are we thankful for? It could be something big or small.
As we finish our time together, let’s say this week’s memory verse one last time:
Read by Hubo
Psalm 103:19
The Lord has set his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over everything.
Psalm 103:19 (NCV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Hubolodumo (Hubo) is 10 years old, and lives In Johannesburg, South Africa with his parents and 4 siblings.
When he’s not busy trying out ninja moves, he’s practicing the latest dance moves, playing soccer, drawing or playing games with his friends.
