Week: The Advent Voices - Heaven
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
This Advent, we are listening to some of the many voices in the Bible who celebrated Jesus’ arrival. On this Sabbath day, let’s listen to 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 Vera Lynn
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?
We’re going to 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 this Christmas.
Now, 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 by Your Spirit today.
And 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 Advent 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 Vera Lynn
Luke 2:10
The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people.’
Luke 2:10 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
May this Sabbath bring rest and joy to our hearts and our homes.
May today be a little less go, go, go, and a little more slow… slow… slow…
May we care less about things, and care more for people.
As we relax in God’s love, may we take time to listen and remember that we are all God’s children.
Phil lives close to a beach in the north of England with his wife, his daughters and his dogs. Phil works for 24-7 Prayer, mostly doing Lectio stuff, and helping to run Prayer Spaces in Schools. He runs a lot, usually for long distances. He likes curry, mountains, reading books and he still plays Pokemon Go.
Vera Lynn is 10 years old and lives in Phoenix, Arizona, USA with her parents, sister, and dog Max. Her favourite hobbies include reading, knitting, sewing, and embroidery. She is very creative. Her favourite book is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis.
