The First Sunday of Advent
NOVEMBER 28, 2021
Mid-Worship Engagement
Below, you’ll find elements from within the corporate worship gathering including scripture texts, prayers, and other resources depending on the week. These may be beneficial during the service or to refer back to afterwards.
Assigned Scripture
Luke 1:26-35
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you
will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
At-Home Response
Following the weekly gathering, you’re invited to respond to the service by engaging in group discussion with those gathered with you. There are also additional activities if you’re looking for more ways to respond!
Discussion Questions
SUMMARY: Suspicious Origins: That the “Holy One to be born” would come from such suspicious origins. Think of the places He came from – this “Holy One of Israel,” this “Light for the Gentiles” – whether Egypt or Nazareth, whether a suspect lineage or an unmarried mother. Why would God choose such suspicious origins to usher in one who would “save his people from their sins?” Luke 1:26-35
- Has God ever met you in an individual or personal way? What happened?
- Share a moment when God’s word turned something upside down in your life (when in reality it was turned right-side up)?
- Have you ever been left alone to believe God’s promised word when all else seemed to point against it? Share about this experience.
Benediction
invite someone to offer this sending blessing to those gathered:
God will turn again to us and make his face shine down upon us. Then, and only then, will we be saved.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we are sent to reveal the salvation of God to the world around us.
Want more to do?
Additional Activities
VIDEO RESOURCES
In the season of Advent, we are invited to anticipate the coming savior—the Christ.
If you thought “Christ” was Jesus’ last name or the title he gave himself, think again! The title Jesus most often used for himself is the “Son of Man.” In this video by the BibleProject, we’ll explore the meaning of this fascinating phrase and see how it invites us into the larger biblical story.
CWC 125th ANNIVERSARY
Join us in celebrating 125 years of College Wesleyan Church (but did you know that wasn’t always our name). Check out the 125 Website for more interesting facts. Watch video testimonies, look at pictures, and share your own. Click the “Take a Walk” link to virtually walk through all the past locations, and discover things that were happening in the world during those times.
OTHER WAYS TO RESPOND
The Sunday Worship Service is the start to a week of continued worship service. God’s kingdom-values are revealed to us each Lord’s Day so we can respond by more faithfully living out those values in our home, work-place, market-place, and all our relationships.
If you would like some practical ways to love others well, specifically during this season of special circumstances, click below to find opportunities.