READ Genesis 3
So, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. (Genesis 3:6-7)
Then the Lord God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him away from the garden of Eden, to work the ground from which he had been taken. (Genesis 3:22-23)
REFLECT
Sunshine warms the garden, and big trees make cool, shady spots in just the right places. Flowers bloom wildly. Birds sing. Bunnies scamper. This garden, with a tree right in the middle, is the place where God lives with the people he created.
But when Adam and Eve ate the fruit, God knew he couldn’t trust them to live in the garden anymore. He sent them away. Since then, people haven’t been able to live as close to God as Adam and Eve did.
The Good News is that God has been working hard so that we can live with him again. In the Bible, we get a sneak preview of the end of the story. God is building a city—with a tree right in the middle—where we will live with him again!
And there’s another tree, that God uses. That one that got chopped down and put together in the shape of a cross. When Jesus died on that tree, he closed the distance between us and God. Jesus made it so that we could return to joyful, peaceful life with God.
TALK
PRAY
Loving God, we're sorry for doing things that put a gap between us and you. Along with Adam and Eve, Im the one who eats the fruit and does things I shouldntbut Im not the one who is punished. Jesus, you took on the consequences of sin, willingly being exiled from the presence of God the Father so that we could be reunited with him. Thank you for closing that gap when you died. We're excited to live with you in the city with a tree! Amen.
BLESS & DO
Add the next picture to your tree.
Say sorry to someone that you have done something wrong to in the past.
Materials adapted from: https://www.faithward.org/jesse-tree/, http://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-jesse-tree-printable-pictures.html
READ Genesis 1
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)
REFLECT
In the story of the creation of the first two humans, the cast of characters is actually more extensive than it appears at first glance. Of course, there are the two humans and God the creator. There’s also the Spirit, hovering over the scene. And there’s the second person of the Trinity, the Word who was with God in the beginning, through whom all things were created (John 1). That person, Jesus Christ, may not be present in his human flesh quite yet, but he’s certainly part of this scene.
As God squats in the dust, gathering it into the form of a man, he has another human in mind—Jesus Christ. Though Jesus has yet to be born into the world, when he is, he will define humanity for all time. He is first—alpha—and ultimate—omega (Revelation 1:8). So when God creates that man and that woman in Genesis, fashioning them after his image, he is really fashioning them after the image of Jesus Christ, who is the image of God (Colossians 1:15). If we humans bear God’s image, Christ is God’s image.
Keep this in mind the next time you hear that it’s our ability to reason, to create things, or to relate to other people: that it is the image of God in us. It might be that. Or it might simply be Jesus Christ, the perfect human, the one there from the beginning, the one who is always interceding for us (Romans 8:34). If we worry that the image of God has grown dim in us, we can be confident that through Christ, it’s shining brightly.
It’s hard to know exactly what God looks and sounds like—except that we know what Jesus is like. Jesus is God in the form of a human being. Jesus looks exactly like God. He is God! So if you’re wondering what about you resembles God, you can just think about Jesus. You might not have his hair colour, and your body might be built differently than his, but your heart can look just like Jesus’ heart.
TALK
PRAY
Wow, God! We feel pretty special that you made us like you. Would you help us get to know Jesus so that we can look more and more like him? I’m thankful that through the Holy Spirit, I’m united to you. I pray that you would shape me to be more and more like you each day. Amen.
BLESS & DO
Add some nature and the next picture to your Jesse Tree.
Bless someone by telling them that they are made in God’s image.
Materials adapted from: https://www.faithward.org/jesse-tree/, http://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-jesse-tree-printable-pictures.html
READ Ephesians 6:10-17, Jeremiah 33:14-16 & Psalm 25:1-10
When we read these passages, the theme of ‘anticipating’ emerges a sense of prophetic – the signs in creation, a sense of looking forwards, towards the branch that is sprouting, towards a future of hope and salvation, towards the community of love that is created by the Kingdom of God. This first week of Advent is an opportunity to think about the anticipation of Advent – what does follow Jesus mean that we can hope for? This week, we are picking up on the imagery of the branch sprouting out of the line of David (in Isaiah, it is referred to as ‘the stump’) and using this as the foundation component of the Nativity display.
REFLECT, TALK & DO
It’s the first week of Advent! And is an opportunity for us to spend a whole month thinking about and anticipating Christmas! Anything that drags out Christmas is a good thing, right?
Advent is an opportunity for us to really ramp up the anticipation! The Bible tells us that the lead up to Jesus’ birth was full of anticipation!
The Bible is full of prophecy, and a lot of it pointed towards there being a big, important event, a moment where God would intervene and save the people of Judah from oppression. The people were really tired of living in other countries as captives, or living in their homes, under the rule of someone else. The people living in Judea were living and hoping and anticipating something great happening. And the closer it got, the more they saw the signs and the more they anticipated that something big was coming.
In Jeremiah, God tells the people that He will make good on his promises, and that a branch will grow out of something that everyone thought was dead – the stump of an old tree. It’s a metaphor – the nations around Judea didn’t see them as powerful or important like they had once upon a time… The great nation of Israel wasn’t really great anymore, it was small, and it was in the hands of the powerful Roman Empire. Over the next few weeks in worship, we are going to build an Advent and Jesse tree – each week we are going to add some things to it as we think about different parts of getting closer to Christmas.
This week, we are thinking about anticipation and hope. The Psalmist talks about trusting God for new paths and hopeful future things. And in Jeremiah, it talks about anticipating something new growing out of something old – a new branch growing out of the stump. This reading often gets included in Advent readings because we believe that it was pointing towards Jesus. So here is a stump, to start off our Advent tree that we will add to over the coming weeks. Take time to think about things you anticipate:
During worship today, you are invited to add to your own branches and leaves to the tree, while you think, write and pray for the things you anticipate God bringing new life to. You can use branches, leaves, pipe cleaners, florist wire, crepe paper or other things.
PRAY
Dear God, thank you for the Hope that we have in you. Please help us to hold on to that hope and remember it as we anticipate your coming at Christmas, and your second return one day. Amen
Watery Advent 1. HOPE
Usually during Advent, we do an advent candle wreath, however this year we are doing a water wreath! Especially in the hot Australian Summer water is something that we anticipate, that we hope for. A cup of cool cup of water on a hot summer’s day, rain for our farmers and lawns, water to swim in, water for baptism! Water is a powerful symbol.
So each week, just like we would with a candle wreath, we’re going to fill a new cup instead of lighting a new candle as we reflect on Hope, Love, Peace, and Joy. Each week we will be adding more to the Jesse tree and to remind us of life growing out of the stump.
1: As we pour the water for our Advent wreath, we remember our deep thirst for God’s hope.
All: We long for your hope, O God. [Pour water into the first glass.]
2: Hope which revives us like that first icy cold drink of water gulped down from the fridge when you’ve trudged home from school on a 36-degree day.
All: We long for your hope, O God.
1: Hope which transforms us, like drought-breaking rain on parched land.
All: We long for your hope, O God.
2: Hope which carries us forward in its mystery, as the endless waves which connect us to the rest of the world.
All: We long for your hope, O God.
1: I invite you to name aloud people and places which are in particular need of God’s hope at this time e.g.: ► People dealing with long-term illness; ► In war torn places; ► facing the loss of their homes; ► Long-term unemployed; ► battling addictions; ► Asylum seekers and refugees; ► Australia’s indigenous people; ► People facing famine; ► Friends and relatives of missing persons; ► Parents of children in hospital; ► People dealing with the effects of drought in Australia and other places.
1 & 2: Advent God, we worship you with hope.
All: We long for your hope, O God. Amen.
Materials adapted from: https://intergen.org.au/product/advent-series-something-is-coming/ & https://sa.uca.org.au/documents/intergen-docs/resources/Engage-Together-Advent-2020.pdf
READ Isaiah 11
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1-2)
REFLECT
This is hope: that even when the forest has been decimated, every last living plant hacked to the ground, no birdsong in the trees—even then, when all seems lost, a shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse.
In today’s passage, we read about Israel, having endured slavery in Egypt and wilderness in the dessert, now in exile. The people of God are weary and battered, discouraged by their own sin and the wickedness of the world. They look around: No one lives honourably. Evil reigns. Orphans and widows are neglected. People are puffed up, and institutions corrupt. And God, in his righteous judgment, intends to put a stop to it by bringing it all to the ground.
He “will lop the boughs with terrifying power; the tallest trees will be cut down” (Isaiah 10:33). All that will be left is a barren landscape, the bald remains of a clear-cut forest. But— “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isaiah 11:1).
Imagine wandering through that post-apocalyptic landscape, seeing nothing but grey for miles, and suddenly coming across that shoot! The first green. The first bit of supple growth, signalling water beneath and, someday, a tree.
Who is this shoot, whom the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon? Jesus. Jesus, descendant of Jesse. Jesus, descendent of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus, the one promised centuries before his arrival. Jesus is the one we hope for this Advent.
TALK
PRAY
God, I am amazed at your patience and your plan for redeeming all things. Thank you for giving us hope in Jesus, like new growth after a devastating bushfire. Please give me strength to keep hoping, faith to keep trusting and help me pay attention to you this Advent. Amen.
BLESS & DO
Make a Jesse tree for your home (see instructions above). Add some leaves and the first picture to it.
Bless someone by giving them some flowers or a plant.
Materials adapted from: https://www.faithward.org/jesse-tree/, http://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-jesse-tree-printable-pictures.html
SHARE
READ
READ
Psalm 144:12
"Make our sons in their prime like sturdy oak trees, Our daughters as shapely and bright as fields of wildflowers." (The Message)
Micah 6:6-8
“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
DISCUSS
PRAY
Loving God
We pray for the chaplains who serve in our schools, colleges, universities and institutions of learning, We give thanks for their commitment and passion for the role that you have called them to. We pray that they have the courage, wisdom and stamina to support the children, students and staff. We pray also for the Local Chaplaincy Committees and all of those who support our chaplains.
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us." Ephesians 3:20
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
PRAY
BLESS
SHARE
READ
Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you, therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
The Girls Brigade Vision
GIRLS’ LIVES TRANSFORMED; GOD’S WORLD ENRICHED
The Girls' Brigade Crest
The Girls' Brigade crest is a registered trademark of Girls' Brigade England & Wales. However, all Girls' Brigade companies around the world have the right to use it.
In the centre is a Cross, the symbol of Christ and his Church. Below the cross is a Lamp, which represents the light of the Girls' Brigade shining upon the World. Above it is a Crown, of Christ as King. Behind it all, is a Torch, the flame of Christ's living spirit.
The badge incorporates symbols from the three original organizations and is, therefore, in itself a symbol of union, as well as faith and allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Girls Brigade which formed in Ireland in 1893, brought in the Cross. The Girls' Guildry which formed in 1900 in Scotland, brought in the Lamp. Lastly, the Girls' Life Brigade, which formed in 1902 in England, brought in the Crown. They amalgamated in 1965. A competition was held to design the crest for the amalgamated organisation, it was won by Constance Fasham.
TALK
Read the passage and the Girls Brigade vision again.
The GB crest helps us understand what it is that transforms lives.
PRAY
Oh God, who prepared the disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Make our hearts and minds ready, we beseech you, for the indwelling presence of your son Christ our Lord. Grant that the Officers and members of the Girls Brigade may be True and just in all their dealings, modest and Gentle in all their Word's and always loving and kind. Bless all others who Work for the extension of Christ's kingdom in the lives of young people, so that finally we may all come to the blessed home through Christ our Lord. Amen
A prayer from the Girl’s Brigade in Zambia
BLESS
Additional resources attached.
If you would like a 'creative pack' with these materials already prepared, please contact Helen (via 3355 2162 or office@emmanueluca.org.au) or Jess (via 0438 168 706 or jess@emmanueluca.org.au) to arrange a convenient time for collection.
SHARE
READ
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit spread and moved among and within the people. But Pentecost is more than just an ancient story, it is about the ongoing life of the followers of Jesus. It is about us, here and now, and how through the Holy Spirit, we are filled, transformed, guided, and empowered to be the people of God, to share the joy and new life that it brings.
TALK
DO
Pentecost is a day when we see the church being inspired by the Holy Spirit and we want to encourage and facilitate you to respond creatively. You can use the ideas below or engage your creative self and use these items and other items that you have in other ways.
Playdough
Paper and colours
Candle or Sparkler (under adult supervision only)
PRAY & BLESS
Additional resources attached.
If you would like a 'creative pack' with these materials already prepared, please contact Helen (via 3355 2162 or office@emmanueluca.org.au) or Jess (via 0438 168 706 or jess@emmanueluca.org.au) to arrange a convenient time for collection.
Watch Joy
Talk
Challenge
Watch Joy to the World
Talk
Challenge