Luke 2:13-16; Mark 4:35-41
On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of peace. Typically, the fourth Sunday of Advent falls after our Christmas program, but today they align. In many ways, it seems out of place to focus on peace on a morning where the service will have many different parts, and the chaos of moving children from the basement to the sanctuary and back. Yet, if we can’t talk about peace in real-life situations, is it so impractical as to be almost impossible to experience? The two passages above provide two very different scenes in which Jesus was asleep (at least the carols say He was asleep in the hay). We often picture the manger scene as quiet and tranquil while we certainly can’t do so for the stormy sea. Yet Jesus can be at peace in both the manger and in the stern of a chaotically rocking boat. Perhaps this challenges us to expand our understanding of peace as simply the absence of mayhem. Might the peace of Christ have more to do with the presence of Christ than the absence of chaos? In a brief message today, Pastor Lyle will explore what peace might look like in the midst of a storm.
Apply
- Why do you think Jesus was able to sleep in the middle of a dangerous storm? What does this say to you about the peace He came to bring?
Pray
- Pray that those who are new to the church will be welcomed and find meaningful relationships.
- Pray that all the “moving parts” of today’s service will come together and that Jesus will be glorified in the midst of it all!
- Pray for our Children’s Ministry Pastor, Jerilyn Bayer.
- Pray for the Children’s Ministry Associate, Annette Faszer. Pray for the Children’s Ministry Assistants: Abigail, Amelia, Blythe, Clarissa, Domina, Jenna, Sarah, and Sunita.