COMING,
READY OR NOT
The
First Sunday in Advent, December 2nd, '07, at Christ Church, Mandurah
MT.24:36-44
Notes: 1. Coming, Ready or Not is our
over-arching theme at Christ Church, Mandurah during the weeks of
Advent. These 'work-sheets' are the opportunity to 'do some
homework' on the Gospel we will hear preached on Sunday & hopefully
be better prepared
for our worship that will centre round that passage. On the 1st S. in
Advent the ThreeYear Cycle of readings begins again, this year (Year A)
with Matthew's Gospel.
2.These notes are
intended for use both in Groups, or personally at home..In the former
case, it would help to
read the set Gospel beforehand.
Prayer:
for Preparedness
in every sense.
Warming-Up
Exercise:
(Say 2 mins, for Groups or Individuals): Whose visits do we welcome -
or dread?
Some
Questions to help us Enter Into The Story and make it our own:.
1. If the timing of the Son of Man's
coming in power (compared with his coming among us in human form in 1st
C. Palestine) is as unknown as Jesus says it is, what emphasis should
we give being ready for it? Is there any kind of happy medium between
going overboard about the 'Second Coming' and sweeping it under the
carpet? Might we be better off recognizing Jesus' (the Son of Man /
Humanity) coming by his presence in each other by his Spirit right now?
Is that the way we are 'ready' for his coming again anyway?
2. What point(s) might Jesus
want us to take on board from the Noah stories (GEN 6+) because they
are still relevant for us today? Do we have difficulty seeing the
relevance of such ancient stories for today? Should we be busy building
our own
contemporary 'ark' rather than looking for evidence of a primitive
parable
/ story on top of some mountain in the Middle East? What kind of 'ark'
might God be calling us to build today? Made out of what? Can we
identify any 'arks' we discern people building under God's guidance
today?
3. Do we tend to think of the
'two in the field' and the 'two grinding meal' who are 'taken' in
Jesus' illustration of readiness as unprepared victims of a new
'flood'? What if they were blessed enough to be ready for their
'taking'? Beneficiaries of God's grace? Are we ourselves ready to be
taken in a good sense (blessed) rather than a bad one (punished)?
4. What does 'staying awake'
for God actually involve for people like us? Might it mean being awake
to ourselves? Being awake to others' needs -
spiritual as well as physical, etc.? Being awake to opportunities to
serve God by serving each other? Being awake to opportunities for
worshipping God?.................? How can we be sure of staying awake
to the rousings of God's Spirit in our lives, our communities, etc.?
5. Are we as awake as we need
to be to bad things 'breaking into' our lives, or the lives of those
around us? What steps are we taking to prevent such 'breakings' into
the life God has given us? Are there things that are more 'break-downs'
rather than 'breaking ins' that hinder us following in the Way God
calls us to follow? If God, through Jesus calls us to 'stay awake'
wouldn't God also provide us with whatever we need to obey? Can we
identify anything God does provide to 'keep us awake'? Do we always
take advantage of what God provides?
