Advent Journey: December 1st
To assist you in your advent readings, consider reading these questions aloud and discussing them with your children, staying open to where the discussion may lead. The accompanying thoughts are simply that - my thoughts on the day's readings. They aren't necessarily intended for children, but are reflections on the readings for the day.
Illustrations ©Michael Livesay-Wright
Questions and Reflections
QUESTION: Have you ever wondered what there was before Earth existed?
Genesis tells us “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2, ESV). We don’t know exactly what is meant by these words, but we do know that words like “deep” and “waters” often refer to chaos. Where there was nothing, and where there was chaos, God was at work. Into the absence God in three persons prepares to act for the joy of creating and the love of a not-yet-made creation.
QUESTION: If God didn’t “need” to make the earth or make humans, why do you think he did it?
One of the most amazing parts of this story to me has always been that God doesn’t need to make Earth or humans. He already existed in perfect harmony and oneness within the Trinity. The Trinity is an utter mystery, but it’s enough for me to know that God the Father (the Creator and Eternal God), God the Son (the Sacrificial Lamb, the Perfect Offering, the Word of God made manifest), and God the Spirit (the Very Spirit of God dwelling in us), live all together as one Divine Godhead and they are perfect and whole. We will later explore why God made humans, but I like to think of Earth as the bounty of God spilling over into a creative act. God’s perfect power was made manifest in a magnificent act of creativity!
QUESTION: Do you sometimes feel lonely or sad? Do you believe that the coming of God makes a difference for your loneliness or sadness?
All of us sometimes feels lonely or sad. Maybe even right now you feel this way. We look around at this weary world and maybe wonder how that great and powerful and perfect God made something that looks so messy. And that’s ok. It’s ok to wonder about this and ask questions about it. But the deeper truth — truer than any current sadness or current loneliness is that God is always on the move. He is coming. He is before and above and greater than any of your current sadness and loneliness. I hope you know this somewhere in your heart. If not, keep reading. Maybe you will remember. The God of the universe is coming for us! He sees the mess, he sees the hurt, he sees the loneliness and he ins’t distance or flabbergasted. He has a plan. It may not be as quick as we like or as straightforward as we like. But it is exactly as it ought to be. Hold on, my friends. God is coming!
If you have a Spotify membership, check out this playlist I have carefully curated to complement the God Is Coming readings.
It has already been a joy and an encouragement to our family!