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Getting Ready for God

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Christmas Pack #9 - Make Room at the Inn

Getting Ready for God

Table of Contents

Getting Ready for God

Advent: A Time of Preparation

A Bible Study Guide for Youth

by Don Luther

 

Author

Don Luther is a pastor of the Lutheran Church. Having served parishes in Detroit, Michigan, and Columbus, Ohio, and Minneapolis. Don has written confirmation resource materials and other senior high Bible studies for the Lutheran Church.

Introduction

The words of our Lord to his disciples in Luke 21 sound the keynote for Advent. "Your redemption is drawing near... the kingdom of God is near... watch and pray." Clearly the watchword is preparation, preparation for the coming of the Lord.

Preparation is an attitude, a way of living, a way of seeing. In aviation, the attitude of a plane is its relationship to the horizon toward which it's headed. The attitude is set by the pilot, inside the plane. His attitude will determine how he approaches the horizon. In much the same way, our attitude, the way we see, the way we live, carries us toward the future.

The promise of God in the Bible is that his kingdom, his rule is drawing near... a rule of mercy, justice and peace. The rule of God is established and assured in the life, death, resurrection and reign of Jesus Christ. In response to God's promise of the kingdom and out of thanksgiving, we live in expectation of the fulfillment of all his promises. We have been given a vision, the vision of God's future. Being prepared, entering Advent, means living in that vision of mercy, justice and peace given us by God.

That kind of living, that attitude involves struggle, since life in this world often contradicts the vision of God. Preparation is living against the evidence, living in contradiction to the world's vision of violence, injustice and war. Preparation is living as witnesses to the coming kingdom, witnesses for the sake of the world and the glory of God.

If all this is true-if this is the vision expressed in the Word of God in the Bible-then we should hear in the Bible a Word for living toward this vision of God. Among other places, there is such a Word in Luke. Read on.

 

Session One: The Vision

Read Luke 21:25-36 out loud to one another in the group.

FAITHFULNESS: A WAY OF SEEING

In these verses Jesus talks of faith as a peculiar way of seeing...

What Jesus seems to be getting at is not what we see, but how we see what we see. That may sound confusing at first, but it isn't really. We see all the time, people, things, events. We also choose not to see. What makes the difference? Why do we see at some times and not at others? A lot depends on how we see, the vision we have, the attitude we bring to the world of people, things and events. Our attitude determines what we allow ourselves to see and what we exclude from our vision.

THE VISION OF GOD

From what Jesus says in these verses, God also has a way of seeing. God too has a peculiar vision for the future of his creation. God's vision is called redemption... the coming of the kingdom. God's vision of the future is one of mercy, justice and peace for all people. The coming of that vision, according to Jesus, is as certain as the coming of summer which is signaled by trees coming out in leaf.

Faithfulness is a way of seeing the future, seeing the world through the vision of God. Faithfulness is opening ourselves to God's vision so that God's vision becomes our own and shapes our lives.

CHECKING IT OUT

You can check out this vision business in your own life. Each of us lives toward what s/he expects is coming. We tend to act out our life in anticipation of what we think may be around the corner or up the road.

Take time individually, spend time with your personal thoughts, your dreams, your fears, your expectations. Go into yourself for a few minutes and then jot down how you live, act, behave, when you feel... hopeful... fearful... expectant... threatened... etc. When you're finished, take time to share around the group.

We always live toward some expectation, some vision. When we focus on God's kingdom, when God's promise of mercy, justice and peace becomes our vision as well, we begin to live toward the future God has in store.

PEACEMAKING AS WITNESS TO THE VISION OF GOD

As we move into Advent, there is no more critical ministry, no more urgent witness to God's vision than peacemaking. We live surrounded by local violence, regional wars and the threat of terrorist attacks, all of which contradict what God intends for us and for all people. The ministry of peacemaking needs every person who can be called to the task. Resources are available to you and your group through your church. Check with your pastor for people who can assist you. You can check with other youth groups and congregations in your area for possible suggestions. The American Friends Service Committee, the Mennonite Church, the Fellowship of Reconciliation may also be of help.

"WATCH AND PRAY"

Those are the final words of the Lord to his disciples in these verses from Luke which open Advent. Watch and Pray that the vision of God may be your own.

 

Session Two: The Visionary

Read Luke 3:1-9. You may want to dramatize these verses by having the entire group read vv. 1-3, followed by vv. 4-6 and 7-9 read by individuals.

TO JOHN THE BAPTIZER

God's vision is great, grand, inclusive, cosmic, beyond our wildest imaginings. Yet check out the movement in Luke 3:l-9. Have someone in the group read these verses aloud. Listen for the movement, the flow, especially in vv. 1-3. From great to small, general to specific, fully public to intensely personal, so moves the action of God.

Caesar, Pilate, Herod and the others, all political leaders, are intentionally noted by Luke. Through the figures of political and religious power, inclusive of the whole known world, the Word of God comes to John... to John, the hermit, John in the desert, John the visionary... a visionary created by the Word of God.

TRACING THE WORD

For Luke, the Word moves past each of these political and religious leaders, leaving them untouched. Then he makes an astounding statement in v. 2, "the Word of God came to John in the wilderness." Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, without saying how, Luke simply notes that John was gripped by the vision of God. Things began to happen. Take a few minutes to note what occurs in vv. 3-9 as a result of the power of the Word:

In every instance, the vision of God brings change, unexpected newness.

CHECKING OUT TWO KEY WORDS: REPENTANCE AND SALVATION

Repentance: the simplest meaning of repentance is to turn around. To repent is to turn around 180 degrees and head off in the opposite direction you've been traveling. Repentance creates a radically different way of seeing things. An ancient tale told by the rabbis makes the point.

In the hiddenness of time there was a poor man who left his village, weary of life, longing for a place where he could escape all the struggles of this earth. He set out in search of a magical city-the heavenly city of his dreams, where all things would be perfect. He walked all day and by dusk he found himself in a forest, where he decided to spend the night. Eating the crust of bread he had brought, he said his prayers and just before going to sleep, placed his shoes in the center of the path, pointing them in the direction he would continue the next day. Little did he imagine while he slept, a practical joker would come along and turn his shoes around, pointing them back in the direction from which he had come.

The next morning, in all the innocence of folly, he got up, gave thanks to the Lord of the universe, and started on his way again in the direction his shoes pointed. For a second time he walked all day, and toward evening finally he saw the magical city in the distance. It wasn't as large as he expected. As he got closer, it looked curiously familiar. But he pressed on, found a street much like his own, knocked on a familiar door, greeted the family he found there-and lived happily ever after in the magical city of his dreams.

John the Baptizer was captured by a vision and he saw the ordinary in a totally new way. He preached what had happened to him... repentance. Another word for what happened to John is conversion. It has happened to more people than John. It also happens more than once. Repentance, conversion, turning around, seeing the ordinary in a new way... that's still going on. It may be going on right now with you.

Salvation this is the promise in v. 6. John was saved by the vision of God. The most basic meaning for salvation is to be healed, made whole. It could be a non-religious word if it weren't for the truth that all healing is from God. John saw clearly for the first time; he got sight and insight. He left the lesser visions he had been following, lesser ways of seeing people, events and things. He began to see the world through the vision of God's mercy, justice and peace. That same kind of "saving vision... sight to eyes long blind... a new wholeness of sight" may be occurring right now. At least that's the promise of Isaiah, quoted in Luke 3:6, "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." Have you noticed...?

 

WHERE GOD IS AT WORK

The kingdom, the rule of God... a grand vision of mercy, justice and peace for all.... In his call John was to trust that vision beyond any lesser visions he might have had, to trust it with his whole life. Each of us is called to enter that same vision for the sake of the world.

If you and/or your group has made contact with a peacemaking ministry... if you've probed another issue which doesn't go away, world hunger... the angle of your vision may be widening. In those places, with those people who are giving themselves to mercy, justice and peace, take time to listen. With those people and in those places, God is at work to bring his vision into our live. Listen, question, reflect, pray, discuss, discern, probe. There is a place for you to give of yourselves as latter day visionaries of God.

 

Session Three: The Vision as Reality

Read Luke 3:10-20 out loud, around your group. Have one person re-read Luke 3:7-9.

FROM ONE EXTREME TO ANOTHER

Luke 3:7-9 has some very extreme statements.

Strong stuff indeed!

According to Luke, the people got the message and wanted to know, "What shall we do?" Good question. In fact for Luke it is the question, usually the question of salvation, of life and death (10:25, 18:18, 3:9). "What shall we do" Looks like extreme measures were needed. Maybe... go to the synagogue every day... pray continuously... join a religious community... go live in the wilderness like John the Baptizer?

Take a few moments and list the responses of John.

THIS IS REPENTANCE!!!

What a let down! Share a coat... share your food... don't cheat... don't rob by violence or extortion. On the surface, John's response doesn't seem to take the people seriously at all. Wait a minute; look more carefully. The multitudes were already poor. Owning only two coats to begin with, they were told to give away one. Having little to eat themselves, they were told to share with others who had nothing. These were the poor, the outsiders, and they were being invited into the vision of God. And tax collectors? They were hated in Israel, as were many of the soldiers. Yet, they too were received, accepted, gathered into the new beginnings, the new vision of God which was about to dawn with the coming of the Christ.

Everyone who came, from the greatest to the least, was called to repent... to turn around and head in a new direction... open their eyes so that they could begin to see the ordinary with new eyes, eyes of faith. Those who were invited were not required to leave what they had been doing. They were not required to do anything "religious." Rather, the vision called them to concrete acts of mercy and justice. For instance, for tax collectors and soldiers, repentance was matched to the special temptations of their vocations, cheating for the former and violent extortion for the latter. Neither group was called to do the impossible. Rather, they were to remain where they were and be just. A very practical witness to the vision of God! A witness to the coming kingdom of mercy, justice and peace... a witness in which the vision becomes reality.

Alternatives has some resources you may want to explore in these areas, either individually or as team projects.

WHERE ARE YOU?

Where are you? Not a bad question! And it can be responded to in several ways. Where are you?...

Where are you? What do you see? Whom do you see? How do you see? Please don't mistake these questions for intimidation, a way to put you on the defensive. They are something quite different... a way of seeing where you are in your life right now. Since according to Luke it is not necessary to leave where you are, you are free to look at where you are... to see where you are through the vision of God. You're free to inquire about what the vision of mercy, justice and peace might mean for you and your group where you are right now. Take a little time to share your thoughts with each other.

In the exercise of our vocation we witness to the kingdom, the vision of God's future for the world. However, a word of caution: the vision of God has a way of gripping our life, a way of possessing us. The Baptizer made it clear that that is possession by the Holy Spirit. John was possessed that way, and according to Luke 3:19-20, it led to suffering for him, for the vision of God is always a threat to lesser visions. What was true for John remains just as true for us today. Take care!

The Lord's Prayer would be a fitting close.

 

Session Four: The Vision Fulfilled

Read Luke 1:39-56. One person could be the story teller and read vv. 39-45; vv. 46-56 could then be read alternating verse by verse between the reader and the group. This would fit the character of the Magnificat which is a Christian psalm.

THE SONG OF MARY

Throughout these studies we've spoken of the vision of God's future. In the Song of Mary, the Magnificat, a 15 or 16-year-old maiden sings of what God has in store for the creation, God's Vision for the future.

Take a close look at Luke 1:51-53. The Lord has

THE FIRST FRUITS OF THE VISION OF GOD

Mary's Song is also very personal. "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior... he has done great things for me." And finally she sings that the Lord has kept all his promises to his people in the coming of Jesus.

As the gospel of Luke unfolds, Jesus appears as the Savior of the poor, Friend of the hungry, Companion of the outcasts, Servant of the lost, who brings mercy, justice and peace. His life, death, resurrection and reign are the assurance that God will accomplish his vision. The violence, injustice and war which seem to rule have been overcome in Christ. In the death and resurrection of Jesus, the beginning, the first fruits of the vision of God has occurred. The great eschatological reversal has already begun. God's rule of mercy, justice and peace cannot be stopped! That is the meaning of the Easter announcement, "Christ is risen!"

LIVING IN THE VISION

We said in the beginning of these studies that the way we see things effects the way we act. What we expect is what we look for and live toward. If we are convinced of the final victory of violence, oppression and nuclear holocaust, we will live toward them. Such a conviction is committed to the vision of death. If we have been claimed, are being claimed, are opening up to the possibility of mercy, justice and peace... then our life has been touched by the vision of God which comes with the gospel. It is the profound vision of life and with it comes the invitation to struggle. Whatever the evidence may be to the contrary (and there's plenty of evidence), God's vision will out. That is God's promise!

ON THE WAY

In his book, Good News to the Poor, Walter Pilgrim lists four ways in which we can live toward the vision of God for the future with commitment:

Pilgrim's book, an exploration of Luke, makes an excellent resource for an ongoing study of the third gospel beyond the season of Advent. It would be a great help to you as you help one another on the way to becoming a visionary people. Or contact Alternatives for other resources. Shalom to you on the way.

A fitting conclusion to this study would be the prayer of Jesus for the coming of the kingdom of God.

Make copies of this resource under the Creative Commons attribution, not-for-profit license.

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