11/12/11   Advent 3

Theme: God's Messenger

Bible reading

John 1: 6-8

Preparation

It's too near Christmas to have to gather lots of props together! However, in telling the introduction stories, you might like to utilize your miming skills, particularly if there are younger children present.

Introduction

Imagine a race - the runners have been running for 25 minutes. They are all closely grouped behind one man who has been leading for the last 22 minutes. There are only three laps left. One of the runners starts to lengthen his stride and quicken his pace. He takes the lead and widens the gap between himself and the rest of the group. One or two others take up the challenge and follow him, and the last three laps are run at a faster pace. The runner who was leading appears to give up, and to slip down the field to almost last place. This runner has been used as a 'pace setter' - to keep the runners to a steady pace, so that they can run the last laps really fast. Sometimes it is decided through team tactics, sometimes the other runners make an unspoken decision to let this particular runner do all the hard work at the beginning, and then take over. The pace setter prepares the way for the stronger runners.

Or imagine a film set. One actor has been standing in place for what seems like hours, moving this way or that, going through the movements of their scene, whilst camera operators look at lighting. There is something familiar about the actor - her hair colour, her size, the way she is standing. Then the director decides everything is perfect and filming can be. Suddenly the actor we were looking at goes off and on comes another actor, in the same clothes. But this actor is famous, a household name. ' Of course' the light dawns ' the first actor looked just like this person' - but now we see her we can see all the differences as well. The first actor was a stand-in - someone who is similar to the real actor. Stand-ins do all the standing about that camera crews and other people involved in the making of the film need to get all the lights and scenery ready. Once this is all sorted out the main actor can come on and start acting. The stand-in prepares the way for the main actor.

• Hands up if you would like to be a pace setter? And if you would like to be the winner of the race?
  
• Hands up if you would like to be a stand-in? And if you would like to be the film star?

Not many people will remember the name of the pace setter in a race, or the stand-in for a film, but their jobs are very important. Without them, the race might be too slow and unexciting and the film star would be so tired from standing around that they couldn't act. They both prepare the way for others to be able to shine. Preparing the way can be a very important task.

The message

John had always been a special baby. (If the story of John's birth was told last week, remind children of that.. If it has not been told, briefly tell the story. Elizabeth and Zechariah wanted children but had been unable to have any and now were old. Zechariah, as a priest in the temple, was chosen to burn incense on the altar, in the most holy place. Whilst he was there he was visited by an angel who told him that his wife would have a baby who would prepare the way for the Lord. The baby was to be called John. Zechariah clearly did not quite believe this, and the angel made him unable to speak. In due course, Elizabeth became pregnant, and gave birth to a son. When it was time to name him, no one would believe Elizabeth when she said his name was to be John, so they asked Zechariah. As soon as he wrote that the baby's name was to be John, he was able to talk again. Everyone praised God and wondered what would happen to this baby.)

As time went on, it became clear just how special John was. He lived a much simpler life than everyone around him, and finally went to live outside the towns. Instead of making everyone laugh, he told them that they needed to repent, to say sorry to God for all the things they had done that were not loving to God and one another. You wouldn't think telling people they were wrong would be very popular, yet lots of people came to visit John, and many were baptised as a sign that they wanted to live their lives in a new, more loving way.

Some people wondered whether John was the special person they were all expecting - the Messiah, God's promised one.

John always knew that his specialness was not about being the Messiah, God's promised one. When the angel visited Zechariah, the angel said that John's role was to prepare people for the Messiah. When John spoke to people, he reminded them about how important God was, and how God was concerned with the way they lived their lives. John knew that his job was to prepare people for Jesus, so that everyone might recognise that Jesus was the Light of the world.

The Bible says of John 'God sent his messenger, a man named John, who came to tell people about the light, so that all should hear his message and believe. He himself was not the light; he came to tell about the light.' John always knew Jesus was the most important person ever, for he said about Jesus ' I am not good enough to untie his sandals.'

John didn't worry that he wasn't the main character in this story. For him, the most important thing was that God had sent him to do a job of preparing the way, of making things ready. He wanted to do that as well as he could.
As we get ready to welcome Jesus at Christmas time, let us remember that it is not important to be the best at everything. What is important is to love God more than anything else.

Prayer

(This could start with lighting the third Advent candle, if you have an Advent wreath).
Let us remember that John's love of God, and how John was happy to be the person who prepared the way for Jesus.
Let us ask God that we might love him too, and be happy to do whatever God wants us to do.