Advent 2- 6/12/09

Jesse Tree - Part 2

BIBLE READING

Malachi chapter 3 verses 1-4.

PREPARATION

Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament and is a book of prophecy. In the passage we learn that an awesome messenger will prepare the way for the Lord to return to his Temple. God's people will be purified so that they will be fit to respond to him, in the way that silversmith refines silver or a fuller (cloth worker) cleans cloth.

• Have on display the Jesse Tree made last week.

• Have also some very dirty little coins (1 and 2p pieces will be fine) and some brass cleaner - Brasso or similar. You could also have a piece of very tarnished silver and some silver cleaner.

• You might also like to have a very dirty piece of cloth and a bowl of water and some detergent.

• Use plastic or rubber gloves when using the brass and silver polish and probably also the detergent.

• To hang the clean coins on the tree you will need cling film and either red cotton or silver thread.

• You could play the track 'He is like a refiner's fire' from Handel's Messiah as children enter the hall.

INTRODUCTION

Last week we made an Advent tree - or a Jesse Tree - to remind us about getting ready for the coming of Jesus. We have Jesus family tree with Jesse and David and Mary. And we have the scrolls of some of the prophets who looked forward to Jesus coming in Old Testament times.

What else might we have to do to get ready for Jesus to come? Accept whatever answers are offered.

MESSAGE

Here is another idea that perhaps we may not have thought of. When we remember Jesus coming at Christmas, we remember him as a baby, but we mustn't forget that Christians believe Jesus is Lord, king of the earth as well.

When they looked forward to the coming of Jesus, the prophets warned people that they would have to be ready to welcome Jesus when he came.
[ If you had the music from the Messiah as you entered the hall: The words you heard being sung as you came into the hall are the words of one of the prophets warning people of what it would be like when the Lord comes.] Let's listen to what one of the prophets, Malachi, said. Read the passage Malachi chapter 3 verses 1-4.

It's rather difficult to understand what he is saying but doing some jobs might help us. Invite some people to come and look at the dirty coins, dirty silver and the dirty cloth. Get them to describe to everyone what the coins and the dirty silver are like; also the cloth. Ask how they might make them all look better - and then invite them to put on the rubber gloves and do the cleaning. It would be a good time to sing a hymn or song while the cleaning is being undertaken, as it takes a little time. When the coins and the silver are clean show them to everyone - and also look at the cloths that have been used. What has happened to that? [You might want to work out how the process worked, but this could be time consuming]

Malachi was telling people that when the Lord comes he will purify people, he will make them clean and pure again, rather like cleaning a piece of silver to get the dirt off or rubbing a coin clean. Or someone who works in a place where they make cloth from sheep's wool cleaning up the wool before it is used so that the cloth is not all greasy and dirty when it is made - sheep's wool is very greasy and dirty when it first comes off the back of the sheep, as you can imagine.

We could hang our shiny coins on the Jesse Tree now as a reminder of Malachi's warning that when the Lord comes, he will want to people to be pure and clean ready to meet him.

The best way to hang the coins on the tree will be to wrap them in cling film screwed up at the top and bound up with red cotton or silver thread which is then tied to the tree. You might also like to print out Malachi's words and stick the piece of paper to the pot so that people can read them as they pass the tree.

PRAYER

Father in heaven,
you sent your Son Jesus to be born as a baby,
to live as a man and to die to save the world: help us to be like him,
pure and humble, so that when he comes again,
we may meet him with joyful love and firm faith, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

This prayer is an adaption of the post communion prayer for the second Sunday of Advent.