Second Week of Advent 2016 - Peaceable Kingdom in Bethlehem

As we begin the second week of Advent -  I am thinking about Nativity scenes.  I remember when I was small and the Christmas decorations came down from the attic my favorite part was unpacking the Nativity scene. I would gently unwrap each piece and find its place in the small wooden stable.

Creating a Nativity scene is still my favorite thing to do each year.  So, I've been known to get a little silly and creative with my scene over the years.  I like to grab non-traditional "items" to help tell the story.  Here is a photo of this year's creation. The annual Newman Nativity has been "curated" from Happy Meals and the church toy bin. The manger provided by Amazon. I know it seems a little silly  - but it certainly is a conversation piece.  When people come over and ask about it - I get to tell the story as I describe each piece. 

We are doing sort of the same thing during our Time for Children in worship this advent. Each week, we have been building the story piece by piece. 

This week, the lectionary takes us to Isaiah 11:1-10. This is passage was our weekly Sunday school lesson and shares God's message of hope and peace through the propheth to the people of Judah. 

So, this week as we added Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus to the manger scene - we also added a few extra animals. A wolf, leopard, lion and bear were added to the traditional animals to show how God's message of peace that came long before Jesus' birth is a part of our story. 

Isaiah 11:1-10 (NRSV)

The Peaceful Kingdom

 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
    the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide by what his ears hear;
 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

 The wolf shall live with the lamb,
    the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
    and a little child shall lead them.
 The cow and the bear shall graze,
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
    and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
 They will not hurt or destroy
    on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

Can you imagine all these animals living together in peace? In Advent we remember these words from God as we wait for Jesus. This week's prayer:  God of Peace, your picture of peace fills our hearts and dreams as we wait for the one you sent into the world.

Maybe this week you can build your own Nativity scene. Or take some time to look at Nativity scenes that are around you.  Below are some activities to try as well. 

Let's go to Bethlehem - Coloring Sheet








Let's o to Bethlehem - Activity Sheet














Isaiah: Peaceable Kingdom Ornaments

From our Sunday School lesson this week - download the coloring sheet and cut out to make ornaments for your Christmas Tree.








And just for fun - here is one of my favorites - Mr. Bean!