Hope – Gathering & Confession (Advent 1, Year C)

Gathering, Confession & Lighting The Advent Candle

Gathering:

Resources Needed:

  • List of top ten Christmas toys (see below)
  • PowerPoint or printed images of the above toys (you can find these by doing a google images search) You could just have images for the top five if that is easier.
  • Pen and paper for each table
  • Optional: Prize for the winning table

Script:

We’ll be starting today’s service with a test of your Christmas gift knowledge – you must work together as a table to come up with what you think are the ten most requested Christmas toys this year. No cheating by looking things up on your phone. It is worth remembering that these are specifically toys not phones, computers, computer games etc!

Allow a few minutes for people to come up with their answers then go for the big reveal:

Top Ten (according to Argos):

10 – My Friend Freddy – An interactive, cuddly teddy bear

9 -Real FX – A car racing game with artificial intelligence

8- Sing Along Elsa

7 – Lego Deep Sea Exploration Vessel

6 – Pie face – a pretty hilarious game of chance where you put your face in front of a cream pie flinging device and hope for the best.

5 – Three Storey Dolls House – Dolls not included!

4 – Barbie Style Your Way Dolls house – Like the other dolls house, but for Barbie

3 – Minions Tumbling Stuart – A minion toy that can fall over and stand up by itself

2 – Thunderbirds Interactive Tracey Island – Complete with all Thunderbirds (and a bit of a blast from the past!)

1 – Nerf Modulus – A Nerf blaster with precisions scope and shoulder mount (doesn’t sound dangerous at all).

I don’t know what is top of your Christmas list this year but there are people up and down the country who are already counting down the hours till Christmas morning – hoping against hope that they’ll get they’ll get the gift that they want. Today we begin our journey through Advent. Advent is a season of hope but it is a different kind of hope – not vague wishful thinking or the spiritual equivalent of a Christmas gift list but hope based on Jesus. A hope for a better today and a better tomorrow.

Lighting The Advent Candle:

Person 1: As we light our first Advent candle we are reminded of the hope that the people of the Old Testament had for the coming messiah and the hope that we have for a future in Jesus.

Person 2: Our hope is in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people (1 Tim 4:10)

*Light Candle*

Confession:

Each week we will be using a simple confession following the Church of England Advent pattern. This includes a short reflection and an invitation for people to bring their sins to God in silence followed by a short prayer thanking God for his forgiveness.

When the Lord comes,

he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness,

and will disclose the purposes of the heart.

Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins:

Allow a few moments of silence before closing with a prayer thanking God for his forgiveness.