IMAGINE (Candle lighting)

Today we light this candle (pink) as a reminder of your faithfulness to your people. We light this candle that your joy might shine bright in our lives. Throughout the generations, you have proven you are trustworthy. You have proven that you will never leave us nor forsake us. We light this candle as we look to the future and trust you will prove yourself even more.

(The person lighting the candle can say, Jesus is here. Everyone else, by his spirit he is here.)

STORY

*As you read, instruct everyone present to listen for a word, phrase, or idea that captures your attention. Especially look for the imagery present and how the arrival of Jesus is depicted through everyday life. After reading, take a few minutes to share.

Matthew 11:2-11

'John, meanwhile, had been locked up in prison. When he got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples to ask, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?” 

Jesus told them, “Go back and tell John what’s going on: The blind see, The lame walk, Lepers are cleansed, The deaf hear, The dead are raised, The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.

“Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves most blessed!”

When John’s disciples left to report, Jesus started talking to the crowd about John. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A prophet? That’s right, a prophet! Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear. He is the prophet that Malachi announced when he wrote, ‘I’m sending my prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you.’

“Let me tell you what’s going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him.