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12. The Peace of Advent - Monday Evening · Family Prayer Podcast

• 0:01
  Good evening, Grace Harbor, it’s Dan.
• 0:04
  I hope you had a peaceful day, and by that,
• 0:07
  I mean I hope you had a day full of good things!
• 0:11
  Maybe even some good things you helped to make happen.
• 0:15
  Do you remember what special season is happening right now?
• 0:19
  It might look and feel like Christmas everywhere you turn,
• 0:22
  with special decorations, music,
• 0:25
  food, and lots of Christmas-themed ads on TV.
• 0:29
  We even had the big Christmas block party and tree lighting here in Grace
• 0:33
  Harbor last week.
• 0:34
  But it’s not quite Christmas yet.
• 0:37
  It’s Advent.
• 0:39
  Advent is the season we celebrate in the church in the weeks
• 0:43
  leading up to Christmas.
• 0:44
  But it’s more than just a countdown.
• 0:47
  It’s a time meant to help us prepare our hearts for the big day.
• 0:52
  And each week has its own theme to focus on.
• 0:55
  Does anyone remember what last week’s theme was?
• 0:59
  That’s right - it was hope.
• 1:01
  And we said that hope is about looking forward
• 1:04
  to something good that hasn’t happened yet.
• 1:08
  Well, our theme for this week builds on that idea of something good happening.
• 1:13
  Can you guess what the theme is?
• 1:16
  Haha - yeah, it’s peace!
• 1:18
  That’s why we’ve been talking about it so much today.
• 1:21
  So, what does peace have to do with Christmas?
• 1:24
  Well, around Christmas time, we talk about the birth of Jesus,
• 1:29
  and we sometimes talk about special titles Jesus gets.
• 1:33
  They’re kind of like nicknames but more official,
• 1:36
  and they help us understand who Jesus is and what he’s all about.
• 1:41
  One of Jesus’ titles is the Prince of Peace.
• 1:44
  It’s got a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
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  Prince of Peace.
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  A prince is a royal figure,
• 1:51
  someone with power and authority.
• 1:54
  They can make things happen.
• 1:56
  And so, if Jesus is the Prince of Peace, it means he uses all his power
• 2:02
  to help create peace - to make good things happen and help fix what's broken.
• 2:09
  This morning, I asked you to think about something you could do
• 2:12
  or say to help make something good happen today.
• 2:16
  Tonight, I want to ask you a slightly bigger question.
• 2:20
  Now, I know it’s late and you’re probably tired,
• 2:22
  so don’t worry about thinking so hard it makes your brain hurt.
• 2:26
  Just share the first thing that pops in your head.
• 2:29
  But I wonder, is there something happening right now where you think,
• 2:34
  ‘this situation could really use some peace
• 2:36
  - some good things to happen’?
• 2:40
  It could be something like another student at school who’s being mean.
• 2:44
  It could be someone you know who’s sick and you want them to feel better.
• 2:49
  It could be something scary going on in the world that you’ve heard about.
• 2:53
  Take a moment and share with your family whatever it is you’re thinking about.
• 2:57
  Adults, this might be a good one for you to go first on.
• 3:01
  If you need more time, you can pause the podcast, and I’ll
• 3:04
  be right here when you get back.
• 3:35
  Wow - thank you all so much for doing that.
• 3:39
  It isn’t easy sharing something we might be worried about,
• 3:43
  but I hope that by doing it together,
• 3:45
  it will help us better know how to pray for each other and ask
• 3:49
  Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to comfort us
• 3:52
  and make something good happen in those situations.
• 3:56
  And hey, before we close, I just wanted to remind you
• 4:00
  that you’re going to want to catch tomorrow morning’s podcast.
• 4:03
  I have a *really* exciting idea to share with you, and I don’t want you to miss it.
• 4:08
  Ok, let’s pray.
• 4:10
  If you want to, you can close your eyes and fold your hands.
• 4:14
  “Dear, God.
• 4:15
  We thank you for this day and for all of your blessings.
• 4:19
  We thank you for the ways we were able to help bring some peace
• 4:23
  by making good things happen today.
• 4:26
  As we rest tonight, help us remember that Jesus, the Prince of Peace,
• 4:31
  is watching over all the things we're worried about.
• 4:35
  Help us to get a good night’s sleep tonight so that we can wake up
• 4:38
  tomorrow rested and refreshed and ready to be peace-bringers again.
• 4:44
  Amen.” Alright, good night, Grace Harbor.
• 4:47
  I’ll talk to you in the morning.