Light a Candle
Experience
If your group is able, consider baking something during Community group this evening. Something that as a group you have to “wait” on. This could be as simple as premade cookie dough, or as complicated as sourdough, or homemade brownies. Instead of having the dessert ready right when dinner is over, have it be ready more towards the end of group time. This can serve as a physical reminder of the feelings that come with waiting.
Read Liturgy Out Loud
In this waiting season –
in a time between times when living seems restricted.We gather to remember one who embraced constraint while waiting for birth.
In this waiting season –
in a time between times when joy seems curtailed. We gather to remember one who shared a feast while waiting for death.
In this waiting season –
In a time between times when action seems suspended We gather to remember one who harrowed hell while waiting for resurrection. God with us in the past, as we recount your story. Teach us that waiting is not dead time but a dreaming time through which new ideas and insights are engendered.
Emmanuel,
God with us in the present, as we share your supper. Teach us that waiting is not lost time but a liminal time within which new possibilities and patterns take form.
Emmanuel,
God with us in the future, as we celebrate your Kingdom. Teach us that waiting is not a quiescent time but a quickening time from which new life and love emerges.
Emmanuel,
God with us in all time, as we look for your coming. Teach us how to inhabit this waiting time. (In season of waiting devo)
Begin with prayer
Gather together as a Community. Spend a moment in silence, in the presence of Jesus and each other. Pray to ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide your time together.
Debrief the most recent teaching
- What did you take away from the teaching, and what has God been doing in your life in this season because of it?
- What part of Elizabeth’s story resonated with you?
Listen
Wait on You – Elevation Worship
Elizabeth waited longer than she ever thought possible. For her, it was personal—waiting for a child. But it was also shared, waiting with her people for the promised Messiah. Both kinds of waiting carried a deep ache. Advent is a time to sit with that tension, reflecting on the waiting—both for Jesus’ return and in the places where we’re still waiting in our own lives. Waiting has so many faces. Maybe your waiting feels like Elizabeth’s, longing for a baby. Or maybe it’s waiting for a spouse, or for peace and unity in your marriage. It could be waiting for the day when diapers and endless Legos are no longer part of your daily life. Maybe it’s waiting for a promotion, a career shift, or the relief of financial stability. Waiting looks different for all of us, but it’s something we all share.
Discussion
- How has the season of Advent been so far?
- What in your life have you waited longer than you ever imagined?
- For those currently in waiting, how can we as a community better come alongside you in your waiting?
Prayer
Break up into smaller groups and spend time in prayer. This can be for general prayer requests or prayer over those currently waiting. Pray out loud all together for each person.
Waiting Ends
Feast in the dessert you’ve been waiting for. Take a moment to pray as a group for both the pain of waiting and the gift of hope.