On Sunday, we lit the first candle of our Advent wreath and talked about the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled and how hard it must have been for God’s people to piece it all together.I wrote out some prophecies on paper, folded them up, and asked the older two kids to create a simple scavenger hunt. The younger two raced off in search of the messages, which they found and brought back to share…messages like Micah 5:2, Hosea 11:1, and Isaiah 7:14.Those messages—those prophecies—were like notes left by the Father for His people to find and hold onto. Those notes offered hope.Over the years, especially during the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments when God seemed relatively silent, people must have clung to those words, puzzling over who the Messiah would be. They must have studied those clues provided in images and descriptions; they must have pondered them continually, praying for insight, wondering, watching…waiting.Waiting for the Messiah.He would eventually fulfill those prophecies, often in unexpected ways. But did they see Him when He arrived? Did they put it all together?It’s easy to look back with the perspective of a 21st Century Christian and think, “How could they miss it? It seems so obvious that Jesus was Messiah!”But…would I have seen Him? If I met Him in Bethlehem the night of His birth, or in Egypt where His earthly father kept Him safe from Herod, or later still in Nazareth or any of the places He traveled during His ministry…would I have pieced it all together?Assuming I wasn’t one of the principal players in the Christmas story, like a shepherd floored by the angels or one of the magi, would I have seen Jesus and responded with immediate recognition, “Of course! He’s the one!”I hope that the Father would have given me eyes to see.How I thank Him for giving me eyes to see…that I might believe.I don’t want to miss the signs that pointed to His first arrival among us.I don’t want to miss His work in the world—and my life—today.I don’t want to miss Him when He comes again.Oh, Light of the World, in Your light we see light. Help me to always see You!
This is such a wonderful idea, Ann–and unique. An advent prophecy scavenger hunt. I may just adopt it as a tradition in the Dyer house.
Miss you!
Ann, I have often thought that I am glad I wasn’t alive at that time in history. I’m afraid I would have been one of the skeptics – doubting that such a humble, carpenter’s son could possibly be the Son of God. Like you, I pray that I would have been given eyes to see.
Our Pastor said, a couple of weeks ago, that prophecy is the proof that there is a God. We have the advantage of living in a time when we can see how perfectly the things foretold in scripture all came to pass. I think your game was a brilliant idea!
I love the idea of a scavenger hunt to remind us of prophecy. Very cool!
And I love knowing that we’re lighting candles on the same wreath this year. Miles apart, yet connected. 🙂
Ann,
Thank you so much for sharing your creative Advent ideas. You have inspired me. This is the first season my husband is actually recognizing Advent along with us. We’ve had a lot of fun, moving around wise men and hiding baby Jesus and such. I so appreciate reading about what others do, as we did not keep Christmas growing up. It still feels so new to me, though I’ve celebrated since married.
Happy Advent. 🙂