Week One

Purple — Passion and power!

We begin our journey through the brightness of Christmas with Royal Purple as Joseph is given a sneak peak of the King of Kings that his fiancee is going to give birth to. But this Jesus is no ordinary king as he combines the purple of royalty with the purple of the priesthood. In Jesus these two shades come together in our selfless Prince of Peace who leads us to the throne of God. This unique combination will birth an incredible saviour, but for him to make it Joseph must be stirred to compassion. Our expectations about power and authority are turned on their head and reinvented. This Prince of Peace was born in a stable, the son of a father who almost disowned him and yet he was the most powerful person on earth.

This week we want to think about how we can turn expectations of power on their head and be stirred by compassion to empower others. Are children born into difficult fragile circumstances simply regrettable victims of wider forces or are they powerful agents of change and transformation themselves? The nativity tells us it’s the latter!

Seeds to sow: This week consider how you can support organisations like Compassion that are empowering young people born into poverty around the world.

Read Matthew 1: 18-25

Precarious prince of peace…

Jesus was not born into a wealthy noble family. Emmanuel, God with us, King of kings, is not born in pomp and ceremony but out of the strength and compassion of the vulnerable Mary and Joseph. God and humanity together, a bright beacon that shines through history.

How do feel reading these verses? Who do you feel sympathy for and why? And who are the people God is stirring you to show compassion towards today? Who need to be remembered, protected, to belong, to be given a chance?

Read Isaiah 9: 6-7

Prophesied Prince of Peace!

Our Prince of Peace is a seemingly impossible thing — a selfless ruler, one who leads from the heart, blending the purple of royalty with the purple of the priesthood. Through Jesus we come to God the Father. Christianity upends how we think about power. A carpenter's son born on the margins who speaks about love is the most powerful person on the planet. This is a bright spark of selfless leadership! Why did humanity’s saviour come into the world like this?

Read Genesis 14: 18–20 + Hebrews 6: 17-20

Who is Melchizedek!?!

This blending of King and Priest (and offering a meal, bread and wine) is a foreshadowing deep in the Old Testament of the figure of Jesus to come.

All of us, no matter what, have a sure and certain hope in Jesus — our forerunner, a high priest on our behalf linking God and Humanity. We are worthy of love, dignity, and respect — so let’s follow after Christ and help him to make everyone shine!

Let’s consider practical steps we can take this week to champion those who need us. To change how we see the weak and vulnerable — to see them as powerful agents of change in their own right.

Discuss practical steps!