Advent Map Instructions.

This map and accompanying instructions are meant to help you explore the story of expectation and waiting that leads up to the birth of Jesus at Christmas. The youth of Messiah have worked together to provide your household with questions you might use to wonder about this story together. There are also suggestions for people/groups to pray for at your various locations, and we encourage you to let the Holy Spirit guide your prayers to include whatever is on your heart.

You can use this map however you want! If you want to take an adventure all in one day, go for it. If you want to space it out through the advent season, that sounds great too! You can even just google the addresses of locations and look at them on your computer if you aren’t leaving the house much these days. This is just a tool for you to use as we journey through this advent season in a new way.

If you prefer to print out the instructions you can download the instructions, stops, and readings here.

With Love,

Messiah Lutheran

Senior Youth

Stop 1 – St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Stop 1. St John the Baptist Catholic Church (parking lot)

1057 Hughes Road Madison AL 35758

Bible Reading: Luke 1:5-25

Questions for discussion/meditation:

What do you think the Angel looked like? Why did the angel say “Do not be afraid?”
Why would Zechariah question the angel, and was his question really out of line?
This story is about a different child in the Advent story, about John the Baptist, whose calling was not to save the world, but to point to the one who could, Jesus. How can we be like John the Baptist in our own lives?

Pray for: Priests, Pastors, Deacons, Lay Ministers, Chaplains, Imams, Rabbis, and all of those who work in places where faith is practiced.

Stop 2 – Madison Hospital Parking Lot

Stop 2. Madison Hospital Parking Lot

8375 Highway 72 W. Madison AL 35758

Bible Reading: Luke 1:26-38

Questions for discussion/meditation:

How would you feel if an angel appeared and spoke to you? Would you be afraid (even if the Angel said to not be afraid?)
If God asked you to do something or told you something was going to happen to you that your friends and family might not understand and that might seem wrong to them , how would you respond to God? Would you say ‘“Oh, no way God, not me!” Or would you respond like Mary, maybe have a question but ultimately say, “OK God, I believe in you, I will do, or things will be done, as you say your will be done”?
What would you think if you heard that something that was impossible was actually happening? (Elizabeth getting pregnant when she was very old and had never been able to have a baby). Would you remember that “with God all things are possible”?

Pray for: Families who are expecting babies, those who may have been praying for babies for a long time, for those who are surprised, and for those who are struggling.

Stop 3 – Ace Hardware – Madison

Stop 3: Ace Hardware

141 Hughes Road Madison AL 35758

Bible Reading: Matthew 1:18-24

Questions for discussion/meditation:

For Joseph to give Jesus his name meant for Joseph to claim Jesus as his son, even though people would know Joseph wasn’t his father. How does that affect your opinion of Joseph?
We don’t know a lot about Joseph through scripture. What do you imagine him to be like?
What men in your life have influenced your faith? How did they do that?

Pray for: Men who are dads, want to be dads, act like dads for children who need them, or are faith influencers of children and youth.

Stop 4 – Kid’s Kingdom Dublin Park

Stop 4: Kids Kingdom in Dublin Park

8324 Madison Pike, Madison AL 35758

Bible Reading: Luke 1:39-56

Questions for discussion/meditation:

How do you think Elizabeth felt when Mary greeted her?
How do you think Mary felt when Elizabeth called her “the mother of my Lord”?
How would you feel if you were Mary? Would you feel happy? Overwhelmed? Unworthy?

Bonus: Look up Marty Haugen, Holden Evening Prayer Magnificat (annunciation) online, and listen to Mary’s words through music. (can be found on youtube, or possibly other music subscriptions).

Action Bonus: The scripture says the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped with joy. You are at a playground, experience some joy! Leap, run, jump and play together!

Pray For: Faithful mothers (and those who act like mothers) who do take risks and trust God.

Stop 5 – Madison City Hall

Stop 5: Madison City Hall

100 Hughes Road Madison AL 35758

Bible Reading: Luke 2:1-5

Questions for discussion/meditation:

People like Mary and Joseph, Jewish people, were living under Roman authority, and had to comply with Roman decrees. What do you think this disruption felt like for this couple waiting for a child?
As Christians we try to follow God’s commands to love God and love our neighbor, and also follow the laws of where we live. Is that always easy? Are there places in the world where it isn’t easy?

Pray for: Government officials. Local, State, National and Global leaders. That people in charge, from small places to large, would make decisions that benefit humankind.

Stop 6 – Kid’s Madison Station/Gazebo

Stop 6: Madison Station/Gazebo

Front St or Main St Madison AL 35758

As you read in the last stop, Joseph and Mary needed to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census. Mary didn’t have to go with Joseph, but he took her with him to protect her.

Nazareth and Bethlehem are 90 miles apart or about the distance to walk from this stop to Birmingham. It would have taken them around 23 to 30 hours of non stop walking, not accounting in the rests, but with Mary’s pregnancy, they may have only traveled around 10 miles

a day. They had to travel south along the flatlands of the Jordan River, then west over the hills surrounding Jerusalem, and on into Bethlehem.

This stop is a symbol of traveling, and traveling now has taken on a different sense of hesitation and fear for many. Pray for those traveling now. For those traveling by choice, those who have to travel, and for those who choose to stay home this year.

Also, pray for your own journey this year. We are all on a journey of faith that leads us along flat lands and over hills. May you feel the holy spirit surrounding you on your journey this and every year. Amen.