Toda la Tierra Espera (All Earth Is Waiting)

Advent 2025 Worship Series

This Advent series allows us to approach this season with anticipation, with watching and waiting – active waiting. Children spend this time drafting their Christmas lists, writing letters to Santa, and perhaps even singing a few Christmas carols.

Advent is the beginning of a new year of waiting, but it is an active and watchful waiting. It is tapping into the world's longing for redemption, salvation, and transformation. The beautiful and singable hymn, “Toda la Tierra,” 210 in the United Methodist Hymnal, is a reminder of what is at stake. The words “All the world, bound and struggling, seeks true liberty” in the first verse allow us to look back to the story of the Incarnation and to look forward to the coming of the kingdom of heaven, when the will of God will be done on earth as in heaven. All of earth is waiting for this fulfillment. In worship, we can see the signs of the nearness of Emmanuel, God with us.

This series is designed around children’s board games. Each week, a board game will act as an illustration to reinforce the scripture passage. When playing a board game, anticipation builds toward finishing the game.

Mathew 24:36-44, NIRV

The Day and Hour Are Not Known

36 “But no one knows about that day or hour. Not even the angels in heaven know. The Son does not know. Only the Father knows. 37 Remember how it was in the days of Noah. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. 38 In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking. They were getting married. They were giving their daughters to be married. They did all those things right up to the day Noah entered the ark. 39 They knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes. 40 Two men will be in the field. One will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill. One will be taken and the other left.

42 “So keep watch. You do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 You must understand something. Suppose the owner of the house knew what time of night the robber was coming. Then he would have kept watch. He would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at an hour when you don’t expect him.

Board game:

Chutes and Ladders

Message:

This is the season of Advent. What does this season mean to you? (Allow children to answer.) Advent is a time of waiting. We are waiting for Christmas, this is true, but Advent is also a time of preparation for Christ’s return and the establishment of the kin-dom of God. It is a reminder that we are all heading somewhere; we are longing for something more. And we look forward to the day when Emmanuel (which means God with us) will be how we live. We are looking forward to Christmas; we just can’t wait, but we must wait. That reminds me of playing a board game.

Have you ever played a board game? What are your favorites? (Allow children to offer a few suggestions.) When you play your favorite game, it’s fun and exciting, building anticipation to see who might win. Looking forward to winning sometimes makes you feel you just can’t wait!

Each week of Advent, I will show you a board game. The rules of the game should remind you of each week’s scripture lesson. Today’s game is Chutes and Ladders. How many of you have played this game before? (Allow children to raise their hands.)

To play Chutes and Ladders, all players start on the “one” square at the bottom of the board. The player who goes first spins the spinner to move the character token. The aim of the game is to be the first player to get to square 100 at the top of the board.

In this game, you spin the spinner and move along the board. Sometimes, you climb a ladder and get closer to the end much faster than you expected. But other times, oops! You land on a chute and slide back down. You never know when it’s going to happen.

Now, of course, to reach your goal quickly, you’ll want to land on ladders. If you land on the bottom of a ladder, you can climb it; this allows you to take a shortcut and avoid many other squares. Eventually, when one player reaches the top square, that player will win, and the game is over!

In today’s Bible story, Jesus says, “No one knows about that day or hour. Not even the angels in heaven know. The Son does not know. Only the Father knows.” Jesus is talking about being ready because we don’t know exactly when he will return.

Playing the board game Chutes and Ladders reminds us of that sense of not knowing. You don’t know when you’re going to climb up or slide down. Surprises happen, but you keep playing the game and moving forward. We don’t know when Jesus will return, but we can be ready by living our lives with love, kindness, and joy every day. Advent is a season of waiting and preparing our hearts for the coming of Jesus.

So, whether the spinner points to a big move up the ladder or down the chute, we remember: God is with us. Advent reminds us to watch, wait, and be ready for Jesus, who is always near us, helping us play the game of life with hope. I wonder if you are ready.

I invite you to play a game of Chutes and Ladders with your family this week. While playing the game, discuss with your family how you feel when you land on a chute and fall back down on the game board. How do you feel when you land on a ladder and climb your way to the top toward winning? What does this fun board game teach you about Jesus?

Prayer:

God of love and patience, thank you for the reminder of the anticipation that comes with playing a board game. Thank you for the reminder of anticipation during this Advent season. Let us each watch, wait, and be ready for Jesus in the coming weeks. Amen.