Ornament: A crown
Samuel becomes a messenger for the Lord and names a man named Saul as the first king of Israel.
During the times of Gideon and Ruth, the people of Israel did not have a leader, a king, like other nations had. The Israelites would fall away from the Lord over and over, and then they would grow weak and be taken over by another group of people. The Israelites felt that this was because they did not have a king, and so they asked the Lord to give them a king of their own.
Even though the Lord had always answered the prayers of the Israelites and freed them from which ever nation had taken over their land, the Israelites did not trust the Lord anymore. The Lord gave the people messengers called prophets, who were like Abraham, Jacob and Moses and would speak to God the Father directly.
Finally, the Lord spoke to one of his prophets called Samuel - a prophet he had been close to since he was a young man. He told him that he would give Israel a king and that Samuel would be the one told who it was. This new king would help defeat the Philistines, the group of people who were trying to take over the land of Israel. The Lord pointed out to Samuel Saul, a strong and tall man of character. Samuel then annoints Saul for the Lord, meaning he has oil poured over his head as a special mark of his new position.
Samuel is made king and the people of Israel are given hope.
Connection & Reflection: God the Father wants us to follow his plan for our lives, but he also realizes that we have great weaknesses - as we see in the way that Israel acts. They constantly fail to live out the ten commandments and then when they grow weak because of it they blame their Lord and say that he has abandoned them. But the Lord never fails to love them, just as he never fails to love us. No matter what we do or how we fail, the Lord will always give us help to again grow close to him and live the lives he meant us to.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for loving us just like a Father loves his children - by taking care of them, but also letting them know we are loved with your attention and affection. Thank you for giving the Israelites a king so that we could learn what it means to have a king and to prepare our hearts to receive Jesus as our king on Christmas. Help us to understand your love more deeply this Advent.
Conclude with your favorite family prayer, or an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be.
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