Advent 2: The Orange in the Stocking
7 December 2025
Bible readings
Psalm 72:1–7, 18–19
May he judge your people with righteousness and your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness.
Matthew 3:1–12
Bear fruit worthy of repentance...
Songs and hymns
- Advent candles tell their story (StF 165)
- Christmas is coming (StF 166)
- Darkness like a shroud covers the earth (StF 170)
- Into the darkness of this world (StF 173)
- On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry (StF 182)
- Round orange, round orange, you serve as a sign (StF 184)
- Wild and lone the prophet’s voice (StF 189)
Opening liturgy
Gift-giving God, may Advent be for us a time of giving and receiving
Holy God, the greatest gift giver of all times, you are not the ‘stocking filler’ or little extra,
you are the greatest and best gift that can be given.
Gift-giving God, may Advent be for us a time of giving and receiving
Holy God, you call us to be the gift of God to neighbours and strangers.
You call us to be life giving to all those we encounter.
You call us to be a blessing to the Church and the world.
Gift-giving God, may Advent be for us a time of giving and receiving
May we sort the wheat from the chaff in our lives.
May we not be just little stocking filler extras but full to overflowing with your love.
May we truly seek to be the holy gift you call us to be.
Gift-giving God, may Advent be for us a time of giving and receiving.
Symbol: a Christmas stocking with an orange in it
Background notes
Psalm 72:1–7, 18–19
Those who hold power are called to be a gift to others. In verses 1–4 of this psalm, we find a vision for leadership shaped by justice and compassion. The king is not celebrated for wealth or might, but for defending the poor, upholding justice and ending oppression.(1)True authority, the psalm suggests, is only valid when it serves the most vulnerable and seeks the wellbeing of all.(2)
This is a challenge to every person or institution with influence – whether in politics, faith communities, workplaces or homes. Power is not for self-preservation but for service.
It’s a reminder to us, too, as the Church: we are called to be a gift to the world. Not only as individuals, but as a justice-seeking, peace-making community. And we do have power – the power to speak, to act, to stand with those who are hurting, and to work for change.
We will return to this psalm in the service for Epiphany.
Matthew 3:1–12
John the Baptist comes preaching repentance – literally calling people to change the way they think. So what needs to change?
Verse 8 gives us the heart of his message: “Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” Matthew twice later uses the metaphor of a good tree that bears good fruit. The image of fruit might remind us of Proverbs 11:30:
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the wise capture souls.
Fruit grows out of a fundamental disposition of the heart, rather than being something that is just done.(3) Our lives can become life-giving for others – a source of blessing, nourishment, and hope. We become, in ourselves, a gift to the world.
If we’re wondering what this fruit might look like, Paul’s list in Galatians 5:22–23 gives us a good clue:
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
This is the kind of fruit everyone longs to receive. Like the orange at the bottom of a traditional Christmas stocking, these are gifts that are familiar, but are nevertheless fresh and joyful. As part of this campaign we invite you to deliver cards to your neighbours, telling them what you appreciate about them. This is an opportunity to name the fruit growing in each other, to recognise each other as holy gifts.
The food imagery continues with John’s warning about winnowing. Just as an orange must be peeled before it can be enjoyed, grain must be threshed and winnowed before it becomes useful. In the ancient world, this meant beating the wheat and tossing it into the air so the wind could carry away the chaff – leaving behind only what nourishes and sustains.(4)
This Advent, we’re invited to take that image seriously. What in us needs to be cleared away? What coverings, distractions or attitudes need to be stripped back? Can we let the wind of the Spirit move freely through us, removing all that is fruitless and leaving only what brings life?
(1) Brueggemann and Bellinger, Psalms, p. 313.
(2) ibid, p. 316.
(3) Eduard Schweitzer, The Good News according to Matthew, (1975) London: SPCK, p. 49.
(4) ibid. p. 52.
Questions for discussion
Power as a gift
Psalm 72 describes leadership not in terms of dominance or wealth, but in justice, compassion and advocacy for the vulnerable.
- Where do you see examples – past or present – of people using their power as a gift to others?
- What influence do you have (at home, school, work, church, community), and how might you use it more intentionally for others’ wellbeing?
Repentance as reorientation
John the Baptist calls people to repent – to reframe how they think and live.
- What might need to change in our attitudes or assumptions for us to become a better gift to those around us?
- Are there habits, fears or priorities that distract us from bearing fruit?
Fruit that blesses others
Matthew 3:8 calls us to “bear fruit worthy of repentance,” and Galatians 5:22–23 gives us a picture of what that fruit looks like.
- Which of the fruits of the Spirit do you see growing in yourself – or long to see more of?
- How can we help each other notice and celebrate these qualities, like the cards campaign suggests?
The Church as a gift
Psalm 72 envisions a just kingdom as a blessing to the whole earth.
- What would it look like for your church to be experienced by the community as a gift?
- How can we reflect God’s generosity and justice more visibly and practically this Advent?
Hands-on activities
Fruit of the Spirit tree
Materials: Large poster or cardboard tree outline, coloured paper or card (cut into fruit shapes), pens, glue or Blu-Tack.
Activity: Invite each person to write on a fruit one quality they’ve seen grow in someone else in the group or community – like kindness, joy or patience. Add the fruit to a shared ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ tree. Use Paul’s list from Galatians 5:22–23 as labels around the tree or create a mini version for each person to take home.
Reflection: Talk about how recognising fruit in others is a gift that encourages growth and builds peace.
Peeling back the layers
Materials: Paper circles or fruit cut-outs layered with flaps, pens, glue.
Activity: Create layered ‘fruit’ with peel-away flaps. On the outside layers, write things that get in the way of love (eg fear, impatience, distraction). Underneath, write or draw the fruit of the Spirit waiting to emerge.
Reflection: What needs to be ‘peeled away’ in us this Advent to reveal the gift we’re meant to be?
Fruit garland of justice
Materials: Cardboard fruit shapes, string, clothes pegs, pens.
Activity: Write on each fruit an example of someone using their influence as a gift – for justice, compassion or healing (past or present, global or local). String the fruits into a garland to hang in a prayer space or community room.
Reflection: Link back to Psalm 72’s vision of leadership that defends the poor and ends oppression.
Fruit salad
Materials: Selection of fruit (bear in mind any allergies), chopping board, plate/ bowl, knives (safety ones for younger children).
Activity: Prepare the fruit for a fruit salad. What needs to be peeled away or removed in order to eat it? Why is that? Enjoy the sensory experience of touching, smelling, tasting and eating the fruit – maybe trying something new.
Reflection: Which fruits or flavours did we prefer? How does this help us to understand the range of fruits of the spirit and how God gives various ones to each of us? Wonder together about which fruit might best describe us.
Prayer ideas
Peaceful pause
Invite the congregation to close their eyes and take deep, slow breaths together. As they breathe out, encourage them to silently pray for God’s peace to fill their hearts and spread into their communities.
Patience reflection
Ask everyone to think about a situation where they struggled to be patient recently. Encourage them to silently offer that situation to God, asking for strength to grow in patience.
Joyful gratitude
Invite people to name silently or aloud one thing they’re thankful for today. Then pray together, thanking God for the gift of joy that isn’t dependent on circumstances but flows from God.
Kindness chain
Begin by silently praying for one person in the group or community who needs kindness. Then invite each person to ‘pass on’ the prayer by naming someone else to pray for, creating a chain of kindness prayers.
Gentleness meditation
Encourage the group to sit quietly and picture a gentle, calming presence – like a soft breeze or a kind touch – and ask God to help them embody that gentleness in their words and actions.
Global prayers
As part of a worldwide family of Methodist and United Churches, invite the congregation to pray particularly for God’s Church across the continent of Africa.
Gracious God, we thank you that your Spirit is at work in all parts of the world, bearing fruit even in the most difficult of circumstances. In the face of climate change, poverty, injustice, conflict and disaster we see your Church standing firm – a witness to your love and grace.
May love guide the Church as it walks alongside communities in pain.
May joy be found even in the small victories.
May peace reign where there is conflict, and may your Spirit empower leaders working for reconciliation and dialogue.
Grant patience to those working tirelessly for change, often without recognition or immediate results.
Let kindness overflow in acts of compassion, thinking particularly for the flood relief efforts of the Methodist Church in Southern Africa.
May goodness shine through sustainable farming, clean water initiatives and care for creation.
Strengthen the Church’s faithfulness as it continues to serve, teach and worship you.
May gentleness be present in every word and action, especially in places of trauma and loss.
And may self-control guide decisions and leadership, rooted in wisdom and humility.
As members of the global body of Christ, help us to remain attentive to your wider world.
Amen.
The good news to get across
Let the Spirit clear away what clutters and distracts,
and shape you into a holy gift –
a tree of life in a world hungry for hope.
This is your calling: Bear fruit. Be bold. Be the gift.
Ways people can respond
Ask the group to quietly consider one way they can show goodness or generosity in the coming week. Invite them to make a simple prayer commitment to act on it.