New World Coming
This month’s song is perfect for the wonderful mystery of Advent! “There’s a new world coming, it’s already here. There’s a new world on its way...let’s begin to live that way.” In Advent, we anticipate the birth of Jesus - while living the kingdom of Jesus. Advent falls in a busy time culturally, a time full of Christmas programs and preparations, parties and events. But it’s such a rich time for children to experience the wonder of God! Look through this month’s ideas and pick one or two that will help your family live the hope, peace, joy and love of this season, leading to a much more meaningful celebration of the birth of Christ.
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Read It
Luke 2:1-20
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Do It - Advent Practices
Advent Wreath/Ritual
1. Create your wreath: Find a ring with places for four candles, or just place four candle holders in a circle. Place 4 candles (traditionally, three purple and one pink) in the candle holders. In the center of the wreath, place a white candle. If you want to, decorate it with evergreens (to symbolize continuous life) and pinecones (to symbolize resurrection).
2. Each week of Advent, light one more candle. Each candle represents a concept of Advent:
-Week 1: Purple candle, Hope
-Week 2: Purple candle, Peace
-Week 3: Pink candle, Joy
-Week 4: Purple candle, Love
-Christmas Day: White candle, Jesus
3. Do a daily ritual with your wreath (this can be over breakfast or supper, right before bed, whatever works in your daily routine). Develop one that works well for your family. Below is an idea for an outline of this ritual.
-Sing a song about light or inviting Jesus as you light the candles, or say the words of the candles (“We hope,” “We seek peace,” “We rejoice,” “We love”)
-Read that day’s scripture passage or say the Luke 2 Christmas story together
-Say a prayer (we say “Thank you God for hope, thank you God for peace…”)
-Sing a song to close (we use “He came down that we may have love,” using the Advent words for each verse)
-Blow out the candles
Paper Chain
1. Create a paper chain (as a family if your kids are old enough). Do 28 links. You can make them colorful, or do each week a different color, or do 14 purple, 7 pink, 7 purple, to match the candles of Advent.
2. Hang the chain somewhere in your home, and each day, let a child tear off a link to help you count down to the birth of Jesus. Start tearing on November 28 if you want it to come out right!
Variation: Write down an activity on each link, a mix of things ranging from “Pray for refugees” to “Bake Christmas cookies.” Look ahead on the calendar so these things are do-able on the day you tear them off, then have them guide your preparation for Christmas through the season of Advent.
Creche
Instead of setting up a whole manger scene at once, use it to tell the story through Advent. Start with the stable empty (or with livestock in it if you have those). Place the shepherds and sheep a little way from the stable. Hide Baby Jesus. Place Mary and Joseph far away from the stable. Place the wise men as far east as you can in your house. Through Advent, move Mary and Joseph a little closer to the stable each day, landing them in the stable on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, add Jesus, and bring the shepherds to worship him. The day after Christmas, begin to move the wise men, getting them there on Epiphany, January 6.
Decorating
Decorate your tree in phases. The first Sunday of Advent, put up the tree. The second Sunday, add lights. The third Sunday, ornaments. The fourth Sunday, the tree topper.
Serving
Choose a way to serve each week as a family. This could be getting an Angel Tree gift, bringing someone a treat, shoveling someone’s driveway, putting together an infant care kit (mcc.org), or anything else your family can think of.
Jesse Tree
This website explains it really well. And if you explore a little, you’ll find some other great posts, too.
Light
Light is a wonderful symbol of Advent, and very tangible to children. Experiment with light - candles, glow sticks, flashlights. Go outside and look at the stars. Notice the difference that even a little light can make, notice the power of light. God sent Jesus to be the light of the world - a gentle but powerful way to change the world.
Shepherd’s Meal
This one is more for Christmas Eve, but this concept of enactment can be something you try with multiple parts of the story. See last year’s post about it here.
1. Create your wreath: Find a ring with places for four candles, or just place four candle holders in a circle. Place 4 candles (traditionally, three purple and one pink) in the candle holders. In the center of the wreath, place a white candle. If you want to, decorate it with evergreens (to symbolize continuous life) and pinecones (to symbolize resurrection).
2. Each week of Advent, light one more candle. Each candle represents a concept of Advent:
-Week 1: Purple candle, Hope
-Week 2: Purple candle, Peace
-Week 3: Pink candle, Joy
-Week 4: Purple candle, Love
-Christmas Day: White candle, Jesus
3. Do a daily ritual with your wreath (this can be over breakfast or supper, right before bed, whatever works in your daily routine). Develop one that works well for your family. Below is an idea for an outline of this ritual.
-Sing a song about light or inviting Jesus as you light the candles, or say the words of the candles (“We hope,” “We seek peace,” “We rejoice,” “We love”)
-Read that day’s scripture passage or say the Luke 2 Christmas story together
-Say a prayer (we say “Thank you God for hope, thank you God for peace…”)
-Sing a song to close (we use “He came down that we may have love,” using the Advent words for each verse)
-Blow out the candles
Paper Chain
1. Create a paper chain (as a family if your kids are old enough). Do 28 links. You can make them colorful, or do each week a different color, or do 14 purple, 7 pink, 7 purple, to match the candles of Advent.
2. Hang the chain somewhere in your home, and each day, let a child tear off a link to help you count down to the birth of Jesus. Start tearing on November 28 if you want it to come out right!
Variation: Write down an activity on each link, a mix of things ranging from “Pray for refugees” to “Bake Christmas cookies.” Look ahead on the calendar so these things are do-able on the day you tear them off, then have them guide your preparation for Christmas through the season of Advent.
Creche
Instead of setting up a whole manger scene at once, use it to tell the story through Advent. Start with the stable empty (or with livestock in it if you have those). Place the shepherds and sheep a little way from the stable. Hide Baby Jesus. Place Mary and Joseph far away from the stable. Place the wise men as far east as you can in your house. Through Advent, move Mary and Joseph a little closer to the stable each day, landing them in the stable on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, add Jesus, and bring the shepherds to worship him. The day after Christmas, begin to move the wise men, getting them there on Epiphany, January 6.
Decorating
Decorate your tree in phases. The first Sunday of Advent, put up the tree. The second Sunday, add lights. The third Sunday, ornaments. The fourth Sunday, the tree topper.
Serving
Choose a way to serve each week as a family. This could be getting an Angel Tree gift, bringing someone a treat, shoveling someone’s driveway, putting together an infant care kit (mcc.org), or anything else your family can think of.
Jesse Tree
This website explains it really well. And if you explore a little, you’ll find some other great posts, too.
Light
Light is a wonderful symbol of Advent, and very tangible to children. Experiment with light - candles, glow sticks, flashlights. Go outside and look at the stars. Notice the difference that even a little light can make, notice the power of light. God sent Jesus to be the light of the world - a gentle but powerful way to change the world.
Shepherd’s Meal
This one is more for Christmas Eve, but this concept of enactment can be something you try with multiple parts of the story. See last year’s post about it here.
Pray It
God, thank you for Advent, for the reminder it brings that we need Jesus, that the world needs Jesus. Thank you for the hope, peace, joy and love that you sent into the world. Thank you for Jesus, the light of the world! Amen.
Sing It
This year’s faith practices go with songs from the CD “New World Coming,” by Bryan Moyer Suderman. They work well on their own, but if you want a bonus for your family’s experience, buy a CD to listen to for the year.
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Explore It
Try this free Advent resource put out by Mennonite Church Canada.