Welcoming Christmas
Written by Ashley Atkins
Advent is a season in the church that is observed in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day. The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means coming or arrival. During Advent, Christians prepare for the coming of Jesus, both in the remembrance of the first Christmas Day and in preparing for the second coming of Christ.
As we enter the Advent season, I’d like to share some simple ways your family can prepare for the coming of Christ. Many years ago, I had big dreams of doing a little something each day to help make Advent a focused time of preparation at our house. I would make calendars where the kids would open a piece of paper each day that had a Bible verse to read, a service activity to do, or a song to sing. I quickly learned that my big dream of doing something each day and it being meaningful was hard for us to implement. A couple of years ago, I switched to lighting an Advent candle as a family each Sunday night of Advent and doing a short devotional to go along with the lighting. This was much easier for us to actually do and is a special time for our family.
This post will give you some ideas on ways to participate in each week of Advent as a family. I encourage you to buy or make an Advent wreath and to light a candle each week. We do Sunday nights because they are the least busy, but any time during the week will work. I’m including some scripture to read, a song, and an easy idea or two to help your kids understand the meaning of each week of Advent.
Each week gives a short lesson using a small, inexpensive object to help explain. Read ahead for each week in case you need to gather any items beforehand.
First Sunday: HOPE
The Sunday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 27, 2022) is the first Sunday in Advent and is the theme of hope. Gather around the Advent wreath and light a purple candle (front left in picture above). Explain what the word hope means or ask your kids to explain what hope means to them. Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. During that first Christmas, when the Wise Men were looking for Jesus, a star led them to Him. The people of that time were waiting on a Messiah, on someone to save them. They had hope that God would send that person. The star led the Wise Men and the Shepherds towards the baby Jesus. Read aloud Matthew 2: 1-11 and give your children a star ornament to put on the tree. The people had been expecting, hoping for a Messiah since the prophets had been telling of the birth of Jesus. Remind your kids of the rhyme about wishing on a star to help them tie the star ornament to the hope we have in Jesus.
You can listen to the song “Come thou Long Expected Jesus” as you hang star ornaments on the tree and light the first candle of Advent, the Hope candle. Psalms 130:5 is a great verse about hope for the family to work on this week. My last suggestion for you to do with the kids this week is to make a placemat with the word HOPE on it. Just get a sheet of paper, write hope in block letters, and put some stars on there. Let the kids color and use it as a placemat for the week to help them remember that we have hope in Jesus. You can also print off a free coloring page from the website by clicking the button below.
Second Sunday: PEACE
If you have younger kids, it would be good to start this week’s Advent devotion by showing them a teddy bear or stuffed animal and asking them why they like stuffed animals or how holding a stuffed animal makes them feel. You will likely get answers about how they are soft and make them feel safe.
Have your family tell about situations or items that make them feel uneasy or anxious and talk about how asking God to be with them and help them can make them feel at peace.
Light the first candle (Hope) from last week and the second purple candle. Read Habakkuk 3:17-19 and discuss how this passage shows the feeling of peace of the author. Peace can be defined as calm, a time without war. Talk about how you can always go to God with any worries or fears you have. For older kids, have them write anything they are feeling anxious about as a prayer to God asking Him for help. Have them roll up the prayer and tie it to the Christmas tree. For younger children, have them hug a stuffed animal or teddy bear while saying a simple prayer asking God to help them have peace in any situation that is making them worry.
Listen to the song “Mighty to Save” by Hillsong Worship and color a placemat for this week that has the word peace.
Third Sunday: JOY
For the third Sunday of Advent, discuss what the word joy means. Joy can be defined as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. Happiness is different from joy as it is short-lived and can go away quickly due to outside circumstances. Give your child(ren) a small jingle bell and have them ring it. Look for smiles on their faces and share how the ringing of bells is a happy and joyful sound. Tell them that Christmas is also a happy time because it is the time of Jesus’s birth! Just like the noise from the bell comes from the inside, our joy also comes from the inside. Knowing Jesus brings us joy.
Read Matthew 2:10-11 and discuss the joy being described. Also read Philippians 4:4 and encourage your family to memorize this verse this week. Light the first, second, and third candles (pink) and listen to the song “Hymns of Joy” by Chris Tomlin. Have your kids put the jingle bells on the tree or keep them somewhere they will see them and remember that our joy comes from the inside, by knowing Jesus.
This week, make it a priority to take a walk as a family or go look at Christmas lights without interruptions. Notice your surroundings during the walk or talk about what you see on the car ride. Look for small things that bring each family member joy.
Fourth Sunday: LOVE
Light the two purple, pink, and other purple candles. Listen to “How He Loves” by the David Crowder Band. The fourth candle and fourth Sunday of Advent is love. If you have a pet, ask the kids how they show love to the family pet and how the pet knows it is loved. If there is no family pet, ask your kids how they know they are loved. Use the responses from either question (probably something like spending time together, playing together, etc.)
Read John 13:34 and 14:21-24 and have a discussion about the meaning of these verses and how you all can show love to Jesus and others this week. Make a plan as a family about what you can do to specifically show love this week. Perhaps you could make cookies and deliver them to neighbors or help people load their groceries at the grocery store.
Many Advent wreaths have a white candle in the middle that is the Christ candle. Light this candle on Christmas Eve as you read the Christmas story together.
Merry Christmas!
A little about our guest blogger:
Ashley Atkins is a former teacher and church children's director. She loves to spend time with her family, travel, read, and be outside, especially near a beach or lake! Advent is a special time for her family as they prepare for Christmas and she is always looking for ways to make that time meaningful.