Advent for Families
With the first Sunday of Advent upon us (November 29) I want to share with you some ideas for incorporating worshipful and meaningful Christmas traditions into your family celebrations. Spoiler: I am NOT talking about Elf on the Shelf. But if you have time for him, you have time for these! Let's be prayerful and thoughtful when it comes to teaching our kids about the birth of Jesus.
THE JESSE TREE
Hands down, my favourite resource/ idea for Advent, especially for younger kids (toddler and up) is the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is based on Isaiah 11:1-
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The idea of the Jesse Tree is to tell the story of the Gospel, from the beginning (creation) all the way to Jesus birth. Our kids often don't realize that Jesus was present right from creation, and that his birth and death were foretold in the Old Testament. This will help them understand that and develop a great sense of the overall narrative that is the gospel. There are many different versions of the Jesse Tree but they all include learning about the people who make up the family tree of Jesus. They reflect God's timeline in preparing for Jesus. Each day, you will read a Bible story or passage and decorate an ornament that corresponds to what you have read. Then you will hang it on your "Jesse Tree" and see the story unfold.
This tradition can be VERY simple. You don't need a mini Christmas tree and a whole new set of store bought ornaments (who has time for that, right?!). You can literally just stick some branches in a jar and cut out a bunch of circles of paper for your kids to colour each symbol on. Then just hang them from the branches. Or, you can visit one of the websites below to print out symbols that they can colour in. Don't have room for another tree? You can just cut out the shape of a tree and tape it to the wall. Or make a garland for your mantle. Simple, right? But so meaningful.
Here are a few great links to get you started. You'll find a list of Bible passages, as well as printable resources to use.
Click HERE for a great resource that goes along with the Jesus Storybook Bible:
And HERE is one that also includes a free family devotional (for elementary aged children) and individual devotional (for teens and adults).
I also like THIS ONE from Gospel Centered Family.
Or, search online for one that fits for your family. There are many options to choose from!
READ THROUGH THE BOOK OF LUKE
Conveniently, the book of Luke has 24 chapters. Why not read one chapter per day from December 1-24? Use this time to reflect on the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. What better way for our kids to understand that Jesus birth is just the beginning of the story! This will help us all to incorporate the full gospel message into our Christmas celebrations.
Click THIS LINK for some very quick thoughts on each reading, including some links to relevant songs you can listen to after you do the daily reading. This is also something you can very easily do without any help- make it your own! Simply reading and discussing a chapter of Luke each day is a wonderful, meaningful way to begin or continue family Bible study.
LEARN 25 NAMES OF JESUS
FORTHEFAMILY.ORG has a great blog post with verses for each of the 25 days in December helping your kids to learn and understand 25 names for Jesus found in scripture. Click HERE to access this resource. You can read a verse and learn a name each day. Maybe this will spark interest in your family and children to do some further study about the names of Jesus. Then, of course, in the new year, you can study the names of God!
OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE
December is a great time to put faith into action and model serving the Lord for our kids. There are many opportunities in our community- many organizations that collect donations etc. Perhaps you are already connected with a group in our community who is providing services to people who are in need. Don't forget to get your kids involved in wherever you are serving.
Especially this year, we have many people right in our church family who are isolated and lonely. There are many simple ways to reach out and connect with them. Bake some Christmas cookies, make a homemade card or picture, decorate an ornament, make a phone call, write a letter.... the list goes on. Please ask one of our Elders, or Pastor Edgar, or myself if you need an idea for who you can reach out to. It's a great way to serve, and to make connections in our community and church family.
I hope this has given you some ideas and resources to plan a simple yet meaningful activity to focus your family on Christ this Christmas season!