The Fig Tree Advent & Christmas The seasons of Advent and Christmas are two of the shortest seasons celebrated by the church. Advent usually begins around the start of December and marks the beginning of the church year. Christmas commences on the 25th December and extends for about 12 days following, concluding with the Feast of Epiphany (the visit of the Wise Men). Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, God s only Son, who came among us as a small child to proclaim the good news that we have a God who loves us and knows each of us deeply. Many people celebrate the birth of Jesus, but forget that he grew into a man, who died, but the story goes on as we know he rose again and His Spirit remains with us now and always. Advent is therefore the season in which we prepare our hearts for a God who enters into our world as one of us, and transforms it which is what we celebrate at Christmas. We invite you to spend some time with your family getting to know God this Advent and Christmas. Try some of the activities and ideas in this newsletter and if you re game, come to Church this Advent and Christmas and discover its real meaning. Welcome to our fourth edition of The Fig Tree. It is hoped that parents, caregivers and grandparents will use this as a tool to build upon the faith of their family. We strongly believe that the home is the place where faith is best caught, taught, practised, nurtured and lived out. The role of the Church is to nurture and resource you in living this out, and be a place where we come together to share life with all its ups and downs. We hope you find some resources and ideas to encourage you and your family in exploring the faith together.
Who is Santa Claus anyway? Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus if as we have come to know him) is the national saint of Russia and Greece. He is the patron saint of judges, murderers, pawnbrokers, thieves, merchants, paupers, scholars, sailors, bakers, travellers, maidens and poor children. He is known as the friend and protector of all those in trouble. Saint Nicholas was born in the Middle East about 350 miles northwest of Bethlehem in the fourth century. He grew up to become the bishop of Myra (now Kale) on the coast of what is now Turkey. Legends tell of his love for children, his kindness and the miracles he brought about. Perhaps the most famous story of all tells how he helped three unfortunate young sisters who all had suitors but had no dowries because their father, a poor nobleman, could not raise the money. So they could not marry. Now the Bishop Nicholas was a shy man and did not like to give money directly, so he thought of a way to give it anonymously. When the first daughter was ready to marry, the good bishop tossed a bag of gold into the house at night. Later, when the second daughter prepared to marry, she too received a mysterious bag of gold. When the third daughter prepared to marry, the poor nobleman was determined to find out who had been so generous. So he kept watch and saw the bishop drop another bag of gold into the house. It has been said that Saint Nicholas climbed on the roof and dropped the third bag of gold down the chimney where it landed in a stocking hung to dry, giving us a reason to hang up Christmas stockings today. When the father saw what had happened, Nicholas begged him to keep the secret, but, of course, the news got out. From then on, whenever anyone received an unexpected gift, they thanked Nicholas. Six hundred years later, the Russian Emperor Vladimir visited Constantinople and heard all the wonderful stories about Bishop Nicholas and decided to make him the patron saint of Russia. The stories even spread to the Laplands - to the people of the reindeer sleds. The three bags of gold Nicholas gave the sisters made him the focus of merchants in northern Italy. Statutes and pictures had shown him holding the three bags and when taken as the patron saint of the merchants, the bags became gold balls, representing money lenders and today, pawnbrokers. The anniversary of Nicholas' death, December 6th, either 345 A.D. or 352A.D., is so close to Christmas that, in many countries, the two merged. But in Germany and the Netherlands, the two remain separate. Here in Australia, the modern image of Santa Clause has seen the Bishop s Mitre replaced by a red and white cap, and the traditional clothes of a bishop replaced by a winter suit.
Caring Conversations: Caring conversations are those that allow time to share in others joys, hurts, dreams, hopes, concerns and values. Here are a few ideas to spark your imagination: It is often said that Christmas is about giving. Imagine then that money was no issue, what would you buy for: 1. Yourself; 2. A friend; 3. A child who has nothing. Now, imagine that you have no money. What would be the greatest gift that you could give to someone you care for? Who might that person be? Can you recall your best memory of Christmas? When was it, what happened that made it so special? What do you like most about Christmas? What do you like least of all? Some people say that Christmas has become too commercial. What makes it commercial? What can you do that would make it less commercial? Have you ever just tried wondering with your children? It is a great conversation starter. Try something like this: I wonder... What the first Christmas was like? What it was like to be told by an Angel that you were going to have a baby? What it was like to travel so far on the back of a donkey, and then not be able to find a place to stay? What it would be like to have to give birth in a stable? What the shepherds felt as they were told about a king being born in a stable? What sort of gifts that you might have given to baby Jesus? What Joseph might have felt about all that was happening? Why we give gifts at Christmas? Why we place lights on our house? Why we have Christmas Crackers with corny jokes? Why some children will not celebrate Christmas? What we can do to help others at Christmas? Can you imagine if Jesus had not been born, what would the world be like today? Talk about what difference Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and King of Kings, has made to the world. esus According to the legend, there was a candy maker who wanted to invent a candy that was a witness to Jesus. The result was the candy cane. First of all he used a hard candy because Christ is the Rock of all ages. This hard candy was shaped so that it would resemble either a "J" for Jesus or a shepherd's staff. He made it white to represent the Purity of Jesus. Finally a red stripe was added to represent the blood of Jesus. Sometimes a green stripe is added as a reminder that Jesus is a Gift from God. The flavour of the candy is peppermint which is similar to hyssop. Hyssop is in the mint family and was used in the Old Testament for purification and sacrifice.
Family Rituals and Traditions: Rituals and Traditions are patterns of behaviour that communicate meaning in life. They can include how you greet people, bedtime prayers and celebrations. The Family Tree Why not make your Christmas Tree into a family tree? You could replace some of the baubles and decorations with photo s of family members. As a family you could take time to make a frame to enclose the photograph in. Place the youngest members of the family at the top of the tree, and the more mature at the base. Advent Calendar Christmas is an exciting time, especially for children. A simple advent calendar could consist of a number of pockets, maybe sewn out of calico. Each pocket would contain a small symbol that would tell the story of Christmas, e.g. characters from the nativity play could be placed in each pocket, and would help to slowly construct a nativity set that could be placed in an important part of your house. The Star on top of the Christmas Tree A star is placed on top of a Christmas Tree to remind us of three things: 1. It was a star that led the wise men to Jesus, and so we pray that we may always be led to him; 2. The Christmas star reminds us that a King was born, the Prince of Peace; and 3. A star is always present, although not always visible all good stars eventually explode and shed a great amount of light before they are reborn. Christmas Carols and Lights Take a walk around your neighbourhood and check out the Christmas lights. Why not make up some post cards before you go to drop into the letterboxes of people with really good displays. Pay particular attention to those who show the real meaning of Christmas. If your neighbourhood or local Church has a carols service, why not check it out this year? Wise men brought gifts that meant something... In some countries it is traditional to give gifts on Christmas Eve. These gifts are usually very important gifts that often cost nothing as they have been made with love. This Christmas why not start the celebration by offering you family some special love gifts. These could be something as simple as a home made card with a letter enclosed that says some nice things, or it could be an IOU for a day at the beach ticket. It needs to be something special. For larger families you could draw names out of a hat earlier in the month and only make one gift for one family member.
The Advent Wreath The word Advent means coming Jesus' coming into the world as a baby, his coming into our hearts, and his expected coming in the future. The Advent Wreath consists of five candles and an evergreen wreath. Four candles are placed on the outside. Three are usually purple in colour and one is pink. One large candle is placed in the centre of the wreath, usually white in colour. The evergreen branches in a circle remind us of God s unending love for us and the gift of eternal life. 1st Sunday in Advent (December 3rd 2017 purple candle) Light one of the outside candles. This is the HOPE candle. We have hope because of God s promises and because of the gift of his Son, Jesus, to us. Have one family member read Jeremiah 33:14-16. Share one thing each person hopes for this Christmas. Offer a short prayer about these hopes. 2nd Sunday in Advent (December 10th 2017 purple candle) Light the first and second outside candles. The second candle is for PEACE. Have one family member read Isaiah 9: verses 2, 6 and 7. Share a way that each person could bring about peace at home. Pray for God s help to carry these out. 3rd Sunday in Advent (December 17th 2017 pink/rose candle) Light the first, second and a third outer candle. The third candle is for JOY, which in Latin is Gaudete., which this Sunday is often known as in the Church calendar, and rose coloured vestments are sometimes worn (Gaudete Sunday). Have one family member read Philippians 4: 4-7. Pray and give thanks for all those things that bring your family joy. 4th Sunday in Advent (December 24th 2017 purple candle) Light the first, second, third and fourth outside candle. The candle is for LOVE. Choose a family member to read 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13. Share an action that someone did, that you know of, that showed love. Pray for help to love each other. Christmas Day (white central candle) Why not place your Advent Wreath onto your dinner table as the centre piece. Light all the candles, including the centre one. The fifth candle is the CHRIST CANDLE. Jesus is the light of the world. Have members of the family read Luke 2: 1-20. Pray a special prayer of thanks for the gift of Jesus and remember those who may be sad, lonely of have other special needs on this day.
Spirituality in the Home: This is all about your family s devotional life. It includes deliberate activities like bible stories, prayer and table graces through to ensuring that you say please, thank you, sorry and providing Christian resources such as story books, music and much more. Practicing Peace Christmas can be quite a stressful time for many people. There are many ways in which you can de-stress with your family. One is to try and practice silence together. Try it. Maybe you need to start with just one minute a night and build up to 10 minutes by Christmas. Creating atmosphere often helps such as turning down the lights, lighting a candle in the room, making sure that the TV, Computer and phones are all turned off. You never know, this time could lead into some important caring conversations such as: what do you think about in the silence? Christmas Card Prayer Box This is a really simple way in which you could pray for friends and family leading up to Christmas. Simply have a large box (decorated together would be a nice touch) and when Christmas cards arrive, place them in the box. Every Sunday leading up to Christmas have each person draw a card out of the box and say a short prayer for that person. It could be as simple as thanks God for (add name of person who sent the card). After Christmas, take the box in for recycling! The Nativity Story Read about the birth of Jesus in your bible at Matthew Chapter 1, verse 1 to Chapter 2 verse 15, and also Luke Chapter 2 verse 1 to 22. Compare the two stories. What is different? Maybe you could read them to your child as a bedtime story. The modern Nativity Story combines the two stories together. This was first done by St Francis of Assisi in 1223. Christmas Music There are some great CD s around of good Christian music, both old and new. Why not put on a CD in the background as you eat your meal one night? Life s pretty straight without... Christmas is a time of celebration. Why not make your fridge door the place where that celebration is seen? Place photos, stories, images, prayers, in fact anything that is a symbol of joy in your families life. By putting them on the fridge probably the most opened door in the house, we remind ourselves of how good life can be and the many blessings we have.
The Nativity Scene & Empty Manger Have you ever thought about putting up a Manger scene (Nativity) in your household to tell the story of Christmas? Some people put out there manger in stages across Advent in order to tell the story of the first Christmas across the season. The story may begin with Mary and the angel. Then Joseph may be added as he too hears from the angel. Mary and Joseph may then embark on their journey to Bethlehem, and move towards the stable with animals and the innkeeper. The Nativity Manger is traditionally kept empty until Christmas Eve when the Christ child is placed in the Manger. It reminds us that, like an expectant mother, we live in expectation of God s further in-breaking into the world and God often does this in ways we least expect. Importantly we too become midwives of God s coming into the world through our actions of love, hope, joy and peace Christ comes among us. On Christmas Eve you can also add the shepherds to the scene. However, the scene doesn't end there, as we add in the Magi (Wise Men) on January 5th, the Feast of Epiphany (however they also can start their journey from afar). The Christmas Tree is usually set up on Advent Eve and a simple blessing is said by the family over the Tree as the last decoration is added. Depending on your tradition this could be an Angel, to symbolise the bringing of Good News of God s kingdom coming, or a Star as followed by the Magi which led to Christ. Traditionally the Christmas Tree is left up until the Twelfth Day of Christmas (Epiphany). Lord God, let your blessing come upon us as we illumine this tree. May the light and cheer it gives be a sign of the joy that fills our hearts. May all who delight in this tree come to know your love. We ask this in your name. Amen.
Involved in Acts of Service: Serving one s neighbour is the response to Jesus love for us. Service communicates that love to others. Buying an extra gift As you shop for Christmas gifts this year, why not add one more to your trolley. Have your family wrap it together, maybe adding notes of Christmas cheer, and place it under one of the many giving trees often located in shopping centres. Christmas hamper Many families will struggle to get a meal together this year at Christmas. Why not do a special shop and put together a small hamper. You can leave it at our Church for use by Sydney Community Services based here in Hunters Hill. Penny s from Heaven Find a large jar and put it in an easy to access place in your home. Throughout the year have everyone contribute loose coins towards the jar. Next Advent give the jar to a charitable organisation of your family s choosing. You might be surprised how much you can all save. Christmas Cards Whilst many of us get a lot of Christmas cards, there are people who do not get any at all. As a family, sit down and make a list of people, or groups of people, who don t get many cards. Sit down together and write out the cards and have them hand delivered. They could be to neighbours, kids at school, workmates or people in prison. For an extra special touch, why not make the cards as a family? Keeping a spare chair An old Jewish tradition is to keep a chair spare at your dinner table, just in case someone may arrive. It is a wonderful act of hospitality that you could practice on Christmas day. To really bring home the spirit of hospitality, why not invite a friend or neighbour who may have no family to eat with to Christmas dinner? Christmas in another land There are many places where Christmas will not be celebrated this year. As a family, make placemats for your Christmas table which have images and messages about that place. It could be an image of some place like Afghanistan or Syria. You could take it one step further by sending a donation to UNICEF, UNHCR, Anglican Overseas Aid or Anglican Board of Missions. All Saints 2 Ambrose Street, Hunters Hill St Mark s Figtree Rd, Hunters Hill Our Parish Office is located at 2 Ambrose Street, Hunters Hill, and is open Monday to Friday from 9:45am to 1:00pm. Phone: 02 9817 2167 Email: office@aphh.com.au Web: www.aphh.com.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/ anglicanhuntershill Instagram: anglican.hunters.hill