Family Advent Weekly Devotions

Family Advent Family Advent Weekly Devotions Weekly Devotions

What is Advent? Advent simply means coming or arrival. It is a time of anticipation. During the holiday season we wait for the arrival of Christmas morning, and the days that build up to this point are significant and meaningful. But year after year many of us get caught up in the lights, decorations, baking, shopping, parties and plain old busyness of the season! No wonder it usually takes until Christmas Eve to finally pause and ponder the true meaning of this high and holy season. Throughout church history, Christians have used the weeks prior to Christmas to set aside intentional time of longing for the Messiah s coming. It prepared their hearts for the central meaning of Christmas, and it also reminded them of those who longed for his coming for thousands of years. But in today s age, when Christmas has strayed far from its original meaning, these days and weeks leading up to Christmas have become that much more crucial for focus and prayer. We don t want to miss the same longing and anticipation for the Christ that our church Fathers had. Jesus has already come, and this season celebrates that eternal moment. But we also know that He is coming again! And so just like those before Christ s birth, we anxiously await His arrival again. Advent is a time when we can refresh our amazement in the prophecy and arrival of Jesus the Messiah and grow closer to Him as we proclaim our longing for His coming again. How do we use this Advent Guide as a family? Celebrating Advent as a family will take some sacrifice in order to prioritize this time together. And while your children quickly follow the cultural anticipation of Christmas, it may take more patience and guiding on your part to help them learn to anticipate our celebration of Christ s arrival and coming as well. This guide will help your family set aside this time and prepare for our Savior s arrival. Each week of Advent is set up around a theme Week 1: Hope Week 2: Peace Week 3: Love Week 4: Joy Christmas Eve: Christ A memory verse is provided at the beginning of each week for your family to learn together, specifically for those with older kids. If you have younger children maybe just choose one of the provided memory verses for the month. 1Hope Peace Love Joy

Sunday is intentionally set aside as a longer time for your family to spend together. This first day of the week sets the theme for the rest of the days and provides you with Scripture, a Coloring Page, Discussion, Prayer, Song, and an Optional Activity. The four days that follow give you additional Scripture passages to continue the week s theme. On each Sunday, we have provided pages from The Jesus Storybook Bible as well. These will help for those of you with younger children, however, this is a beautifully written Bible and will touch you as parents as well. It s worth reading no matter what age children you have. You do not have to follow this booklet exactly. It is a guide with suggestions. Find what works best for your family. Do only some of the activities, change the days to accommodate your family s schedule, or simply focus on one day a week if you ve never done something like this before- one step forward in family discipleship is what we re praying for you this season! We know that this season is a busy time, but our prayer is that whatever time you do set aside, it would assist the Holy Spirit in making this Christmas as significant as you have ever experienced! How to Create an Advent Wreath A long honored tradition is the Advent Wreath. This table wreath, set with a candle to represent each theme, allows you to light that week s candle before reading the Scriptures. This can help create a more significant and meaningful moment for your family, and reminds us that with Jesus arrival came the Light of the World. For children, it s a small tangible way for them to connect with the moment as well. An Advent Wreath is usually a gathering of greenery with four red candles (for each week), and a single white candle placed in the center to represent Christ. While not required for this booklet, an Advent Wreath is a great tangible connection for the children, and can be a fun memory if they help make it. Typically an advent wreath simply includes greenery and the candles. Your wreath does not need to be lavish or fancy. Even five candle holders will suffice! You can do a quick Internet search for easy Advent wreath ideas and find one that works best for you. An easy example is to cut five small X s in an inverted pie tin, and then poke the five candles through (putting the white Christ candle in the middle). You can also use styrofoam as a foundation. Then you garnish the pie tin or styrofoam with pine branches, pine cones, red berries, ornaments, or whatever you choose. Set your family s Advent Wreath somewhere as a central focus for the next four weeks. 2

Week 1 :: The Hope Candle Prophecies of Jesus A thought for parents: This week s emphasis is on prophecy, as God promised the Messiah all throughout the Old Testament. He told Adam, Abraham, David, Isaiah and others about the coming Christ. And they, along with all of the Jews, waited and waited and waited. Imagine what it was like hoping for a Messiah to come. Think about the countless people who hoped and prayed and waited for hundreds of years. Even more, in the years right before Jesus came, there were 400 silent years with no prophet or judge or word from God. And yet those who were faithful continued to wait and wait and wait. They had faith in God and God s Word- they knew His promises were true, and so a Messiah would most certainly come. They held on to these prophecies and trusted the Lord s words. And then one day, two thousand years ago, hope was born. And the Light of the World was lit in Bethlehem. Putting faith in God s promises is not something a person does only one time on the day he or she becomes a Christian. The essence of being a Christian is placing ALL our hope in God, knowing we can trust Him to fulfill all His promises- even the ones that haven t been fulfilled yet. Similar to the Israelites, we share in the hope and anticipation of His coming yet again! We know He will return. And so we wait and wait and hold on to those prophecies, having full faith that they will be fulfilled as well. Verse for the week Romans 15:8, For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs. 3Hope

Sunday, December 1st :: He is God s Chosen One If you have chosen to use an advent wreath, then light your first candle each day before you read the selected passages of Scripture. *Music and Coloring sheets for this week are available at loopkids.org/events/family-advent Scripture- Isaiah 42:1-6 Jesus Storybook Bible- Pages 144-150 (Operation No More Tears) Discussion- Promises are a big deal. Sometimes we don t keep our promises, even if we mean to. But God ALWAYS has kept every promise. Why is it important that God kept His promises? Name three things we know true about God s character based on the fact that He has kept His promises. Now think what it must have been like for the many Jewish believers who knew the promises about the Messiah, but never saw the Messiah born. How are we like those people waiting for the Messiah? Prayer- Like your people in the Bible, Lord, we are waiting for you. We wait with excitement to celebrate Your birth, but even more Lord we wait with excitement for Your coming again. Prepare our hearts, Father, during this season to focus on You, to praise You for all You accomplished through Your Son and all You will accomplish through Your Son. Thank you for the promised Messiah. Amen. Song- *Available for listening at loopkids.org/events/family-advent O Come, O Come, Emmanuel O come, o come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel O come, Thou Wisdom from on high And order all things far and nigh To use the path of knowledge show And cause us in her ways to go Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel O Come, Though Day-spring, come and cheer Our Spirits by Thine advent here; Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death s dark shadows put to flight Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel continued... 4

Activity- Create a Promise Box as a family. Find an empty cardboard box (shoe box, check box, etc.) and decorate the box together with giftwrap odds and ends (wrapping paper, ribbon, bows). This is your Promise Box. As you read the Bible passages each day, write on pieces of paper all the promises God has through Jesus- of who Jesus will be and what He will do. If you have younger children find promises that can be drawn. Fill your box this week with promises (continue filling throughout the month if you d like!). Place your box under the Christmas Tree when done. On Christmas morning open your box as a family and remind yourselves of the gifts and promises God has given you through Jesus. Monday, December 2nd :: He will be born in Bethlehem of a virgin Micah 5:2 2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Isaiah 7:14 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 5

Tuesday, December 3rd :: He will be anointed by the Spirit Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. 6

Wednesday, December 4th :: He will suffer for our sins Isaiah 53:1-6 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Thursday, December 5th :: He will come from the Line of David and rule forever 2 Samuel 7:12-13 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Jeremiah 23:5-6 5 Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The Lord is our righteousness. 7

Week 2 :: The Peace Candle Preparing for Jesus A thought for parents: This week is a reminder of all those who prepared the way and proclaimed the coming of Jesus in the New Testament, that we might be ready for His life and message. We know that there were 400 years of silence from God between the Old and New Testaments. And when He began speaking again, it was to announce the coming of the Promised One- who would bring peace to our enmity with God. But God knows our hearts need to be prepared and readied to receive this truth through Jesus. This was true not just for His physical birth, but it is true now as God prepares our hearts to receive Jesus spiritually. We look expectantly for Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to invade not only the earth, but also our hearts. He came so that we would no longer be enemies of God, but in peaceful standing before Him. The passages of Scripture this week will look at these moments when God was readying hearts for those to know Christ at His birth. Pray this month that God would continue to ready your heart as well during this season and that He would be preparing your children s hearts to know Jesus. Verse of the Week- 2 Corinthians 4:6- For God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Peace 8

Sunday, December 8th :: God Prepares our Hearts Throughout this week, light the first and second candles before each Scripture reading. *Music and Coloring sheets for this week are available at loopkids.org/events/family-advent Scripture- John 1:14-18 and 2 Corinthians 4:6 Jesus Storybook Bible- Pages 170-175 (Get Ready!) Discussion- From the end of the Old Testament to the New Testament God had been silent for 400 years. That s a LONG time! But when God spoke again through Gabriel it was to announce Jesus! Wow! Can you think of a time when you had to wait for someone to show up? What was it like to wait? What special things does the angel Gabriel say about Jesus? In what ways are you waiting for Jesus right now? Prayer- Lord, You have prepared the hearts of many, many people to know Your Son. Continue to prepare and ready our hearts to receive Your Son as our King. He is our Great Rescuer! We are so thankful that Jesus brings peace on this earth and peace between ourselves and You. Mold our hearts to be followers of You, to be in peaceful standing before our Lord. Amen. Song- O Come All Ye Faithful *Available for listening at loopkids.org/events/family-advent O come all ye faithful Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem Come and behold Him Born the King of Angels O come let us adore Him (X3) Christ the Lord Sing, choirs of angels Sing in exaltation Sing all ye citizens in heaven above Glory to God, All glory in the Highest O come let us adore Him (X3) Christ the Lord continued... 9

Ye! Lord, we greet Thee Born this happy morning Jesus to Thee be all glory giv n Word of the Father, Now in flesh appearing O come let us adore Him (X3) Christ the Lord We ll praise Your name forever (X3) Christ the Lord Activity- Today, make simple trumpets as a sign of proclaiming the announcement of Jesus coming! You can make trumpets a number of ways. Decorate paper and then roll it so that it tapers on one end and tape it closed. Or you can take paper towel rolls and create a funnel on the end out of paper for the trumpet s horn. Or take cardboard and cut a basic megaphone shape. Decorate any of these trumpets you choose to make, but be sure to write Glory to God on your trumpet (maybe in gold glitter pens)! Monday, December 9th :: Angel Gabriel Prepares Mary Luke 2:11-12 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Tuesday, December 10th :: An Angel Prepares Joseph Matthew 1:20-23 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us). 10

Wednesday, December 11th :: John the Baptist Prepares the Way Luke 1:76-79 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Thursday, December 12th :: An Angel Prepares the Shepherds Luke 2:8-12 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. 11

Week 3 :: The Love Candle Jesus Arrives A thought for parents: None of us would have ever expected the birth of the Messiah happening like it did. God s only Son was born in a small town, in a stable next to filthy farm animals, and laid in a feeding trough. It s hard to imagine all that Jesus left when He put aside His majestic robes and arrived on this planet as a humble servant. He loved us so much, that He came in order that we might have life and have it abundantly; and it began in a single moment when He chose to become human and was born on this earth. As adults, we have probably heard the story of the manger and sung Silent Night to the point that we forget the true miracle it really is. Use your advent time this week to be freshly amazed at Jesus love for you! Verse of the Week- John 1:14a- And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Love 12

Sunday, December 15th :: Our Lord Arrives This week, light the first three candles each time before reading the Scriptures. *Music and Coloring sheets for this week are available at loopkids.org/events/family-advent Scripture- Luke 2:1-7 and Matthew 1:18-25 Jesus Storybook Bible- Pages 176-182 (He s Here!) Discussion- When you think of Jesus as a baby, do you still think of Him as our King? What does it mean to say that Jesus left heaven to be born on earth? The Bible tells us that God was 100% man and 100% God! That s a miracle! How does this story show how much Jesus loved us? Prayer- Lord, it is a holy mystery that You are both fully God and fully man. And it is a mystery that You did not come as a triumphant king ready for battle, but as a tiny baby. You left heaven to come to earth to rescue us. We thank You today for the example of humility You have given. Help us to never forget how You came to our world by choice, to love us first. May You receive all glory for all that You have done. Amen. Song- Silent Night Silent night, holy night! all is calm, all is bright Round yon Virgin Mother and Child Holy Infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace (X2) Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight Glories stream from heaven afar Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ the Savior is born (X2) With the Angels let us sing Halleilujia to the King Christ the Savior is born (X2) Activity- As a family, go to the computer and visit the website www.wordle. net. Click on Create your own and in the empty box type in names of Jesus and characteristics of Jesus that you have learned so far or already know. Look ahead to Isaiah 9:6-7 (which you will read later this week), and note the names He is given there. Then click Go. Wordle will create a fun and unique arrangement of these words describing our Lord. You can change the font and colors if you want. Print it out and have your children choose a place in the home to display this for the season. 13

Monday, December 16th :: Arrives to Redeem Galatians 4:4-5 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Tuesday, December 17th :: Arrives as a Servant Philippians 2:5-7 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Matthew 20:28 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Wednesday, December 18th :: Arrives in Majesty Isaiah 9:6-7 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. 14

Thursday, December 19th :: Arrives as Love 1 John 4:9-10 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Week 4 :: The Joy Candle Worshipping Jesus A thought for parents: This week is a reminder of the joy we have because of His coming! Those who acknowledge Christ as Lord and King worship Him in full joy because of the holy and glorious moment when He was born. We pray that we would respond with great haste and excitement at the news of Christ Jesus. For us, it is not simply of His arrival anymore, but the knowledge of His life, death for our sins, and resurrection on the third day that we now have eternal hope. May our hearts proclaim great joy at this news! May we rush as quickly to His feet in praise as the shepherds did! And may we proclaim His name as loudly as the angels sang! For His birth was a miracle on our behalf and compels us to bow before Him in worship and praise. Verse of the Week- Matthew 2:10- When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy! Joy 15

Sunday, December 22nd :: Again, I say rejoice! On this day light all four red candles before you go through the Scriptures. *Music and Coloring sheet are available at loopkids.org/events/family-advent Scripture- Matthew 2:7-11 Jesus Storybook Bible- Pages 184-190 (The Light of the Whole World) Discussion- What does it mean that Jesus is the light of the world? How did the wise men respond when they first saw Jesus? What do you think they were thinking and feeling? We have mentioned that we are waiting again for Jesus to return- this time to rescue the world for good! Imagine what it will be like when that day comes. What do you think you will be thinking and feeling when you see Him for the first time? Prayer- Lord, the world was quiet for a moment as You left Your seat in heaven to come down to earth to be our Great Rescuer. But as soon as You were here, the angels proclaimed Glory! Help us to praise You with the same excitement of the angels- Glory to YOU in the highest! May our hearts fill with joy and excitement in remembering that You came to earth to be pure peace, pure love, and pure joy. Glory to You and peace on earth towards men. Amen. Song- Joy to the World Joy to the World, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King (X2) Let every heart prepare Him room And Heaven and nature sing, and Heaven and nature sing Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ (X2) While fields and floods, rocks hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy Hallelujah for the Lord is come Hallelujah, Hallelujah the Lord is come No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground (X2) He comes to make, His blessings flow Far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove (X2) The glories of His righteousness And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love continued... 16

Activity- The star over Bethlehem was a sign of Joy! The Shepherds rejoiced and the angels rejoiced because HE the Savior of the World was finally here! Today, make star ornaments together for your tree. Cut stars out of thick paper and let your children decorate them, or cut stars out of an old cardboard box (cracker box, etc.) and cover the star shapes in aluminum foil. Punch a hole in the top of your stars and tie them with string or ribbon. On at least one star write Jesus-Light of the World. Monday, December 23rd :: The Shepherds Rejoice! Luke 2:8-20 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths 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, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Christmas Eve :: The Christ Candle Jesus Reigns Forever Tuesday, December 24th :: All Things Made New *Music and Coloring sheet are available at loopkids.org/family-advent Scripture- Colossians 1:15-20 and Revelation 21:3-4 continued... 17

Jesus Storybook Bible- Pages 342-351 (A Dream of Heaven) Prayer- Lord, Your plan to Rescue us began at creation, but we saw the Great Rescuer in person once we met Jesus, Your Son! At His birth, salvation was fully put into motion and for that we praise You with all our hearts, all our minds, all our souls and all our strength. Remind us, Lord, that the Story is not over. That as we celebrate the eve of Your birth, we are reminded that You will come again with trumpets sounding to rescue us once and for all. You will make all things new, that all of creation will glorify You forever! Thank you for coming to earth to rescue us. We love You Lord Jesus, our Savior, King, Redeemer and Great Rescuer! Song- Hark the Herald Angels Sing Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled Joyful, all ye nations rise; Join the triumph of the skies With angelic host proclaim: Christ is born in Bethlehem! Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King! Christ by highest Heav n adored, Christ the everlasting Lord! Late in time behold Him come, offspring of a virgin s womb Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity Pleased with us in flesh to dwell; Jesus, our Emmanuel Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King! Hail the Heav n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Ris n with healing in His wings Mild He lays His glory by, born that we no more may die Born to raise us from earth, born to give us second birth Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King! Merry Christmas! Christ 18

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