A Family Advent Devotional Guide 2011
Devotional Thoughts WEEK ONE Rejoice in the Waiting Daily Readings for Week One Sunday Revelation 3:20 Monday Isaiah 11:1-4 Tuesday Luke 6:20-26 Wednesday Luke 2:8-14 Thursday Isaiah 9:6-7 Friday Psalm 62:5-8 Saturday Psalm 31:13-16 Celebrating Advent means being able to wait. Waiting is an art our impatient age has forgotten. It wants to break open the ripe fruit when it has hardly finished planting the shoot. But all too often greedy eyes are deceived; the fruit that seemed so precious is still green on the inside, and the disrespectful hands ungratefully toss aside what has so disappointed them. Whoever does not know the austere blessing of waiting that is, of hopefully doing without will never experience the full blessing of fulfillment. Those who do not how it feels to struggle anxiously with the deepest questions of life and to patiently look forward with anticipation until the truth is revealed, cannot even dream of the splendor of the moment when clarity is illuminated for them. For the greatest, most profound things in this world we must wait. It happens not here in a storm, but in the divine laws of sprouting, growing and becoming. ------ Silence: Waiting for God s Word. We are silent in the early hours if each day and before going to sleep. God is supposed to have the first and the last word. Silence ultimately means nothing but waiting for God s word and coming away blessed by God s word. Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1
Prayer Almighty God, who came to us long ago in the birth of Jesus Christ, be born in us anew today by the power of your Holy Spirit. We offer our lives as home to you and ask for grace and strength to live as your faithful, joyful children always. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Sing: O Little Town of Bethlehem How silently, how silent, the wondrous Gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in. Family Activity Have each member of your family make a list of what they would like for Christmas or what traditions your family will partake in this holiday season. After your list is complete, discuss as a family the challenges of waiting. The people of God had to wait a long time for the birth of the Messiah and some people were so busy looking for warrior king that they missed Jesus completely. Explain that waiting can be a good thing. See how many examples of things you must wait for your family can come up with. (For example: you must wait for fruit to ripen, you must wait for cookies to bake, ect.) Bring out a shoe box, wrapping paper, and the baby Jesus from your manger scene. Have the children wrap the Baby Jesus (without the manger) in a shoe box and place under the Christmas tree. Let the box serve as a reminder of what this season is really about and the joy that waiting can bring. Manger Moment As you follow this advent season, increase your anticipation by adding to your nativity each week. This week pick out a special place to put your nativity and set up the animals and the stable. As you do this you can talk about how exciting it will be to see the complete scene on Christmas day. 2
Devotional Thoughts WEEK TWO: Rejoice in the Preparation Daily Readings for Week Two Sunday Isaiah 62:1-2 Monday Mark 1:2-8 Tuesday Matthew 24:42-44 Wednesday Luke 1:26-38 Thursday Luke 1:39-45 Friday Matthew 1:18-25 Saturday Isaiah 40:1-11 For the great and powerful of this world there are only two places in which their courage fails them, of which they are afraid deep down in their souls, from which they shy away. These are the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ. No powerful person dares to approach the manger, and even this includes King Herod. For this is where thrones shake, the mighty fall, the prominent perish, because God is with the lowly. Here the rich come to nothing, because God is with the poor and hungry, but the rich and satisfied he sends away empty. Who among us will celebrate Christmas correctly? Whoever lays down all power, all honor, all reputation, all vanity, all arrogance, beside the manger; whoever remains lowly and lets God alone be high; whoever looks at the child in the manger and sees the glory of God precisely in his lowliness. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Advent is a time to prepare for Christ s coming by looking at our lives and seeing if there are habits, attitudes, or behaviors of which we need to repent. But these changes that God requires are impossible for us to make. Only when Jesus comes into our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit is true transformation possible. 3
Prayer: Dear Lord, there are things that need to change in my life. Please change me to be like Jesus. Help me to cooperate with your Spirit by listening to you and obeying you. In Jesus s name. Amen. Sing: Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel Oh, come, oh, 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. Family Activity Bring out the baby books or old pictures and share the birth story of each family member. You could also bring out baby blankets, clothes, toys, ect. Make sure to talk about the preparation that went into getting ready for a new baby and the excitement that was felt for each new life. Next have those who have made a profession of faith share the story of when they became a believer. Who played a big role in leading you to Christ? What events surrounded your decision to accept Christ? This would also be a good time to share baptism pictures or announcements. Explain how advent is a time for us to prepare our hearts just as each birth took preparation. Talk with your family about ways to prepare your heart. Small children will be unable to grasp such an abstract idea but you can begin teaching them by praying with them and allowing them to participate in your preparation. (i.e. reading scripture, having a few minutes of quiet time, thanking God for your blessings, repenting, ect.) Manger Moment This week add the manger to your scene. You might take this opportunity to explain the use for a manger. Discuss how Jesus was born in a smelly barn instead of a hospital. Sometimes preparing our heart can be challenging, boring, or even unpleasant but when we are faithful God is pleased and we are better for it. Challenge older children to practice the discipline of sacrifice by using their allowance to buy a toy for charity. Allow them the joy of shopping, wrapping, and delivering their gift. Take a few moments and thank God for teaching us to wait and prepare. 4
Devotional Thoughts WEEK THREE Rejoice in Hope Daily Readings for Week Three Monday Colossians 1:3-6 Tuesday Psalm 40:1-8 Wednesday Philippians 4:11b-13 Thursday Luke 1:46-55 Friday Matthew 8:23-27 Saturday Luke 21:28 Your redemption is drawing near, whether we know it or not and the only question is: Are you going to let it come to us, too, or are you going to resist it? Christmas is coming whether it is with us or without us depends on each of us. Advent creates new people. Look up, you whose gaze is fixed on this earth. Look up you who have been disappointed, whose eyes are heavy with tears, you who have been burdened with guilt. Look up, your redemption is drawing near. Wait and something quite new will break over you: God will come. Consider a mine disaster. The moment even the most courageous miner has dreaded. The way out is blocked. He knows people up there are working feverishly to reach the miners who are buried alive. Suddenly a noise that sounds like tapping can be heard. Unexpectedly, voices cry out, Where are you, help is on the way! The miner shouts, Here I am, come on through and help me! I ll hold out until you come! Then, a final hammer blow, the rescue is near; just one more step and he is free. We have spoken of Advent itself. That is how it is with the coming of Christ. Look up and raise your heads, your redemption is drawing near. Dietrich Bonhoeffer When we anchor our hope in God s steady love and good plans for us, hope becomes a permanent part of us. We have hope because of who God is. What would be different if we lived our lives expecting God to show up with gifts of grace that can change us and change the world? M. L. Redding 5
Prayer: God of hope, Giver of hope, help us in our hopeless moments. Turn our hearts and minds to the promise of the gospel, to your Son, Jesus Christ. Strengthen our faith. In our troubles, remind us of our true home with you in heaven. Help us hope for our eternal life with you. In Jesus s name, Amen. Sing: O Little Town of Bethlehem O little town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. Yet in the dark streets shineth the everlasting light. The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. Family Activity What an awesome thing for the king of the universe to use us to spread His hope among the world! Dig out the recipe books and find your favorite cookie recipe or use one of the recipes on page 11. Gather your family together in the kitchen and let everyone lend a hand. While the cookies are baking, have each family member share a favorite memory about visiting someone or someone visiting during Christmas time. Talk about the joy and happiness you felt at seeing that person. Explain that Jesus coming creates the same response for us. The birth of the messiah was highly anticipated by all of God s people. In the same way, His returning is highly anticipated. Explain that Christmas can be a good reminder of His return. Have each family member sit down and create a card that shares the hope of Christ. This could be a note telling about Jesus love for us, a picture of the nativity, scripture, or whatever you feel best shares the true meaning of Christmas. Load all a batch of the cookies into a basket or holiday box and deliver to a neighbor, friend, or loved one. Manger Moment This week add the figurines of the shepherds. Jesus birth is hope for us all. Talk about how excited the shepherds must have been to hear about the birth of Jesus. Imagine together how much the shepherds must have anticipated seeing the baby Jesus and how they probably shared their exciting story with all their friends. Give thanks to God for the hope we find in Christ. 6
Devotional Thoughts WEEK FOUR: Rejoice in the Gift Daily Readings for Week Four Sunday Luke 1:24-25, 39-45 Monday Luke 2:1-14 Tuesday Luke 2:15-20 Wednesday Luke 2: 25-35 Thursday Luke 2:36-38 Friday Galatians 4:4-7 Saturday John 1:14 The child in the manger is none other than God himself. Nothing greater can be said: God became a child. In the Jesus child of Mary lives the almighty God. Wait a minute! Don t speak; stop thinking! Here he is, poor like us, miserable and helpless like us; a person of flesh and blood like us, our brother. And yet he is God; he is might. Where is the divinity; where is the might of the child? In the divine love in which he became like us. His poverty in the manger is his might. In the might of love he overcomes the chasm between God and humankind, he overcomes sin and death. Kneel down before this miserable manger; before this child of poor people, and repeat in faith the stammering words of the prophet: Mighty God! And he will be your God and your Might. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Sometimes when we wait a long time and look forward to something, we are disappointed when it arrives. It fails to meet our expectations. Not so with Jesus! Simeon found him more than worth the wait. Jesus will never fail us. He always keeps his promises. Ann Hibbard Pray: Dear Lord, we are so thankful that you keep your promises and you never fail us. Give us the patience to wait for your answers just like Simeon did. In Jesus s name, Amen. 7
Sing: Silent Night, Holy 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, sleep in heavenly peace. Family Activity This week share the good news of Jesus by making a sweet invitation for your neighbors, friends, or loved ones. Talk with your family about the importance of sharing the good news of Jesus. See if each family member can think of one way to tell someone about the gospel. Brainstorm together who might need to hear the good news of Christ. Create and deliver your Good News Garland together. As you leave each house say a prayer for that family. Gather a package of wrapped hard candy, cellophane wrap, and ribbon. Lay 4-5 pieces of candy in a line on a piece of cellophane. Wrap the candies with the cellophane. Tie a ribbon between each piece of candy and one at the top and bottom. At the top tie a piece of ribbon to act as the hanger. Add an invitation to the Christmas Eve service (see page 14) and you are ready to go! Manger Moment This week add the figures of Mary and Joseph. How excited they must have been to be Jesus earthly parents. How awesome for God to choose to work through us. Talk about Mary s experience and how pleased God must have been when she followed Him. Explain that God is also pleased with us when we follow Him and He wants us to tell others about Him. Ask God to give your family the courage to boldly share the good news of Christ. 8
CHRISTMAS DAY: Rejoice with Great Joy! Reading for Christmas Day Psalm 100 Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads (Isa. 35:10). Since ancient times, in the Christian church, acedia sadness of heart, resignation has been considered a mortal sin. Serve the Lord with gladness! (Ps. 110:2). Urges the scripture. For this, our life has been given to us, and for this, it has been sustained for us to this present hour. The joy that no one cake take from us belongs not only to those who been called home, but also to us who are still living. In this joy we are one with them, but never in sadness. How are we supposed to be able to help those who are without joy and courage, if we ourselves are not borne by courage and joy? What is meant here is not something made or forced, but something given and free. With God there is joy, and from him it comes down and seizes spirit, soul, and body. And where this joy has seized a person, it reaches out around itself, it pulls others along, it bursts through closed doors. There is a kind of joy that knows nothing al all of the pain, distress, and anxiety of the heart. But it cannot last; it can only numb for a time. The joy of God has gone through the poverty of the manger and the distress of the cross; therefore it is invincible and irrefutable. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Joy to the World! Anyone for whom this sound is foreign has not yet really heard the gospel. For the sale of human kind, Jesus Christ became a human being in a stable in Bethlehem: Rejoice, O Christendom! Fro sinners, Jesus Christ became a companion of tax collectors and prostitutes: Rejoice, O Christendom! For the condemned, Jesus Christ was condemned on a cross: Rejoice, O Christendom! For all of us, Jesus Christ was resurrected to life: Rejoice, O Christendom!... all over the world today people are asking, Where is the path to joy! The church of Christ answers loudly: Jesus is our joy! (1 Pet.1:7-9) Joy to the world! Dietrich Bonhoeffer 9
Sing: Joy to the World! Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room and heav n and nature sing, and heav n and nature sing, and heav n, and heav n and nature sing. Pray: Thank you, Father, for the greatest gift all the gift of your Son, Jesus our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. Family Activity Gather your family and read the Christmas story. You can act it out, assign everyone different parts to read, or have one person read while the rest listens. After you read, take a few moments to praise God for His precious gift! You could celebrate with a special cake, homemade musical instruments, or a shout of praise. Manger Moment Have the children unwrap the present that contains the Baby Jesus. Take a few moments and remember the special moments you shared together this Christmas. Have each family member share one memory or how they grew closer to Christ this year. Place the figure in the manger and give thanks to God for His gift to us. 10
Cut Out Sugar Cookies 3 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla Combine flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time and then add vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture until well blended. Cover and keep in the frig for about 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350* Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cut out into shapes and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake 6-8 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets and cool. Decorate! Candy Cane Cookies 1 cup butter 1 cup powdered sugar 1 egg 2 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp salt 2 1/2 cups flour red food coloring 1/4 cup crushed candy canes 1/4 cup sugar Preheat oven to 375* Cream together the butter, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla. Sift in flour and salt in separate bowl and add to butter mixture. Divide dough in half and color one half red. Roll a tsp of each color dough into a 4" strip and then lightly press them together. Twist them like a rope and place onto ungreased cookie sheet. Curve the top down to look like a candy cane. Bake about 9 minutes or until lightly browned. While still warm, remove from baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar and candy cane mixture. Recipes were taken from www.easy-cookies.com. 11
These devotional thoughts were taken from the following works: God Is in the Manger, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, WJK Press While We Wait, Mary Lou Redding, Upper Room Books Celebrating Advent: Family Devotions and Activities for the Advent season, Ann Hibbard, Revell 12
Agape Baptist Church Christmas Schedule Make plans to join in as we celebrate the Christmas season with the following events. December 4th International Christmas Service 6 p.m. December 11th Evening of Christmas Music by choir 6p.m. December 18th Handbells Music 6 p.m. December 24th Christmas Eve Worship Service 6 p.m. December 25th Christmas Worship 11 a.m. (No Bible Study or P.M. Service on Christmas Morning) Use the invitation on the following page with the family activity on week 4 13
Your Invited!! Come and join us as we celebrate the birth of Christ in a special Christmas Eve Service. Saturday December 24 at 6p.m. Agape Baptist Church 3900 Southwest Blvd. Fort Worth, TX 76116 For more information please call 817.923.6800 14
We hope these weekly devotionals and family activities will bless your family as you anticipate the birth our Lord once again. be Loved