Advent Craft

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What is Advent? Advent is a time of anticipation. It is a time of longing. What are you anticipating this Christmas season? What are you looking forward to? Throughout church history, Christians have used the weeks prior to Christmas as a time of anticipation, longing for the Messiah and remembering those who longed for His coming. Countless people in the Bible waited their whole lives, hearing the promise of a Messiah, yet never seeing the Promised One born. Today, we don’t want to miss that sense of excitement and longing at Christmastime. Jesus has already come, but we also know that He’s coming again! Advent is a time we can be freshly amazed that the Messiah has come and that we can grow closer to Him and that we look forward to His coming again. So, what is Advent? The word Advent simply means “coming” or “arrival.” The weeks before Christmas have traditionally been a time Christians have celebrated the arrival of the Messiah. For many years, Christians have lit candles around an Advent Wreath, had family devotions, and read the stories and prophecies about the Messiah.

When should I use this guide? In December at Cornerstone, our Sunday meetings will be based around Advent. This guide is meant to be a way your family can remember the worship from Sunday and continue it at home. Here is a suggested timeline for using this guide:    

Week of December 5-11 Week of December 12-18 Week of December 19-23 Christmas Eve – Christmas Week

Devotion 1: Prophecies and Hope Devotion 2: Bethlehem and Peace Devotion 3: Angels, Shepherds, and Joy Devotion 4: Christ Jesus, the Savior of the World

It would be ideal to plan devotional times each week during the weeks of Advent. This would work well to use in a weekly family night. It would also work well around dinnertime one night a week.

What are the options for different ages? This guide is written for all ages. It will contain ideas for children, teens and adults. The guide will give you three options for how to celebrate Advent, so you choose the option (or mixture of options) that serve your family best. The three options are:

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1.

Advent craft: This is usually best for younger children. This is a highly hands-on activity good to keep kids busy. Over the month of December, they will add items each week to create a nativity scene. It will also involve reading Bible stories, which may work best in a Children’s Bible, depending on age.

2.

Advent box: This is a good option for a wide range of children. It is simply a cardboard box (which your kids can decorate) that you bring out one time each week of Advent, and the children open it to see what it inside. Each item inside will be used much like an object lesson to discuss the Christmas story. It would work well for family night or at dinner time, and will involve a time of discussion.

3.

Advent wreath: This would work best with teens, college students and adults. It is less about hands-on ideas and more about reading the Biblical passages and discussion. You will need an advent wreath with candles which you can buy at many Christian bookstores or order online.

Option 1  Advent Craft Note: You could adjust this devotion to use a nativity set that your family already has and simply add in the pieces week by week. For this craft, you will need:  A craft for the children to make. You can make a simple nativity scene using one of the many patterns on the internet. Go to www.cornerstonechurchofknoxville.com for links and ideas. You will be adding pieces to the craft over four weeks, so pre-plan how you will add the pieces. Suggestions are below in the weekly devotions.  A Bible. This guide includes ideas for Children’s Bibles from The Big Picture Story Bible (by Helm and Schoonmaker), The Beginner’s Bible (by Zonderkidz, the page numbers are from the 2005 edition) the Jesus Storybook Bible (by Lloyd-Jones and Jago), and The Early Reader’s Bible (by Zonderkidz). However, you can use any Bible you choose.  A planned time to do the craft. One night a week after dinner is ideal.  Words and/or music to Christmas carols.

Week 1: December 5-11  Prophecies and Hope A thought for parents: This week is focused on the promises of God in the prophecies of the Old Testament. For hundreds of years, God promised to send His Messiah to earth. He told Adam, Abraham, David, Isaiah, and others about the coming Messiah. These Old Testament promises are called prophecies. Imagine what it was like for countless Jewish people waited their whole lives, almost none of them ever seeing the Promised One born. Today, we know the whole story. God kept His promises (He always does)! We have the whole Bible where we can read the prophecies of the Old Testament as well as them coming true in the life of Jesus in the New Testament. Use this time to remember the promises about the Coming Messiah and be thankful that God keeps His promises.  Ask: What does it mean to keep a promise? Why is that important?  Read a children’s Bible that talks about the prophecies of the Old Testament. Explain the promises as you read. (Ideas would be: Big Picture Story Bible pages 48-49, 168-171, and 213-217. Jesus Storybook Bible pages 144-151. But use any Bible you choose).  Ask: What were the promises God made about the Messiah that we just read? How did He keep those promises? What does that tell you about God? www.cornerstonechurchofknoxville.com

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 Begin making the nativity scene. Work on the background and add stars or the big star (sticker stars would work well). Tell your children that stars can remind you of the many promises about Jesus. God kept His promises (He always does), and the fact that He sent Jesus is why we celebrate Advent and Christmas.  Sing “Away in a Manger.” Use a Christmas CD or other music if you choose.

Week 2: December 12-18  Bethlehem and Peace A thought for parents: The second week of Advent traditionally focuses on Bethlehem and peace. None of us would have ever imagined the birth of the Messiah happening like it did. God’s only Son was born in small town in a stable next to dirty farm animals and laid in a feeding trough. Then a choir of angels appears speaking of “Peace on earth.” The birth of Jesus is shocking and incredible to say the least. Use this time to be freshly amazed at how Jesus was born in Bethlehem and to remember the peace between God and man He brought.  Get out some pictures of your children’s birth. Talk about what their births were like.  Ask: What would you imagine the birth of God’s only Son should have been like? Be specific.  Read a Children’s Bible or Christmas book about Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem. (Options would be Big Picture Story Bible pages 244-257. Jesus Storybook Bible pages 176-183. Beginner’s Bible pages 271-276. Early Reader’s Bible pages 283-288. Or choose another Bible). Talk through the details of how Jesus was born.  Continue with your nativity scene craft. Add the stable and some animals. Add the manger (if it is separate from baby Jesus) and talk about what a manger is. Talk about how the birth of Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem is nothing like what we’d expect.  Ask: What is peace, and why did the angels tell us about “Peace on earth”?  Sing “Silent Night.” Use a Christmas CD or other music if you choose.

Week 3: December 19-23  Angels, Shepherds, and Joy A thought for parents: Who were the first people to be told about Jesus? Not Caesar. Not a president. Not a prophet or priest. A host of angels appeared to small-town average Joes (shepherds in a field) to tell them that the Messiah who was promised to Abraham and King David was born. Isn’t that amazing? No wonder Advent is a time of joy. Jesus Christ stepped out of heaven to come to be with and to save everyday people like us. Use this time to remember the average shepherds in the Christmas story and be thankful again that God’s amazing grace saves average, sinful people like us.  Talk about what joy is. Why is joy important? Why is Christmas a time of joy?  Read a Children’s Bible about the angels appearing to the shepherds. (Options could be the Big Picture Story Bible pages 259-269. Jesus Storybook Bible pages 184-191. Beginner’s Bible pages 277-281. Early Reader’s Bible pages 291296. Or choose something else).  Ask: What do you think the shepherds thought when angels were all around them? What do you think the shepherds thought when they saw Jesus?  Continue with your nativity scene craft; add angels, shepherds and sheep. Have the children explain back to you why they are adding angels and shepherds.  Sing “Joy to the World.” Use a Christmas CD or other music if you choose.

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Week 4: Christmas Eve – Week  Christ Jesus, Savior of the World This final devotion would work well on Christmas Eve or sometime Christmas week to remind the children of the true message of Christmas. Use this time to try to express how Jesus is the best gift we’ll ever receive.  Ask: What is Christmas about? Why do we celebrate Christmas?  Read the Christmas story. It may be best to read straight from Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-7. Or you could reread about the birth of Jesus from a Children’s Bible (see Week 2 for ideas) or a Christmas book.  Complete your nativity scene craft by adding Joseph, Mary and Jesus. The scene is complete. Jesus is born! Celebrate!  Ask: Why is the birth of Jesus better than any present we could ever get at Christmas? The story in Matthew says that Jesus came to “save his people from their sins”; what does that mean?  Spend a few moments sharing the Gospel with your children. Tell them about how we all sin and need God, but that He came to save His people from their sins. Talk about how Jesus grew up, lived a perfect life we could have never lived, how He died and took the punishment for our sin, and how He rose again in victory. The reason Christmas is so special is because it marks the birth of Jesus who would save us from our sins.  Sing “O Come All Ye Faithful” or your favorite Christmas carol. Use a Christmas CD or other music if you choose.  Pray and thank God for sending us Christ Jesus, the greatest gift we’ll ever receive.

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