the advent of our lord anticipating christmas

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THE ADVENT OF OUR LORD

ANTICIPATING CHRISTMAS written by Dave Maddalena

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.................................................................................. 3 DEVOTIONAL ...................................................................................... 5 SCRIPTURE CARDS .......................................................................... 18 ACTIVITY CARDS .............................................................................. 20 ADVENT WREATH INSTRUCTIONS ................................................... 23 CUT-OUT COOKIE RECIPE ............................................................... 23 CANDLE ORNAMENT TEMPLATE ..................................................... 24 GREETING CARD ARTWORK............................................................ 25 ANGEL GIFT TAG ARTWORK ............................................................ 26 PAPER CALENDAR TEMPLATE ......................................................... 27

INTRODUCTION During Advent, Christians everywhere prepare for Christmas, but not with wrapping paper and ribbons. The days leading up to this greatest of holidays provide an opportunity for us to reflect on what came before all the glitter: the arrival of One who gives us gifts which last forever. During Advent, we remind ourselves about the birth of a baby in Bethlehem so long ago, and we ask, “What is the meaning of this gift?”, “Why does it matter?”, “What was it like to be around back then?”, and “Who is Jesus?” Advent means “arrival”, a coming of some long-hoped-for thing, or event. This event, the arrival of God’s own child, had been hoped for like no other event in history. All of nature was hoping, desperately, for this moment; as Paul writes in his letter to the Christians in Rome (Romans 8.22): “The whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth … until now.” Throughout history, prophets and poets have written about this time, the arrival of God’s chosen one. There were no secrets: God was going to rescue the planet from darkness. Someone great was coming, with a promise of help, of peace, of rescue. This devotional follows several scriptures – one per day for the first 24 days of December – to shed light on the coming of Jesus more than two thousand Christmases ago.

USING THIS KIT There are two main parts to this Advent material: a 24-day devotional, consisting of scripture readings and commentary, and a collection of suggested activities. The devotional material and the activities are divided into four great themes of the season: light, servanthood, family, and the Christ child’s arrival, heralded by angels. Our arrangement may differ from the traditions of any one Church practice, but is designed to highlight some of the themes which stand out to us as we read about the coming of Jesus. Our hope is to lead Christians on a journey of discovering the great story of God’s promise and the hope that was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

THE DEVOTIONAL Each of the four sections begin with a short introduction, followed by scripture readings for six days. At the beginning of each reading you will find a phrase – specific to the section – that may be repeated each night as you light an Advent candle. For example, for the first thematic section, “light”, we offer the phrase, “the people in darkness have seen a great light”. The phrase is followed by a portion of scripture and commentary to serve as that day’s devotional material. Some scriptures (and commentary) may be too long or complicated for the very young, so we have devised a formatting trick – passages that are considered more appropriate for younger readers are marked as bold text.

ADVENT CALENDAR CARDS We have provided two sets of cards – scripture cards and activity cards – intended for use with your Advent calendar. If you already have an Advent calendar with pockets, you may use the cards with that calendar. Otherwise, we have provided a template with assembly instructions for a paper calender. First, cut out your scripture and activity cards along the solid lines. Then, place each scripture card in the appropriate pocket of the Advent calendar, and choose one activity card for each day as well. The activity cards are arranged to fit the themes of each section, but you can shuffle the activity cards to appear on days that work best for your schedule. Furthermore, some activities are not assigned to any given day or section because they can be done anytime during the Advent season. You may choose to duplicate some of your favorite activities: if your family or friends love to bake (or eat) or do crafts or music, then you may choose to repeat some of those types of activities and skip others. You can be creative as you arrange your Advent calendar according to your rhythms. The crafts and other activities are not only for children! We encourage you, whether you live with kids or not, to consider doing as many of these activities as seem appropriate to you (we’ve included a good selection, from which you can pick and choose, and which should stimulate your imagination if you would like to devise some of your own). If you don’t live with kids, you can do the activities with your spouse, with a friend, or with a roommate. You might even invite neighbor kids (or whole families) to participate with you.

More copies of this advent material can be found on the Vineyard of the Peninsula’s website (www.vcfp.org). You are free to send copies to friends, or point them to the web address so they can download and print their own.

ABOUT THE TRANSLATION USED FOR THE SCRIPTURES In the devotional section of our Advent material, we have provided all scripture passages in their entirety, using the New Living Translation (NLT) of the Bible (except where noted). Our intent in so doing is to offer you a convenient reference document for use in your devotions or family observance of Advent. The NLT is a very good, informal translation, but of course you are free to use your own Bible translation if you prefer.

A PRAYER FOR ADVENT Lord, may our roots go down deep into the soil of your marvelous love. Through our devotion to you this season, through prayerful reflection on your coming, and through our hope in your near return, may we have the power to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep your love really is1. Change us, Lord. May Christmas never be the same again! Help us to see Jesus in a new light. Amen. 1

Ephesians 3.17, 18

PART 1: THE APPROACHING DAWN “The people in darkness have seen a great light” God made a bright and beautiful world and gave it to his children to enjoy and care for. But this world can seem pretty dark and frightening at times. It was not so in the beginning: the world was full of light and life, made more brilliant by God himself, who walked with people. But God’s children, our ancestors, chose the darkness, and hid from God because of the dark desires of their hearts. Their choice has left us subject to darkness ever since. But we are not abandoned: into the darkness of our world, God has sent a son. Like the rising sun ends the night, the coming of Jesus was the beginning of a brand new day. Each evening throughout Advent, before you read these passages, light a candle to remind yourself of the light of God’s love which enters the world at Christmas. Are there places of darkness in your life? Places that you have kept God out of? As we approach Christmas, open your heart to God … let him search you. Don’t end this season with any hidden places, where darkness rules. Let God shine his light into your life.

December 1

The people in darkness have seen a great light Advent is a season of hope. For everyone who lived before the first Christmas, the scriptures were full of the promise of light coming to drive back the darkness. Isaiah 9.2-6 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light – a light that will shine on all who live in the land where death casts its shadow. Israel will again be great, and its people will rejoice as people rejoice at harvest time. They will shout with joy like warriors dividing the plunder. For God will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the army of Midian with Gideon's little band. In that day of peace, battle gear will no longer be issued. Never again will uniforms be bloodstained by war. All such equipment will be burned. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

December 2

The people in darkness have seen a great light Genesis, the first book of the Bible, tells how God created a wonderful and blessed world: everything that God made was good and pure. Genesis 1.26-31 Then God said, “Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life – the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals.” So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them. God blessed them and told them, “Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals.” And God said, “Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given all the grasses and other green plants to the animals and birds for

their food.” And so it was. Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way.

December 3

The people in darkness have seen a great light The first people had everything they needed, but when they were tested, they failed, falling into darkness. They failed to do what God wanted, and instead listened to God’s enemy. A great blessing was lost on that day: what had been good – excellent in every way – became very hard. Their relationships were cursed, and the blessings of work and childbirth became painful reminders of their fall. Worst of all, they were sent away from God and his life-giving presence. Genesis 3.1-11, 23-24 Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. [He] asked the woman. “Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?” “Of course we may eat it,” the woman told him. “It’s only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die.” “You won’t die!” the serpent hissed. “God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too. At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves. Toward evening they heard the LORD God walking about in the garden, so they hid themselves among the trees. The LORD God called to Adam, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” “Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten the fruit I commanded you not to eat” […] So the LORD God banished Adam and his wife from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After banishing them from the garden, the LORD God stationed mighty angelic beings to the east of Eden. And a flaming sword flashed back and forth, guarding the way to the tree of life.

December 4

The people in darkness have seen a great light Abram (later called Abraham) left everything to follow God, because he trusted God. Abraham’s faith was so pleasing to God that God called him “righteous” (Genesis 15.6), and gave him a child, even though he and his wife were over 90 years old. God chose to bless the whole world through Abraham’s family: Jesus himself would be one of Abraham’s descendents. This man’s simple trust made a way for God send his son into the world, to bring light into the darkness.” Genesis 12.1-3 Then the LORD told Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make

you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

December 5

The people in darkness have seen a great light Hope in God’s blessing gave the people something to sing about. Even people who lived before Jesus believed that God would rescue them, because he had rescued them so many times before. The Psalms are worship songs to be sung or spoken at gatherings, but they are also inspired by the Holy Spirit to comfort and encourage people who wait for deliverance. Though God’s people felt oppressed by the darkness of the “valley of the shadow of death” (psalm 23), they remembered God’s past help with joy and looked forward to his future deliverance with joy. Psalm 126 When the LORD restored his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the LORD has done for them.” Yes, the LORD has done amazing things for us! What joy! Restore our fortunes, LORD, as streams renew the desert. Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.

December 6

The people in darkness have seen a great light Isaiah cries to God because he knows that only God can save his people. In fact, Isaiah knows that God is willing to come down and work for anyone who needs his help. This God is powerful enough to shake mountains and strike fear into nations. He is a God of awesome displays of power. Yet, when he comes down to earth, it isn’t to terrorize us or to destroy us. He comes to work on our behalf, to help us. Isaiah prays that God will remember the people he has made and be merciful. Isaiah 64.1-9 Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence! As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil, your coming would make the nations tremble. Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame! When you came down long ago, you did awesome things beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked! For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! You welcome those who cheerfully do good, who follow godly ways. But we are not godly. We are constant sinners, so your anger is heavy on us. How can people like us be saved? We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away. Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins And yet, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand. Oh, don't be so angry with us, LORD. Please don't remember our sins forever. Look at us, we pray, and see that we are all your people.

PART 2: THE SUFFERING SERVANT “God has come to serve his people” For hundreds and hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, God had been telling the story of how he himself would come into the world to save us from darkness and save us from all that we fear. He would do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He tells this story through his prophets. Throughout history God has spoken through prophets about what he was going to do through his Messiah, the Christ. Centuries before the first Christmas, the prophet Isaiah delivered such a message. The message speaks of a great leader. But this leader would not demand that people serve him, he would instead come to serve his people. Consider ways that you might be of service to others: can you bless your neighbors the way God blesses and serves you? Can you lighten someone’s load by offering to pray or to help them in some way? Can you help someone find the way to peace with God?

December 7

God has come to serve his people Before he arrives, God’s savior speaks through the prophet about himself. God says that we will know he has come when we see these things: good news for the poor, comfort for broken hearts, freedom for prisoners, beauty, joy, praise, and the children of God growing strong and beautiful like mighty oaks. Isaiah 61.1-6 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, because the LORD has appointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory. They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities long ago destroyed. They will revive them, though they have been empty for many generations. Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards. You will be called priests of the LORD, ministers of our God.

December 8

God has come to serve his people God tells all about what he is planning to do. God doesn’t want his people to try to rescue themselves. It will never work. Nothing will save people apart from God’s servant, Jesus, whom God chose from the beginning to ‘bring full justice to all who have been wronged’. God knows what he will do and does not hide his plans from his chosen people, for he wants them to have hope. Isaiah 42 “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will reveal justice to the nations. He will be gentle – he will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush those who are weak or quench the smallest hope. He will bring full justice to all who have been wronged. He will not stop until truth and righteousness prevail throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”

God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath and life to everyone in all the world. And it is he who says, “I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will guard and support you, for I have given you to my people as the personal confirmation of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide all nations to me. You will open the eyes of the blind and free the captives from prison. You will release those who sit in dark dungeons.” “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else. I will not share my praise with carved idols. Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.”

December 9

God has come to serve his people We act like God’s enemy, But God does not treat us so; he treats sin as the enemy and has won the battle for us. The justice that marks the Messiah’s coming is good news for the oppressed, but it also is a fearsome thing for those who do wrong. Our perfect and righteous God requires justice, and that means there is an accounting coming due for our disobedience, selfishness, arrogance, hatred, and violence. But God does not come to overthrow human beings, though we have acted like his enemy. He comes to overthrow the tyranny of sin. God’s plan is that Christ would pay the price – by being overthrown himself, and suffering death in our place. Isaiah 44 “Pay attention, O Israel, for you are my servant. I, the LORD, made you, and I will not forget to help you. I have swept away your sins like the morning mists. I have scattered your offenses like the clouds. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done this wondrous thing. Shout, O earth! Break forth into song, O mountains and forests and every tree! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob and is glorified in Israel.

December 10

God has come to serve his people It is said of the infant Jesus (by the priest Simeon) that he will ‘be a sign that will be opposed’ and will also cause many to ‘rise and fall in Israel’. God’s messiah – God’s savior –has always been God’s way of healing the world, though many have rebelled at God’s way, and have chosen their own way. Jesus is a sign that God will help, not by a show of power (our way), but with a show of powerlessness (his way). God has come, and is with us in the form of an infant child. Isaiah 7.14 (NRSV) The Lord himself will choose the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel – ‘God is with us.’

December 11

God has come to serve his people The coming servant-savior was going to test the people’s faith in many ways. Few were looking for a messiah wrapped in baby blankets, and perhaps no one expected the adult messiah to be a ‘man of sorrow’ and a man ‘despised.’ The people wanted a warrior-king to crush their enemies. But God told the unlikely story of a broken, rejected, unattractive, grief-wracked man, crushed under the weight of our sorrows, our troubles, our sins. God's savior suffered all these things because he loves us. Isaiah 53.1-6 Who has believed our message? To whom will the LORD reveal his saving power? My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was

nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. (Isaiah 53 continued below)

December 12

God has come to serve his people Isaiah 53. 7-12 (continued) He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins – that he was suffering their punishment? He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners.

PART 3: CHRIST’S FAMILY HISTORY “The Father invites us to come home for Christmas” The Father loves this world so much that he sent his own son on a treacherous mission to save us from the consequences of our sin. This  son of God willingly left his eternal, heavenly family to enter into this world as a powerless infant. So begins a most remarkable family  history. Before he was born of Mary, Jesus was adopted by Joseph into his family, the family of David (and Abraham). Leaving his divine royalty and rights for a season, Jesus takes as his inheritance the throne of Israel’s King David. Then, the ultimate surprise: Jesus  prepares a way for us to be adopted into God’s family as princes and princesses. Christmas is often a time of loneliness, even for those with big families. Consider that Jesus left his family behind on the first Christmas, travelled to this dark world where he would be homeless and abused. And he endured it so that we might be received again into the Father’s family. He did it so that we could come home for Christmas. Turn your heart this week to your family: whether parents, brothers, sisters, children, aunts, uncles, grandparents, relatives further  afield, or friends and fellow travelers. Jesus says we will be recognized as his followers by our love, but sometimes it’s hard to  love those who are closest to us. In the coming days, as you meditate on the ways that God has extended his love to draw us back into his  family, ask God to guide you in showing love to your family.

December 13

The Father invites us to come home for Christmas The way God chooses is not like the way we choose. We think people are great because they are strong or beautiful. But God looks inside the heart and mind of a person to see if they love him. In this way he chose a man ‘after his own heart’ to sit on the throne and rule his people. King David, the youngest and the leastlikely of Jesse’s sons, would not only be king and a national hero, but would become a hero of the faith. Scripture said that the God’s messiah would sit on David’s throne. 1 Samuel 16.1-7 The LORD said to Samuel, “… fill your horn with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my new king.” … When he arrived at Bethlehem … Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons … Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the LORD’s anointed!” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions.” (1 Samuel 16 continued below)

December 14

The Father invites us to come home for Christmas 1 Samuel 16 8-13 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “This is not the one the LORD has chosen.” Next Jesse summoned Shammah, but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the LORD has chosen.” In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.” Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep.”

“Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” So Jesse sent for him. He was ruddy and handsome, with pleasant eyes. And the LORD said, “This is the one; anoint him.” So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the olive oil he had brought and poured it on David’s head. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

December 15

The Father invites us to come home for Christmas A thousand years after David lived, people had almost forgotten how great his family was, as if his many descendants were the branches of an old tree with no life in it. Isaiah said that God would bring new life from this ‘old root’. The Christ (Messiah) was to be a new branch in the family tree, once again bearing good fruit. Isaiah 11.1-10 Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot – yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will never judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay. He will defend the poor and the exploited. He will rule against the wicked and destroy them with the breath of his mouth. He will be clothed with fairness and truth. In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard and the goat will be at peace. Calves and yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them all. The cattle will graze among bears. Cubs and calves will lie down together. And lions will eat grass as the livestock do. Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes and pull it out unharmed. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. And as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD. In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, for the land where he lives will be a glorious place.

December 16

The Father invites us to come home for Christmas Joseph, a great, great (etc.!) grandson of King David (himself a great, great grandson of Abraham), was engaged to a young woman named Mary. When he found out she was going to have a baby, Joseph had no idea that God was behind it: he planned to quietly leave the relationship, so that he would not embarrass her. But God intervened. Joseph, descendant of King David, adopted the unborn child as his own, and fulfilled many scriptures by his noble act. Matthew 1.18-24 Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiance, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly. As he considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this happened to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel (meaning, God is with us).” When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded. He brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a virgin until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

December 17

The Father invites us to come home for Christmas We are slaves in this world of darkness, we cannot get free by ourselves. But thanks to Jesus Christ, we are free. And more, we were once like orphans who have now been adopted into God’s family – and we can call him, “Father!” Gal 4.4-7 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you.

December 18

The Father invites us to come home for Christmas It is no small thing to be adopted into God’s family. It is amazing that Jesus calls us brother, sister. Jesus takes his family ties very seriously. He considers how we treat our “brothers and sisters” in the final judgement. Not only must we take seriously the call to respect and serve God’s many children, but also the call to live as children of God, with all the implied honor and responsibility. Matthew 25.31-46 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons! For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me anything to drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me no clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ And he will answer, ‘I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

PART 4: THE COMING OF THE CHRIST CHILD “The baby will be holy; he will be called the Son of God” Angelic activity picks up in the months before the appearance of the Christ child. Angels are God’s messengers: they speak for God, and their ‘words come true in their proper time’. God wanted to make sure everyone knew their part, and it was time to finish the story that he had been telling for so many years. Read the following familiar passages (presented without comment) as if you read them for the first time. Read them as though you have been waiting with the entire world for these things to happen. Remember the world … remember that Jesus came into a world that had been groaning from the beginning for this moment … for this birth … groaning for the advent of our Lord.

December 19

The baby will be holy; he will be called the Son of God Malachi 3.1 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the LORD Almighty.

December 20

The baby will be holy; he will be called the Son of God Luke 1.5-25 It all begins with a Jewish priest, Zechariah, who lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zechariah was a member of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and now they were both very old. One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense in the Lord's presence. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. Zechariah was in the sanctuary when an angel of the Lord appeared, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was overwhelmed with fear. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or hard liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom.” Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! And now, since you didn't believe what I said, you won't be able to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly come true at the proper time.”

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out, wondering why he was taking so long. When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures that he must have seen a vision in the Temple sanctuary.

December 21

The baby will be holy; he will be called the Son of God Luke 1.26-38 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be frightened, Mary,” the angel told her, “for God has decided to bless you! You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she's already in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” Mary responded, “I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.” And then the angel left.

December 22

The baby will be holy; he will be called the Son of God Luke 1.39-55 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “You are blessed by God above all other women, and your child is blessed. What an honor this is, that the mother of my Lord should visit me! When you came in and greeted me, my baby jumped for joy the instant I heard your voice! You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” Mary responded, “Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed. For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me. His mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who fear him.

His mighty arm does tremendous things! How he scatters the proud and haughty ones! He has taken princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. And how he has helped his servant Israel! He has not forgotten his promise to be merciful. For he promised our ancestors – Abraham and his children – to be merciful to them forever.”

December 23

The baby will be holy; he will be called the Son of God Mark 1.1-10 Here begins the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God said, “Look, I am sending my messenger before you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare a pathway for the Lord’s coming! Make a straight road for him!'” This messenger was John the Baptist. He lived in the wilderness and was preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had turned from their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. People from Jerusalem and from all over Judea traveled out into the wilderness to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. His clothes were woven from camel hair, and he wore a leather belt; his food was locusts and wild honey. He announced: “Someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am – so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

December 24

The baby will be holy; he will be called the Son of God Luke 2.1-20 (The birth of Jesus) At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiance, who was obviously pregnant by this time. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn. That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem,

the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others – the armies of heaven – praising God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.” When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said.

DECEMBER 1

DECEMBER 2

DECEMBER 3

Isaiah 9.2-6

Genesis 1.26-31

Genesis 3.1-11, 23-24

DECEMBER 4

DECEMBER 5

DECEMBER 6

Genesis 12.1-3

Psalm 126

Isaiah 64.1-9

DECEMBER 7

DECEMBER 8

DECEMBER 9

Isaiah 61.1-6

Isaiah 42

Isaiah 44

DECEMBER 10

DECEMBER 11

DECEMBER 12

Isaiah 7.14

Isaiah 53.1-6

Isaiah 53.7-12

DECEMBER 13

DECEMBER 14

DECEMBER 15

1 Samuel 16.1-7

1 Samuel 16.8-13

Isaiah 11.1-10

DECEMBER 16

DECEMBER 17

DECEMBER 18

Matthew 1.18-24

Galations 4.4-7

Matthew 25.31-46

DECEMBER 19

DECEMBER 20

DECEMBER 21

Malachi 3.1

Luke 1.5-25

Luke 1.26-38

DECEMBER 22

DECEMBER 23

DECEMBER 24

Luke 1.39-55

Mark 1.1-10

Luke 2.1-20

ADVENT CALENDAR Assemble, decorate, and/or hang your advent calendar. If you have a readymade calendar, you could remind the family/household of how you will use the calendar to celebrate the season.

LIGHT – ADVENT WREATH Make an advent wreath (directions included in this packet).

LIGHT – HANG LIGHTS ON HOUSE Hang lights on your house or apartment.

SERVICE – VISIT RETIREMENT HOME Visit a retirement home to sing carols or to deliver homemade cards.

SERVICE – PRAY FOR SOMEONE Pray for someone who needs Jesus’ help. If you have many people to pray for, you may want to make a bowl and write each need on a piece of paper. Throughout the week, during your pre-dinner prayers, you can pick out a paper from the bowl and pray for that person.

MEANING OF ADVENT Advent means ‘coming’, in particular the coming of some long-anticipated or eagerly-awaited event. Talk as a household about what your expectations are for this season.

LIGHT – CANDLE ORNAMENTS Traditionally candles were used to light Christmas trees. Make some homemade candle ornaments for your tree (pattern included in this packet).

SERVICE – BAKE FOR CHARITY Bake cookies for a charity. (This could be for a fundraiser or to deliver to a retirement home or shelter.)

SERVICE – READ “JACOB’S GIFT” Read the book, “Jacob’s Gift” by Max Lucadp.

SERVICE – QUESTION: WHAT GIFT WOULD YOU GIVE JESUS? The shepherds brought gifts and worshipped the baby Jesus. Talk about or reflect upon this question: “What gift would you give Jesus?”

LIGHT – HANG LIGHTS ON TREE Put lights on your Christmas tree or a tree outside your home, or attend a tree-lighting ceremony.

LIGHT – WATCH SUNRISE Get up early to watch the sunrise. Reflect upon God sending light into our dark world.

SERVICE – BUY CLOTHES OR TOYS FOR THOSE IN NEED Buy toys or clothing for family in need. Your local school or church may already have donation opportunities. If not, you may choose to contact an organization such as Angel Tree to be assigned to a needy family.

SERVICE – READ “THE STORY OF THE OTHER WISEMAN” Read the story of “The Story of the Other Wiseman” by Henry Van Dyke.

FAMILY – HOMEMADE CARDS Make homemade Christmas cards for your family; or, take time to write a family member a thoughtful note in a store-bought card.

FAMILY – HUGS Hug each member of your household or family (for small children, make this “hug everyone 4 times.”). If family is far away, bless a family member with an unexpected phone call.

FAMILY – DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOUR FAMILY Do something nice for someone in your family/household. For example, clean your brother’s room or make his bed or play a game with your younger sister. Take out the trash, even though it’s “someone else’s job”. FAMILY – FAMILY LETTER Create a joint-effort family letter to send to friends and relatives. Describe in your letter how God has shown his love to your family during the last year.

FAMILY – DOOR WREATH/BLESSING

FAMILY – FAMILY CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

As a family/household, you may make up a prayer or saying that you can say each time you see your door wreath. It may be something simple such as, “Lord, bless all those who enter here.”

Tell a friend or roommate about your family’s Christmas traditions. Reflect upon their meaning to you. Which of them do you hope to continue?

FAMILY – “I LOVE YOU”

FAMILY – SAY BLESSING

Tell everyone in your family, “I love you.”

FAMILY – OTHER FAMILY TRADITIONS Get to know a friend’s family or ask them about their family’s Christmas traditions.

ANGELS – ANGEL ORNAMENTS

ANGELS – “HARK THE HERALD”

Look at your decorated tree and point out your favorite ornaments. See how many angels you can find. Do you know what part the angels played in the Jesus’ birth? What other ornaments remind you of the Christmas story?

Sing, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” For a loud evening: play the music with roommates/children using real or homemade instruments. For a quiet evening: play a recorded version and meditate on the words.

ANGELS – ANGEL GIFT TAGS Make homemade angel gift tags (pattern included in this packet).

ADDRESS CHRISTMAS CARDS After writing each address, say a prayer of blessing for the recipient

Say a prayer of blessing for each member of your family.

ANGELS – CRECHE Put out a manger scene. Talk about the night Jesus was born. Who did the angels appear to that night? What do you think Mary thought when the shepherds arrived? How about the Inn Keeper?

ANGELS – ANGEL COOKIES Make angel-shaped Christmas cookies, decorate … and eat! (See cookie recipe.)

HAVE NEIGHBORS OVER Invite some neighbors over. You can sing carols, have hot cocoa, or share stories of different holiday traditions.

READ, “THE CRIPPLED LAMB” Read the book, “the Crippled Lamb” by Max Lucado.

WRITE A SONG Write your own Christmas song. Perform the song for the members of your family/household (or collaborate on a song).

EVERGREEN Put out Evergreen cuttings (on hearth, throughout your home) as a remembrance of the promise of Everlasting life. “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” (John 6:47)

SING CHRISTMAS CAROLS Take a family/household vote on everyone’s favorite Christmas carol then sing it. Or take turns on different nights singing each person’s favorite carol.

CHRISTMAS MEANING Answer the Question: “What does Christmas mean to me?”

FESTIVE DANCING Put on a Christmas CD and dance!

PLAY “BETHLEHEM”

GIFT FOR THE BIRDS

MEANING OF GIFT

Turn off the house lights and pretend you are looking for a place to stay in Bethlehem. Each member of the family/household can act out a different part in the story: Joseph, the Inn Keeper, etc.

Make a food gift/ornament for wildlife. Spread peanut butter on a pine cone & roll in bird seed. Hang on branches of tree in your yard.

Talk about what a ‘gift’ really is. (you can use the Magi, the little drummer boy, Jesus, or other gift-givers as examples, for instance).

ADVENT WREATH The origins of the Advent wreath are found in the folk practices of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples who, during the cold December darkness of Eastern Europe, gathered wreaths of evergreen and lighted fires as signs of hope in a coming spring and renewed light. Christians kept these popular traditions alive, and by the 16th century Catholics and Protestants throughout Germany used these symbols to celebrate their Advent hope in Christ, the everlasting Light. From Germany the use of the Advent wreath spread to other parts of the Christian world. Traditionally, the wreath is made of four candles in a circle of evergreens. Three candles are violet and the fourth is rose, but four white candles or four violet candles can also be used. Each day at home, the candles are lighted, perhaps before the evening meal – one candle the first week, and then another each succeeding week until December 25th. A short prayer may accompany the lighting. What you need to make your own fresh advent wreath: ■

1 shallow bowl or dish oasis (also known as florist’s foam), available from a florist or craft store ■ four candles, representing the four weeks of advent (plus extra replacements) ■ pine or cedar boughs, or ivy ■

Make the wreath by first soaking the oasis in warm water until it is completely saturated. Fit it into the bowl, carving it and packing it in tightly as necessary so that it will not shift around. Then carve four holes in the oasis for the candles. Place the candles in the holes you have made and begin sticking greenery into the oasis to completely cover it. It’s nice to have some trailing over the edges of the bowl, and closely packed around the candles to hide all the foam. Keep the foam well watered, and try not to let the candles burn down so low that they scorch the greenery, and the wreath should last throughout the four weeks of advent.

RECIPE FOR SUGAR CUT-OUT COOKIES Makes 2-3 dozen Cut-out cookies. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream ¾ cup butter. Gradually add: ¾ cup sifted powdered sugar. Cream well. Add: 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 Tablespoons evaporated milk, and ¼ teaspoon salt; mix well. Blend in 2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour. Chill. Make cut-out cookies and place on non-stick pan. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes.

Candle Ornaments: Color and cut out candle designs. Punch a hole at top of ornament and attach circle of yarn.

Christmas Card Artwork: Color or paint in artwork. Cut on dotted lines and paste designs onto 6 pre-made cards.

Angel Gift Tags: Photocopy onto nice parchment or colored paper. Cut out tags. Punch hole in corner and attach yarn or ribbon.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

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INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: Choose either the angel or manger scene for the top sheet of your calendar. One sheet will not be used. Tape the long sides of the first three sheets together so that the picture is at the top and a calendar template is below. The result will look like this:

Hanging your Calendar The paper calendar is light enough to be supported by masking tape around the four sides. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

If you want your calendar to be more mobile or to look a little “fancier,” you can fold the top 1/2-inch over a 1/4-inch wood dowel, and then attach yarn to the ends of the dowel. Use the yarn to hang the calendar on a hook or nail (over your wall calendar may be a good spot).

STEP 2: Next, cut along lines on next 2 sheets so that you have 24 squares with numbers, for December 1 to 24. STEP 3: Affix the number squares to the advent calendar in numerical order, starting in the upper-left corner and ending in the bottom-right corner. Tape the sides and bottom of each number square, leaving the tops free. The calendar can then be colored as an advent activity. STEP 4: Once the calendar is assembled and colored, insert 1 activity and 1 scripture card into each numbered “pocket”.