We are now in the season of Advent, a time that is focussed on waiting
with anticipation. We wait with anticipation for the return of Christ; we
relive in our own lives the expectation of the birth of Christ and his birth in
our own heart every day. We wait with anticipation for the kingdom of God to be
fulfilled on earth. Over these four weeks the material will be shaped around
four themes that are relevant to this time: promise, waiting, journey and gift.
In addition to the weekly resources have a look at
the special Advent page for some ideas
and resources on how to celebrate the season well in your home.
Weekly
Inspiration
Biblically,
waiting is not just something we have to do until we get what we want. Waiting
is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be.
~ John Ortberg
Family
Closeness
Game:
Everyone closes their eyes and must guess
how long a minute is, by opening their eyes when they think a minute is up. Try
playing this game using a piece of music. Did players guess a longer or shorter
time for a minute? Another way to play is to get everyone to walk between two
walls trying to move slowly or quickly enough that they will reach the wall
just as a minute is up. If you reach the wall before time you are out.
(Inspired by Christine Gapes. New Games for
Community)
Sharing:
Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.
What do you hate waiting for?
When do you find waiting most difficult?
What do you do to make waiting easier?
What can’t you wait for?
Story
With your family
read Luke 3.1-6
(for a way of
explaining/talking about this reading with children look at
Questions for
Discussion:
- How do we prepare for important guests in your house?
- How might we prepare for Christmas?
- How might we prepare for Jesus to change our lives?
Prayer
and Celebration
Advent Prayer Pattern
This pattern may be used this week to begin meal times or to begin a
family sharing time.
It may begin by asking everyone to quieten down and to think about what
it means to wait and to think of one word to describe that feeling. During the
prayer the leader is going to say: “Waiting feels like…” and each person will
be free to speak her word aloud. Parents might need to help little ones with a
word that describes the feeling of waiting.
1.
Music. Choose
a piece of gentle music to listen to. Try some different pieces each time to
try and find one that expresses a feeling of waiting.
2.
Prayer: All of
us wait. Each day brings its own dose of waiting. We wait in the dentist’s
office, at sports practice, at school, for parents and children, for brothers
and sisters. We wait for dinner to be ready, for the refund, for the letter
from a friend. We wait to be big enough to ride the roller coaster, old enough
to stay up late, secure enough to be on our own. Our waiting feels like…(give
people a chance to voice their feeling) Advent calls us to celebrate waiting.
Each time we wait, help us to remember how the world waited for a saviour. Help
us to remember we are always waiting for your return. Help us find and
recognise you in each other. As we wait. We are Advent people.
3.
Lord, the
N…family is waiting for you.
All: Come, Lord Jesus.
(Rituals and Icebreakers.
Kathleen O’Connel Chesto.Ligouri)
Service
Now
is a great time of year as we move towards Christmas to begin think about how
you may serve those in need. Christmas can be a sad and lonely time of year for
many people. How might your family serve Christ the King this Advent and
Christmas, and make a different in people’s lives at the same time. Here are a
few quick ideas.
- Instead of or as well, buying gifts for each other buy an animal for a family overseas from an organisation like: Oxfam
- Serve in a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.
Family
Time
Nativity Exploration
In this period
as we move towards Christmas why not use art work to explore the story a Jesus
birth. Apart from the many Christmas cards that you may receive the internet
also provides a wealth of resources. If you go to http://www.textweek.com/art/nativity.htm you will find links to many depictions of
the birth of Christ through the ages. Invite your family to choose their
favourite picture and to describe what they like about it? Discuss the different
pictures and what you find interesting in them. Get each member to draw their
own nativity picture and explain it.
(This material is based on and draws from earlier Faithful Families emails by Stephen Harrison & Richard Browning: An Unless Ideas Production.)
Unless otherwise noted all material on this blog is copyright Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning
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