Advent 2014

Advent is a very special time of the year: a time set aside to prepare our hearts and minds for the “coming” of Jesus. The word advent actually means “coming or arrival.” Just as we prepare our homes for the season by decorating and baking cookies, we can also prepare our minds for the celebration of Jesus’ birth by dwelling on the stories involving the loving provision of a Savior swaddled and lying in the manager. As Christians, we certainly celebrate our Lord every Sunday in worship. What a wonderful blessing to set apart a time for meditating on the awesome wonder of His birth! Let’s spend the next four weeks together–as individual families, but also corporately–immersing ourselves in the thrilling story that reveals the love a Father has for His children. 

In our family, we make an advent wreath on the first Sunday in advent. My kids have a blast putting Christmas balls and sparkly garland in among the greenery. We place four purple candles around it and one white one in the center. Each Sunday we light a new candle, ending with the white one on Christmas morning. We light the final candle before we open our gifts, as we listen to the story of Jesus’ birthday. What a blessing it is to gather together each evening to hear God’s word in the flickering of candle light. How my children love to say the verses and sing those special carols that speak so clearly of a baby born King of all kings! 

THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first candle on your advent wreath if you so choose to use one. As you light the candle say “Jesus said, “I am the light of the world, he who walks in me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 

Do you like surprises? How about the thrill of finding a beautiful present, red bow on top, with your name on it? Are you a bit curious? A bit excited? Advent is a time filled with surprises isn’t it? But the best surprises aren’t hidden in those boxed under the tree–although they are pretty cool. The surprises that can delight us most during this holiday season are hidden in the words of a book we can look at everyday. Just as a mom or dad takes joy in giving just the right gift, our Heavenly Father delights in watching His children’s astonishment as they take their first (second, third…) glimpse at the many wonderful surprises He has in store. Let’s look at one. 

Read Luke 1:26-38 

How was Mary surprised? 

What was her reaction? 

Sing: O COME O COME EMMANUEL 

THE FIRST MONDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together.

The Bible is all one story. It’s the story of one God, making for Himself a people with whom He will make His dwelling. It is not surprising that all of Scripture speaks about this wonderful process. As early as Genesis 3 we learn of the one who will crush the head of the serpent bringing us back into a relationship with our loving Father. The surprise comes, not in the early mention of redemption but in the context of the story. Listen closely. Does this sound like the times your parents discipline you when you deliberately break a rule? 

Read Genesis 3:1-15 

Surprise! In the midst of curses and sin we find a promise! The God who has just been disobeyed comes with grace and the prospect of life. The One who will crush death’s head will come, we only need to await His arrival. Our God is constantly surprising us, isn’t He? While His character is such that benevolence and abounding faithfulness should never catch us off guard, still…it does! 

Sing: O COME O COME EMMANUEL 

THE FIRST TUESDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together.

In Genesis God lets us in on some exciting and surprising news: He will make a way for those who have sinned to once again be with Him. You see, in the garden, God walked and talked with Adam and Eve every day. He made His dwelling among them. He lived with them! But after their sin, Adam and Eve could no longer be in His presence. Let’s see what happened… 

Read Genesis 3:21-24 

What does God do for Adam and Eve? 

Why does He make them leave the Garden? 

How does making them leave the Garden show His love for them? If He allowed them to stay they could have eaten from the tree of eternal life and lived forever under a curse and apart from Him. 

Why does He mention the Tree of Life? What is the Tree of Life? 

Surprise! While it might appear that being banished from the most beautiful home on earth could only be another form of cursing, it really illustrates the loving protection of our God. In keeping with His desire to make His dwelling with His people, God casts them out of the Garden, barring their return by flaming swords. What? Think about it: God doesn’t want them to eat from the Tree of Life and live forever. If they lived forever right now, they would live forever apart from God, forever separated by their sin. The surprise is that by kicking them out of the Garden, God was protecting Adam and Eve so that He could finish what He had promised to do and make a way back to Himself and surprisingly the Tree of Life…but we‘ll talk about that later. 

Sing: O COME O COME EMMANUEL 

THE FIRST WEDNESDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together.

God’s design for Creation was to make for Himself a people. He would be their God and they would be His people and He would live with them. After what happened in the garden it appears that all of this has quickly gone awry. Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, choosing to worship themselves as gods. Sin separated them from their Holy Father, removing them from His presence. But, good for us, God still promised to be their God, and God always keeps His promises. The Scriptures tell over and over the Story of God making for Himself a family out of people who are not His people. You know who I mean: all of those who at one time walked in the darkness of their own sin, doing what was right in their own eyes. 

Read Romans 5:6-8 

How is this Surprising? 

How does God demonstrate His love for us? 

You see, the surprises never seem to end. God has made a way for those who were far off, to come close! He has made Himself a family out of the most unlikely of people: sinners. God chose the ugly and wicked of the earth and washed us clean. All of us have sinned and fall short of His glory, yet He has given us the right to be called sons and daughters of God. Wow! 

Sing: WHAT CHILD IS THIS? 

THE FIRST THURSDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together.

Amazing isn’t it? Almost shocking? God continues to confound us with His story of redemption. But it continues to get better. Think it is surprising that God draws sinners to Himself? Wait until you read about how He cleans you up and presents you blameless. 

Read Revelation 7:9-17 

What do the saints wear as they stand before the Lamb? 

What were their robes washed in that made them white? 

Have you ever gotten blood on your hands or clothes? It is one hard color to get out! Even after scrubbing it just tends to linger. But here in Revelation we learn something amazing about the blood of Jesus. It cleans us, staining us with His righteousness. How about that! We stand before the LORD, no longer covered in the stain of our sin, but wearing the white of innocence. The surprises keep coming. 

SING: O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL 

THE FIRST FRIDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together.

Read Revelation 22:1-5 

What stands on either side of the river? Why is that surprising? 

Where will God make His dwelling? 

Amazing! The story is complete. We began the story, servants in the garden, we finish with restoration as children! Because of the blood of the lamb we have access to the tree of life; we will live in the very presence of the Lord; and we will reign with Jesus over all He has made. God truly does keep His promises: “I will be your God, you will be my people, and I will make my dwelling with you.” That which seemed impossible shortly after the beginning is now an accomplished fact for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. 

SING: O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL 

THE FIRST SATURDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

Spend time thinking about the “surprising” nature of our God. Sing songs and be thankful. 

THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first and second advent candle today. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

Light: Christmas time is filled with it. Strands of white, red, green, and blue are everywhere. Starting in October you can be assured that every store, city, and house will soon be adorned with the flickering lights and other lighted decorations. Even our Advent celebration is held up by light. We light a candle each night and remember Jesus’ words about being the light of the world. The Scriptures are filled with the imagery of light. Even Jesus’ birth is announced with a brightening of the world around Him and a new star placed in the sky. 

Read Luke 2:1-15 

Why did Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem? 

What happened to the Shepherds in the field? 

What did the angel say? 

How did the Shepherds respond? 

Here it is again! God acts in a surprising way. The birth announcement of the King of Kings is made, not to the royal families or even to the priests, but to a smelly group of shepherds watching over their sheep. In the Jewish culture, shepherds were despised as dirty and untrustworthy, you couldn’t believe a word they said. Yet here is a heavenly war host appearing and giving the best of news to the least worthy and respectable people there were! And they stood, smelly and dirty while the GLORY of the Lord shone around them. 

SING: HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING 

THE SECOND MONDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first and second advent candle today. Read John 8:12 aloud together.

Have you ever been to a town on Light Up Night? If you have, you know how ordinary the city looks upon arrival, nothing to look twice upon, except for the crowd of people standing around. Then, after a countdown, someone throws the switch and all of the lights blaze on at once. Everywhere you look, strands of sparkling lights cascade down and around. It is beautiful, even close to breath-taking. Well, imagine being a shepherd. There was no crowd murmuring to tip off this group of men that anything startling might be about to occur. It was an ordinary work night. The sheep were sleeping, the shepherds were trying not to, and BAM! The GLORY of the LORD shone around them. What would that have looked like? Let’s take a look at what the Glory of the Lord has done to someone else in the Scriptures. Moses has just gone up the mountain to make an intercession on behalf of the people of Israel (who, by the way, just bowed down to a golden calf) and this is what happens… 

Read Exodus 33:12-23 

What does Moses ask of the LORD? 

Does God let Moses see the full power of His glory? Why not? 

How does God pass before Moses? 

Moses, a man who has found favor in the Lord’s sight, who is pleasing to the Lord, cannot look on the fullness of His glory, but must be hidden in the cleft of the rock, with merely a glimpse of the Lord’s glory. This might sound a little disappointing, (he wanted the whole shebang) but just wait!

SING: ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH 

THE SECOND TUESDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first and second advent candle today. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

What at first may seem like a let-down (no one can see God’s glory and live) at further reading proves quite astounding! For apparently even just a passing glimpse at a little bit of God‘s glory is pretty powerful! 

Read Exodus 34:29-35 

What has changed about Moses since his limited viewing of the LORD’s glory? 

How did the people respond to Moses’ change? 

How about that! God’s glory is so full and amazing that even in “partial strength” it alters even the physical appearance of a man! His countenance was changed. His face was so radiant as to be fearful, and all Moses is doing is reflecting the small glimpse of glory he was allotted. The Glory of the Lord that shone around those shepherds was not a soft, delicate light that merely illuminated the night sky. It was a glory that radiated enough strength and power that even a glimpse could alter the appearance. No wonder the angel had to tell them not to be afraid! 

Sing: ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH 

THE SECOND WEDNESDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first and second advent candle today. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

Do you suppose Moses was disappointed that he didn’t get to see God in all of His Glory? Here he was, the one chosen by God to lead His people out of the bondage of Pharaoh. The one who wrote the first five books of the Bible and yet he didn’t get to really see God. Hold on to your hats! Remember, our God is a father who loves to lavish good gifts, surprising gifts, upon His children. 

Read Mark 9:1-8 

Where did Jesus take his disciples? 

What happened on the high mountain? How did Jesus look? Does this remind you of another story? 

Who was standing with Jesus? 

How cool is that? Moses finally received the desire of his heart: he saw the full glory of the LORD. While before, he could only glimpse the tail end of the LORD’s glory, now he gazed into His face. The clothes of Jesus became radiant and shined the glory of the LORD! What an amazing moment! Our God delights in surprising us! 

Sing: HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING 

THE SECOND THURSDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first and second advent candle today. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

The disciples (and Moses) have now seen the glory of the LORD! If after seeing just part of God’s glory Moses had to veil his face what will now happen to all who look on the disciples’? 

Read 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 

Why can we be bold? 

How is the veil removed? 

If we love Jesus what will we reflect? 

Did you hear that? Through Jesus we can now not only see the glory of the LORD, we can reflect it to those who are around us. We are transformed and over time will reflect more and more of His goodness and light to those who live in the darkness around us! 

Sing: HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING 

THE SECOND FRIDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first and second advent candle today. Read John 8:12 aloud together.

We have been thinking a lot about light this past week. Have you been reminded of the brightness of our LORD as you pass by all of those decorated houses? You know, the ones with the inflatable Santas? How about when you plug in your Christmas tree as evening approaches? We sometimes think that talking about Jesus as the light, is merely a figure of speech. But remember how our God likes surprises? 

Read Revelation 22:1-5 

Paint a picture of what the City of God will look like. 

In the new heavens and earth why will there be no more night? 

Thinking back to Moses and his experience of God’s glory, why are these verses so startling? 

Did you notice the reference to the tree of life? (It is the same on from the Garden!) 

At the creation God called the light into existence. His glory shown in part on his servant Moses and changed his countenance. In Jesus, the light showed men their sin. And in the new Heavens His light will illuminate everything! 

Sing: ANGLES WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH 

THE SECOND SATURDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the first and second advent candle today. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

Spend time thinking about the Light of the World. Sing songs and be thankful. 

THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd advent candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

Are you getting excited? Christmas morning is almost here! Presents will be piled around the tree, stockings stuffed and overflowing. As a kid (and as an adult) it can be pretty hard to concentrate on anything else. After decorating and preparing for almost a month, the anticipation of all that lies in store is so great! Today we wait with excitement for Christmas morning. So, too, did the people of long ago await the birth of their savior. Not only the Jewish people living in and around Jerusalem, but also a group of astrologers hundreds of miles away watched for signs of His coming. And then they saw a star. 

Read Matthew 2:1-10 

Why did the Magi go to Jerusalem?

How does Herod respond to learning about this newly born King? . 

Do the Priests and scribes know where to look for this King? 

Isn’t that surprising? Here are “pagan” men, traveling across the miles to offer their worship to someone born King of the Jews, while the “most holy” of Jewish men haven’t even left Jerusalem. And they don’t seem in a hurry to find out if these “wise men” are correct. They knew what to look for, where he would be born, but they had stopped looking. They were waiting, but not watching. God the Father had just sent them His best gift ever (He even put a star on top), yet they missed it. 

Sing: WE THREE KINGS 

THE THIRD MONDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd advent candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together.

Read Matthew 2:9-12 

Describe how the Magi felt when the star stopped over Jesus’ house. 

What do the Magi give to the baby? All gifts fitting for a king. (Myrrh was a special ointment kings used to perfume their bodies. It is used on Jesus again at His death.) 

Why do the Magi leave by a different direction? 

“When they saw the star they were overjoyed!” What an amazing scene it must have been. Three (or more) learned men bowing low, presenting gifts of incredible worth to a little boy with dirty hair and a little house. He seemed ordinary, yet they knew Him for what He was: the King. They gave Him gifts, but in reality He was Himself God’s gift to His children. 

Sing: WE THREE KINGS 

THE THIRD TUESDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd advent candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together.

Let’s take a minute and be honest: Gifts are awesome! We all love unwrapping our presents, whether it be by tearing the paper apart like a wild animal or by painstakingly loosening each piece of tape. We love to imagine what is hidden beneath the paper and squeal with delight when we open it to find it even better than we could imagine. Just as we love to get gifts, God loves to give them. 

Read James 1:17 

How many gifts has God the Father given His children? 

How do you know if something is a gift from Him? 

Over the next couple days, let’s take a look at some of the wonderful presents He has given. 

Sing: WHAT CHILD IS THIS? 

THE THIRD WEDNESDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd advent candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

Read John 3:16-21 

What did God give us? Why? 

Take a minute and memorize John 3:16 if you don’t know it already. 

Sing : O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM 

THE THIRD THURSDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd advent candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

Are you ready for another gift? 

Read Romans 6:19-23 

What is the gift God gave you? 

If eternal life is a gift to those who love Jesus, does that mean you earned it or deserved it? What did you deserve? 

Take a minute and memorize Romans 6:23 

Sing: JOY TO THE WORLD 

THE THIRD FRIDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd advent candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

You know how we love getting presents? Guess what? God wanted some for Himself! 

Read Jude 24 

Who is giving the present? 

Who is receiving the present? 

Who is the present? 

How amazing! God has moved all of history in order to make Himself a people out of people who don’t care about Him. He sent them the most amazing of gifts in His only son Jesus, whose life and death on the cross brought us the gift of eternal life. And He did it all so that in the end this beloved Son would sit down on His heavenly throne and call our names to stand before His glory as His present! 

Sing: JOY TO THE WORLD 

THE THIRD SATURDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd advent candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Gather of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:16 

Spend time thinking about all of the amazing gifts God has given your family! 

THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th advent candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

Waiting…For weeks now we have thought and planned, decorated and shopped. Our anticipation is reaching the breaking point. Will Christmas morning ever arrive? As a kid, (and even as an adult) the waiting can seem like forever. So imagine the hearts of those Jewish people of long ago. They had been waiting all of those hundreds (thousands) of years for the coming of the Savior, the one who would usher in a new kingdom and save them from all of their oppressors. And, finally, He had come! Any day, He would declare Himself King and all of His people would rule. And then… 

Read Mark 15:21-47 

What happened to Jesus? 

Why would this have been disappointing to the Jewish people? 

Describe what happened to the sky and the temple upon Jesus’ death. 

Why did Joseph help with the burial of the body? 

SING: Joy to the World 

THE FOURTH MONDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th advent candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

Sometimes the things we wait for don’t turn out like we would expect. The Jewish people were waiting for a Savior to free them from Roman rule. They thought Jesus might be the one they had waited for, but then He died a cursed death on a cross. They were disappointed. But, they should have remembered that our God loves to surprise us! After 3 days… 

Read Mark 16:1-8 

What does the man on the stone say? 

He tells them not to be afraid? Does this sound familiar? 

Why are the disciples supposed to go to Galilee? 

What they waited for turned out to be a disappointment. What they received instead was more than they could have asked for or imagined! They had wanted an Earthly king and ended up with a risen Lord who forgave all of their sins and reunited them with their heavenly Father. 

Sing: JOY TO THE WORLD 

THE FOURTH TUESDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th advent candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together.

The Jews of long ago spent years waiting for the arrival of their Messiah. He came, and guess what? The waiting began for you and me. 

Read Romans 8:18-25 

What does the creation wait for? (How amazing is that! The Creation itself can’t wait for the heirs of the kingdom to be given their inheritance.) 

What do we wait for? How should we feel as we wait? 

In other words, we are to wait for the coming of Jesus with even more excitement and anticipation than we have waiting for Christmas morning. Waiting for Jesus should distract us, consume our thoughts, fill our dreams, take up our time, be all-consuming! So, use this time of waiting (advent) to practice waiting for His return. 

Sing: Silent Night 

THE FOURTH WEDNESDAY IN ADVENT 

Light the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th advent candle. Read John 8:12 aloud together. 

Happy Christmas Eve! Enjoy celebrating!

CHRISTMAS DAY!

Light the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and the center Christ candle. 

Read the Christmas story: Luke 2 1-21.