In our churches, past and current, we have celebrated Advent on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day. For those not familiar with what Advent is, the following is taken from Wikipedia:
Advent is the season observed in many Western Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. The term "Advent" is an anglicized version of the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming".
Latin adventus is the translation of the Greek word parousia, commonly used to refer to the Second Coming of Christ. For Christians, the season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from two different perspectives. The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, and to be alert for his Second Coming.
Practices associated with Advent include keeping an Advent calendar, lighting an Advent wreath, praying an Advent daily devotional, as well as other ways of preparing for Christmas, such as setting up Christmas decorations.
We will not only celebrate Advent in our church this year, but also in our home. We really want to stress the importance of the first and second coming of Christ to our children.
We will be lighting a candle each Sunday leading up to Christmas, starting November 29. The candles will be placed in a wreath, a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of the triune Godhead. The first purple candle symbolizes expectation, the second purple candle symbolizes hope, and the third candle is pink and represents joy. The fourth purple candle is a representation of peace, and the white candle placed in the center is lit on Christmas Eve and is appropriately called the Christ Candle.
I am using these weeks leading up to Thanksgiving to really focus on preparing and planning for this Advent season, as I want to gift our children with one gift each Sunday that we light a candle. The gifts we give our children on Christmas Morning (most likely one or two) will be the "best" gifts in terms of maybe something they specifically asked for or that we know will bring them the most joy. This still keeps the Christmas Day special and something to look forward to, as the culmination of the season.
Not only does this method of celebration have a great benefit of spreading out gifts over a full month (to avoid emotional meltdowns and over-stimulation on Christmas Day, which leads to ingratitude and discontentment), but the main benefit is that it teaches our children that we celebrate the full Advent season. We really would like to stress the importance to them of keeping Jesus in focus at all times, and that the only reason this season is special and a cause for celebration is because Jesus, who is God, already came to mankind once to die for the sins of the world, and that He is coming again to make all things right and new again.
Our celebration will most likely look something like this ::
Thursday, 11/26 - Prepare a Thanksgiving feast to celebrate the start of the season with family
Thanksgiving weekend - Decorate the house for the Advent/Christmas season
Sunday, 11/29 - The lighting of the first Advent candle / celebrate with Scriptures & a gift
Sunday, 12/6 - The lighting of the second Advent candle / celebrate with Scriptures & a gift
Sunday, 12/13 - The lighting of the third Advent candle / celebrate with Scriptures & a gift
Sunday, 12/20 - The lighting of the fourth Advent candle / celebrate with Scriptures & a gift
Thursday, 12/24 - The lighting of the Christ Candle / celebrate with Scriptures & a gift
Friday, 12/25 - The celebration of Christmas with a breakfast feast, stockings & gifts
Since Thanksgiving is really the start of the Advent season, I am currently planning and preparing for the season and a fresh approach to the holidays. Planning is a gift that I personally give to my family, so that this holiday can run smoothly and as stress-free as possible. I am a huge fan of preparedness, no matter how big or small an event or project is. I believe planning shows true caring.
We want to find a different way to counteract the consumerism of the holidays, as the promises of materialism are always empty and broken. Christmas always seems to promise the fulfillment that only Jesus can give. We will still celebrate with gifts, because they point to the much greater gift we were given in the incarnation of Christ, but with a much stronger emphasis on why we give them (in celebration, in love & with joy, because of the one who gave everything he had to us first).
And that's why I'm listening to Christmas music in November. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment