Advent Week 2: Thursday

Write LOVE in large letters on a heart made from poster board.  Cut the heart into five pieces and hide it around the room.  Have the kids look for the pieces as you begin your Coffee and Jesus time.

Bethlehem is a common city found in the Bible.  Here are some verses for your Family Scripture Reading:

Numbers 24:17 "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth.

Ruth 1:1-2 Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there.

Genesis 35:19-20 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.

Ruth 4:11 All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem.

John 7:42 "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?"

Family Application/ an example of a gift:  "Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." -- Oren Arnold
We all have those people who have hurt us.  Have each family member say the name of the person or what they did to hurt them.  All together say I forgive them, help me to live out this forgiveness.

Family Craft Project— Make honey bread 

Ingredients

· 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast

· 2-1/2 cups warm milk (110° to 115°)

· 1/3 cup honey

· 1/4 cup butter, melted

· 2 teaspoons salt

· 8 to 8-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add honey, butter, salt and 5 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

2. Turn onto a floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

3. Punch dough down and shape into two loaves. Place in greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

4.  Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves.

Let us pray - Loving God, we thank you for the gift of peace you give us through Jesus. Help us prepare our hearts for the Lord’s coming by working for Christ’s peace to take root in our family. We ask this in the name of the one born in Bethlehem, Jesus our Lord.  
All: Amen.