Advent Has Begun

As this morning got way I realized very quickly how much we forget in the short time it has been since we pulled out the Christmas decorations.  As the children gathered around our nativity scene today there were the normal questions of why is it so small, why did we put it under the tree and where are all the pieces?  But the question I get every year, "Ms Bekah, why is the manger empty!? Where is baby Jesus??!"  Well it isn't time for him to come yet.  Advent is a time of waiting and expecting. As any mother who has been with child knows that waiting can seem like forever but it is worth the wait.  As we wait for the baby Jesus to be placed in the manger lets work together to understand more of the story.  Let's share this story with all those who come into our lives.

This week we are going to focus on hope and the angels that brought the message to Mary and Joseph.

Hope: Hope is given to us through the birth of Jesus who will save his people and be God with us. An angel told Joseph and Mary (at different times) that Mary would bear God’s son, Jesus, who will save people from sin.

“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, ‘God is with us.’” - Matthew 1:22-23

Angels: Angels—Heavenly beings created by God before creating Adam and Eve.  Angels act as God’s messengers to men and women.  They also worship God.

Make an Advent Wreath using toilet paper rolls and construction paper.

Our Advent wreath helps us count down the weeks till Christmas day.  There are four candles for each of the Sundays before Christmas day and a big white candle in the middle for Christmas Eve/Day.

We light the first candle this week to remind us of Hope.  Hope is a feeling we get when we are sure everything will be okay.  The birth of Jesus gives us hope.

Prayer:  Thank you God for your gift of Hope.  We thank you that the angels came and gave the good news that God's son Jesus was to be born.  Help us to spread that hope and good news to all our friends and family this week. Amen