What is Advent:
The word “advent” comes to us from a Latin word that means “coming”. Never heard of an advent devotional before? It’s basically like a Christmas countdown calendar, but with a Jesus devotional focus instead of focusing on the dates. It has been celebrated by Christians for at least 1500 years. Advent is typically the season, or devotional practice, that starts four Sundays before Christmas. It marks the coming of Jesus in three ways – His first coming 2,000 years ago, our hope for His second coming, and His coming daily into our hearts. It’s a season for us to acknowledge the hope we have in Christ while acknowledging that everything has not been set right yet. We can, and should, enter into places of darkness, where hope seems lost, bringing with us the light of our Savior. It’s a hard thing to do and this season is a good time to explore that together with an Advent devotional.
To learn more about the traditions of Advent you can check out our first post in this series. And if you’re ready for the third week- you can find that here.
Week 2- Faith
The second candle represents faith. Faith sustained the hope of the Jewish people, and faith sustains our hope that Jesus will return to renew all of creation. We need faith to have hope.
There’s good reason that the phrase “childlike” is so often used to describe someone’s faith. Do you remember that last week we talked about waiting for Santa? Children have faith that Santa will come. Their simple faith is part of what Jesus praised when He told us that we needed to become like little children (Matthew 18:3). Children aren’t jaded about their faith. Things that appear simple to us as adults, like magnets, can bring a new world of wonder to a child. They don’t need to know the science behind the magnet to believe that it will stick together like it did before. This week would be a great time to talk with others about how faith guides us into this Christmas season.
Thinking about the nativity story, when I think of faith, I think of Mary. What incredible faith to believe what the angel told her! Last week we focused on how Jesus brings us daily hope, this week we focus on how our faith sustains our hope. I can imagine that Mary’s faith had to sustain her through a lot! How can we share how our faith has impacted our lives with others in a positive way? How has faith changed your story?
Songs for Week Two: Faith
A Christmas Song for All Ages about faith: Little Drummer Boy
How did the little drummer boy show his faith? He shared what he was able to share- how are we uniquely gifted to share our faith story? How can we make sure that our faith is rooted in the goodness of God and not in the goodness of people? How can our faith help us see God in others?
Here’s a mix of The Little Drummer Boy by David Bowie and Bing Crosby!
Carols of Faith: O Come all ye Faithful & The First Noel
How can we encourage other believers in their faith journey? Are you coming before God joyfully and triumphantly in this season? Is it possible to celebrate triumphantly while keeping in mind the vulnerable humbleness of Jesus’ birth?
Another song about faith: Mary Did You Know?
Do you think that Mary knew what Jesus was going to do? It’s easy to forget the miracles of Jesus in the middle of a busy holiday season. How did the miracles of Jesus inspire faith?
Movies for Week Two: Faith
A Hopeful Christmas Movies for All Ages: A Charlie Brown Christmas
Charlie Brown feels pretty hopeless, he can’t figure out a purpose in all the craziness of the season. Then Linus reminds us all that Christmas is really about Jesus and goodwill. How does sharing a Bible story change everyone’s perspective? How does faith make the meaning of Christmas different to you?
A Classic Hopeful Christmas Movie: Miracle on 34th Street
(although both versions are great, we recommend the 1994 version for faith because it relies more heavily on the theme of belief) How does having faith/believing in something change each of the characters? Who has to take the biggest leap of faith? What was your biggest leap of faith?
A Verse and Prayer:
Read Isaiah 11, Micah 5:2, and Luke 1:28-30 together and talk about where you heard faith in those passages.
Isaiah 11: 6-9 (NIrV) Wolves will live with lambs. Leopards will lie down with goats. Calves and lions will eat together. And little children will lead them around. Cows will eat with bears. Their little ones will lie down together. And lions will eat straw like oxen. A baby will play near a hole where cobras live. A young child will put its hand into a nest
where poisonous snakes live. None of those animals will harm or destroy anything or anyone on my holy mountain of Zion. The oceans are full of water. In the same way, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.
*PS- I once taught a Bible lesson on this scripture in Kindergarten. The whole time the kids were arguing about whether or not coyotes and wolves really existed (like unicorns). I thought the whole lesson was a wash and was frustrated that they weren’t getting the point. Then I asked the comprehension questions and they answered in such profound ways about how no one will be angry in Heaven and we can be nice to people who are different than us. May we all reach out for some childlike faith this week!
Luke 1: 28-30 (NIrV) 28 The angel greeted her and said, “The Lord has blessed you in a special way. He is with you.” Mary was very upset because of his words. She wondered what kind of greeting this could be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you.
Prayer:
We suggest praying through some of the above scriptures, if you have little ones- let them lead a prayer thanking Jesus for coming, or praying a pre-written prayer like this one.
Dear Jesus:
We are getting closer to the day You were born. You have always been been faithful, and we trust You to come back and make everything right. We can’t wait for that to happen! Help us to have more faith in You everyday! Amen
We hope that you have a beautiful Advent season! One that is filled with hope, faith, joy, peace and Jesus.
Want to check out a couple of Advent devotional books?
We suggest:
Waiting on the Word by Malcolm Guite- A poem a day.
Watch for the Light – Readings by a collection of authors for each day of the season.
Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp- A family celebration of Christmas with daily devotionals, questions and activities.
Craft and Pray Around the World by Beth Gorden- 24 different crafts that celebrate different countries and their Christmas traditions
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