Advent Milestone

• Use an Advent Wreath to help mark the days of Advent. Traditionally an evergreen wreath with four candles, it can be any collection of four candles. They can be in a line, a circle, or any other arrangement. Preferably they are blue in color, but they can be any color or share. During devotions, meal times, or other times you desire, light one candle for each week of Advent. Starting on the first Sunday, light one candle. Starting the second Sunday, lite two. Continue adding one each week.
  • A simple prayer for the lighting of the Advent candles is included in the Advent Prayer Book available at church (see below). Or use the following as a simple prayer or to light the Advent candles at other times:
    Come, Lord Jesus, be our Light
    A light to chase away the darkness
• The color for Advent is blue. Blue is a color of hope and anticipation. In worship we decorate the Altar with blue and put blue lights up. The Advent candles are also blue.
  • Consider using a blue cloth or placemat as part of the focal point for family devotions. You may wish to place it under your Advent Wreath
  • Decorate your house with blue twiklelights. It may be as simple as a wreath with blue light, or go big.
  • Choose to use a blue tablecloth on your dinner table or a blue bedspread on your bed.
  • wear a blue piece of clothing each day or especially when you come to church.
• Consider using the following prayer during your household devotions
  Jesus, teach us to wait patiently for you to come into our lives. Help us watch for you day by day for we know you promise to be with us always. Amen
• Use the special Advent Prayer Book provided by our congregation and join in daily prayer. Morning and Evening Prayer are offered each day of the week on Facebook.
• Be sure to check at the Church for special seasonal Advent devotional resources for Adults and families.
• Find a piece of Advent art to use as a focal point. This might be something you buy, make, or download. Check with the church office for possible coloring pages. Search the internet for “advent art” or “advent journey”. A particularly nice one is John Swanson’s Festival of Light.

• Comming/Returning. The word “advent” means “coming”. During Advent we focus on two comingsj:
  • Early in the season our focus is on Jesus’ promise to return (sometimes called his “second coming”). The Bible texts during the first half of the season look forward to that time when Jesus will return and make things right. As we look and watch for Jesus to return, we are invited to make things ready by living the way God’s kingdom will function in that day: helping those in need, seeking justice, welcoming the outsider, and advocating for those cast aside.
    • At home, it may be appropriate to make the following questions part of Devotions sometime during Advent:
      • What do you think to Kingdom of God looks and feels like? How is it different than the way things are now?
      • What can you do to make the world feel a bit more like the Kingdom of God right now?
      • Is there someone you think doesn’t feel valuable or that others have told they are worthless? How could you let them know that Jesus thinks they’re important, no matter who they are.
  • The second two weeks of Advent shift the focus of Comming on getting ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth, his “first coming”. As we near Christmas, we remember some of the stories that lead up to his birth.
• Anticipation
  • We all know the child-like enthusiasm of Christmas. This anticipation of Christmas is a wonderful feeling. During Advent we are invited to have that anticipation about Jesus. We watch and wait for him. We get things ready for him to come.
  • Delaying the celebration is one of the most effective ways to build anticipation.
    • Instead of doing all the “christmasy” things at once, try spreading them out. Put some of the decorations up, and then add to it over the four weeks.
    • Try setting up the Christmas tree a little bit later.
    • Start listening to Christmas music closer to Christmas and then continue for the 12 days of Christmas (till January 6th or longer).
• Hope. Closely paired with Jesus’ coming and the anticipation, hope is the epectation that God is going to make good on the promises. We believe in God’s promise to set things right and to keep us in love, so we hope that it will happen soon. Hope is not the same as “wishful thinking.” We have an active hope that works toward what we long for. We work towards it by trying to live like Jesus today, while we hope for his coming soon.
• Light. In the northren hemesphere, Advent occurs during the darkest part of the year. The Winter Solstace (the shortest day of the year) happens just before Christmas. Because of this darkness, light is a natural symbol of Advent. We naturally decorate with lights this time of the year, light candles, and long for brighter days. In addition, the church celebrates Jesus as the “light of the world”.
  • Watch to see how many Advent hymns and Christmas carols use the themes of light.
  • Use an Advent Wreath (see Devotion Suggestions above) and light the candles as part of your devotions and meal times.
  • Incorporate the following affirmation at the beginning of your devotions:
    Jesus Christ, the light of the World
    A light no darkness can overcome

• There are all sorts of Advent calendars available in stores that provide a chocolate or some other treat for each day in Advent.  Pair the opening of the advent calendar doors with your daily devotions or prayer cards.  A web search will also reveal several online Calendars than can be opened each day.  Or create your own Advent Calendar at https://www.myadvent.net/en/
• Instead of an Advent calendar counting the days down to Christmas, try making an Advent Chain, a paper chain that measures all the things you’ve been doing on your way to Christmas.
  • Cut a bunch of strips of paper about 1″-2″ wide and 8″-12″ long. Use blue paper if you have some or be friendly to the environment and use paper that would otherwise be recycled.
  • Begin the chan by writing “Advent 2021” (or the current year) on one strip of paper with a marker. Decorate the strip in other ways if you want. Then join the ends into a circle with a piece of tape. This is the first link in your chain.
  • Each day list out the things you’ve done for Advent on strips of paper and add them, one by one, to the chain by looping them through the most recent link and joining the ends into a circle.
  • See how long you can make your chain by the time Christmas comes.
  • Ideas of things to write on the links could be:
    • decorating the Christmas Tree
    • Every time your household does devotions
    • Coming to church for worship on Sunday or Wednesday
    • Buying something to donate ( a toy, something for the giving tree, food for the pantry, etc.)
    • Buying a gift for someone else
    • making cookies for someone
    • Helping clean the house for a christmas gathering
    • Remembering to light the advent wreath candles at supper time
  • Be sure to email a picture of your finished chain to the church so that we can feature it in the Chimes.
• Ask the church office for the special Christmas Tree Blessing milestone. This is a household devotion that can be used as you decorate your house for Advent and Christmas.
• Begin a new tradition of a Jesse Tree. A Jesse Tree reminds us that the Bible tells us that Jesus comes from the “stump of Jesse” (the family tree). It’s filled with ornaments that are symbols of Christ. The symbols are easy to make and a great activity for cold December evenings. Consider starting with one or two and making some each year. Be creative and come up with your own ideas.
  • Typically it is a leafless tree or branches, but if your household has a tradition of setting up your Christmas Tree early, you may use it instead.
  • Decorate it with blue lights if possible.
  • If you are using your Christmas tree, begin by decorating it as a Jesse Tree and then slowly add your typical Christmas ornaments over the season.
• If you have a nativity scene with Wisemen, introduce them at the beginning of Advent and have them far off (maybe in a different room). They journeyed a great distance to see Jesus, it may have taken them as long as three years to get to Bethlehem. Each day move them a bit closer and have them arrive at the nativity on January 6th, the traditional celebration of the wisemen and the star they followed. You may wish to set out just the manger or stable of your nativity scene and slowly add characters over the season. Start with the animals, then add Mary & Joseph, then the baby, then the Shepherds.
• Saint Nicholas Day is December 6th. St. Nicholas is the ancient church bishop that is the inspiration for our Santa Claus. In many European countries, St. Nicholas comes on the night of December 5th (his feast day is December 6th), and fills children’s shoes or stockings with treats. There are all sorts of resources to help observe Saint Nicholas. Consider using some of them during household devotion on December 6th.If your household has a tradition of stockings, consider putting treats and a small gift in them on the eve of December 6th — who doesn’t like another opportunity to get a treat?
• This season is rich with familiar traditions. Consider adding an Advent flair to some of them: Advent cookies, Advent cards sent to friends, etc.
• A familar Lutheran Table Prayer has a Advent theme to it. If you don’t use it regularly, consider using it for Advent. If it is a familiar part of your meal time prayers, take note of it’s Advent theme of coming.
  Come Lord Jesus, be our guest,
  and let these gifts to us be blest.
• Share how your household observes Advent, so that we can add additional ideas.

During Advent, there are some special occasions and opportunities.

• Advent brings a welcome change in the scenery of our church. See if you can spot the following during the Advent season:
  • Outdoor nativity scene
  • Blue pointestia
  • Christmas village
  • Advent trees
  • Blue lights
  • the Christmas start the wisemen followed.
• Hanging of the greens is an evening of fun. On this night we decorate the church for Advent, enjoy some treats and play some games. Check with the church to see if we will be having a Hainging of the greens this year.
• Mid-week Advent worship, Wednesday nights during Advent we gather for prayer and worship. Many choose to make this a regular part of their Advent devotions. Check the Advent Worship Page for more details.
• Christmas Eve services are a beloved tradtion. Check the Advent Worship Page for more details.