Advent

Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, is a time of preparation and a time of waiting.  Children, especially, can have a difficult time waiting for Christmas Day to arrive.  It seems like the day will never come!  We hope these Advent devotionals will help families in their preparation and anticipation of Christmas Day.  They are written to help families experience a devotional time during this very special time of year.

The weeks before Christmas are so busy with shopping, parties, cooking and cleaning.  Often times we lose the joy of the season and even forget the importance of Christmas, the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to earth.  Taking time to meet around an Advent wreath and pray together can help you keep the focus of Christmas.

People first made Advent wreaths in Germany many years ago.  Traditionally, the Advent wreath is made of evergreen boughs, which remind us of the life that our Lord gives to us.  The wreath is round to remind us that the life we have in God is eternal.  The wreath usually has five candles.  Most people light one candle on the first Sunday of Advent (four Sundays before Christmas).  Then they add the second candle on the second Sunday and so on, and finally lighting the fifth one on Christmas Eve.