Advent Guide 2017 by College Heights

Advent Guide 2017

Advent

Advent starts four weeks before Christmas to prepare our hearts for the true revelation of Christmas–a small child who came to bring hope, peace, love, joy, and light to the world. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word Adventus and literally means “coming.” During these four weeks, Advent reminds us to anticipate the coming of our great King. This anticipation prepares us for the first coming of the Christ child–a baby born of a virgin, the promised Savior—and it keeps us ready for his second coming–the moment when Christ returns to restore perfection and righteousness to our broken world.

Sundays

Each Sunday of Advent introduces a new theme of the season. As such, traditionally Sundays are rather meaningful. In this guide, Sundays include a poem, Scripture readings, a discussion question, a weekly challenge or application, and an opportunity to light the Advent candles.

The Advent Candles

There are five candles associated with Advent. They serve as reminders of waiting or longing during Advent. Three of the five are purple in color–a color of mourning. There is one pink candle–symbolizing joy. And lastly, the white candle represents the light of Christ. Lit on Christmas Eve, the white candle signifies the destruction of darkness with the arrival of our Savior. Each week we encourage you to read the Scriptures on Sunday and light the candle for that week along with the candles of the previous weeks.

O ther Elements

The poems, Scripture readings, prayers, reflection questions, and family pages (the last half of the Advent Guide) can be done any time of the day, and they can take as long or as short as you need them to. Feel free to decide how to best approach each day or week as your family or community sees fit. We hope this guide helps prepare your hearts and minds for the celebration of the Christ child and reminds you of the true meaning of this wonderful season.

How To Use This Guide

This booklet is meant to be a guide: use it to help prepare your heart for the coming of Christ that we celebrate at Christmas. If the details of this journey seem tedious or overwhelming, start somewhere small–maybe just with one or two elements a week. We also suggest that you experience it in community. Gather with your family, friends, neighbors, small groups, or community and work through the guide communally. It’s not imperative, but we believe it’s the best way to experience the material. We pray this will be a worshipful experience.

Cover photo and photos on pages 4, 8, 12, 16, ane 20 courtesy of Mark Neuenschwander.

Kids

Hope

Advent Week 1 December 3-9

Without Borders You may call me a dreamer, So be it.

I dream of a world Full of unarmed truth, Where hatred is unheard of, A myth. Where love runs wild, Never-ceasing, Without condition or contract. I dream of a world Where hands are for holding, Not handcuffs, Where words are for singing, Not screaming And slurring. I dream of a world So abundant and shining, Built high by neighbors, By strangers who just met on a park bench, But who are already in love. A world without anger, Where murder is just a muddled sound With no meaning, A world without borders, Without orders, lawless, Save the one true law: Love your neighbor as yourself. I dream of a world Where someone, anyone, Can walk their own street without fear, Without thinking, Without worry that they might be hurt. A world where church bells ring out each day, Full of hope, not of sorrow, Ring loud and ring true, A celebration. A world where the only death Is the cork in a bottle full of life, Brimful of color and peace, fierce and fearless love. You may call me a dreamer. So be it. I only dream of love.

By Sophia Miller

Readings Sunday

Isaiah 64:1-9 Psalm 80: 1-7; 17-19 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:24-37 Monday

Thursday

Psalm 79

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

Micah 4:1-5

Hosea 6:1-6

Revelation 15:1-8

1 Thessalonians 1:2-10

Tuesday

Friday

Psalm 79

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

Micah 4:6-13

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Revelation 18:1-10

Acts 11:19-26

Wednesday

Saturday

Psalm 79

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

Micah 5:1-5a

Ezekiel 36:24-28

Luke 21:34-38

Mark 11:27-33

Advent Candle

Sundays are special, set apart days of Advent. Traditionally, every Sunday of Advent we light a candle. Three of the five candles are purpleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the traditional color associated with Advent. Purple represents mourning, longing, and grief. Without a Savior, we are left with our sin and are in desperate need of rescue. During Advent we wait, we long, and we mourn. With your family or community, read through some or all of the Scriptures for this Sunday and light the first purple candleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;representing our longing for the hope of Christ.

Questions & Application What are you hoping for this year?

Have you allowed your life to rob hope from your heart? Remember Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s promises and your hope in his faithfulness. Will you trust him enough to hope in him? Will you share that hope this week?

Peace

Advent Week 2 December 10-16

L ook Up

Now is the time for symphonies, For sounds so complete in beauty and light That tears and prayers can be heard in one note.

Paint flowers on your face and smile until the sun comes back.

Sing until your voice breaks, and keep singing, Even when it hurts and no one likes your words.

And look up. Remember that the stars are with us. Look forward. Even in the night there is the moon. And start building. Use what you have. Use love, use peace.

Because you are important, and so am I, And our voices are like violins, Like novels, drums, and birds, Let us fill the air with stereophonic love.

Sketch the future on scrap paper, Outline the architecture of the next generation Where there will be no hatred, No borders, No ceiling.

Let us make the world safer than it is now, And let us do so with peace. Because we are the makers and the stars are our audience, Blinking down on us and sending love notes in the night, And the moon, like a mother, Sends out light in the dark so we can continue to write, To paint our dreams on the sidewalks and our arms. Because now is the time for painting. Use the brightest shades and as many colors as you can create, Soft and wild brushstrokes, wide sweeps of your hands Across surfaces that once were blank, were empty.

By Sophia Miller

Readings Sunday

Isaiah 40:1-5 Psalm 85: 1-2; 8-13 2 Peter 3:8-15a Mark 1:1-8 Monday

Thursday

Psalm 27

Psalm 126

Isaiah 26:7-15

Habakkuk 2:1-5

Acts 2:37-42

Philippians 3:7-11

Tuesday

Friday

Psalm 27

Psalm 126

Isaiah 4:2-6

Habakkuk 3:2-6

Acts 11:1-18

Philippians 3:12-16

Wednesday

Saturday

Psalm 27

Psalm 126

Malachi 2:10-3:1

Habakkuk 3:13-19

Luke 1:5-17

Matthew 21:28-32

Advent Candle

On this Sunday, we encourage you to light two candlesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the first reminding us of the hope of Christ we anticipate during Advent, and the second to remind us of the peace of Christ we look forward to in this season as well. With your family or community, read through some or all of the Scriptures for this Sunday and light the candles for Hope and Peace.

Questions & Application The Prince is here.

Will you let him pierce your season with his peace? Make the choice to let your soul be settled. Choose Peace whatever may come.

Joy

Advent Week 3 December 17-23

O Holy Night

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining, It is the night of our dear Saviourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born; O night divine, O night, O night Divine. Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming, With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand. So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming, Here come the wise men from the Orient land. The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger; In all our trials born to be our friend. He knows our need, to our weaknesses no stranger, Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend! Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend! Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother; And in His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, Let all within us praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever, His power and glory evermore proclaim. His power and glory evermore proclaim.

By Placide Cappeau

Readings Sunday

Isaiah 61:1-4 Psalm 126 Luke 1:46b-55 Monday

Thursday

Psalm 125

Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26

1 Kings 18:1-18

2 Samuel 6:1-11

Ephesians 6:10-17

Hebrews 1:1-4

Tuesday

Friday

Psalm 125

Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26

2 Kings 2:9-22

2 Samuel 6:12-19

Acts 3:17-4:4

Hebrews 1:5-14

Wednesday

Saturday

Psalm 125

Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26

Malachi 3:16-4:6

Judges 13:2-24

Mark 9:9-13

John 7:40-52

Advent Candle

On this Sunday, we encourage you to light three candles—the first reminding us of the hope of Christ, the second reminding us of the peace he brings, and the third and pink candle of the joy that comes with his coming. On week three, our sorrow turns to joy, our grief to celebration, as we prepare for Christ’s coming

Questions & Application Have you received an amazing gift before?

Consider the magnitude of the gift of Jesus to our world. Are you overwhelmed with gratitude and joy? Tell someone about this terrific generous Savior you’ve been given! Spread the joy!

Love

Advent Week 4 December 24

A Christmas Prayer Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sake. Amen.

By Robert Louis Stevenson

Readings Sunday

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 Luke 1:46b-55 Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 Romans 16:25-27 Luke 1:26-28

Advent Candle

On this Sunday, we encourage you to light four candlesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the first reminding us of the hope of Christ, the second reminding us of his peace, the third of his joy, and the fourth candle reminds us to anticipate the love Christ brings to the world. With your family or community, read through some or all of the Scriptures for this Sunday and light the candles for Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

Questions & Application Love has come. For you. Sit with that thought. Love decided to come for you. When love defines you, it changes things. How will it change you? Your tone? Your responses? Your choices each day? Rest in love, and share it this week.

Light

Christmas Eve December 24

Light Let light flood into your soul. Let it soak into your aching heart and ease your sorrow. Let the sunlight dispel the cold that settles around your bones. Let the moonlight soothe your tired eyes. The light was made to help you grow, to keep you warm, to help you see, to keep you safe. This is it. This is your time to heal and to be remade. Let the Light do its work.

By Caroline Miller

Readings Sunday

Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Advent Candle

On Christmas Eve, at long last, we light the white candle. On this day, we celebrate relief from the mourning and longing for a Savior. White, like light, pierces the darkness and brightens the future with hope, peace, love and joy. The arrival of a Savior is a celebration! Our anticipation of the coming King ends with the birth of a baby to a virgin in a stable. Jesus is the light of the world that shines in the darkness and that now shines in and through us.

Questions & Application Let there be light.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been given light from the beginning, and we are to be the givers of light as well. Share this news in the hopeless darkness. Have you found the warmth and healing here? How will you let it sink in and shine to others this week?

FAMILY DEVOTIONS This year, we have created a set of family devotions that focus on the different characters within the story of the birth of the Christ, as well as the traditional Advent themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. You will also notice that we have incorporated a time of coloring into the family devotions, and we suggest to tie in the Build-aNativity activity with the devotions. This provides you with an opportunity to color the different pieces for your Nativity set, and to have some conversation about each of the characters as you color them each week.

These devotionals are written so they can be used by children of all ages (and adults as well), and we believe you’ll find questions and discussion topics in each of the devotionals that will work for your children, no matter the age. At the same time, we invite you to feel free to tweak the content and questions to work for your family. Each devotion consists of the elements below. We invite you to take a look at the devotionals, and see what you think will work best for your family. Scripture: The scripture for each week is just a few verses, and walks you through the story of Jesus’ birth from Luke 2:1-20. Reflection: A brief reflection is offered for each of the scripture texts. It might make sense for you to read this section to your family, or you may just want to read it for yourself, and see what question(s) or theme(s) might resonate best with your children and family. Discussion: This is a chance for some discussion for your family. Since we love coloring here at Illustrated Children's Ministry, we find that often some of the best conversations happen while coloring and doing something creative together as a family. We suggest this is a great opportunity to color the week’s set pieces of the Build-a-Nativity activity, or the included coloring sheets. Activity: Based on the scripture and discussion, the weekly activity gives you a chance to actually put into practice what you are learning and talking about each week. We’d love to hear about your experiences with the activities, so please remember to share with us some of the creative activities your family does.

Prayer: Finally, each week’s devotion ends with a short prayer that you can say, or invite your children to repeat after you. This is a simple ritual that can end your family’s weekly devotional time. © 2016 Illustrated Children's Ministry. All rights reserved. illustratedchildrensministry.com May be reproduced for family and local use only, provided each copy carries this notice.

WEEK 1: HOPE & THE NATIVITY Suggested date: November 27 December 3

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:1-5 About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the ﬁrst census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in

Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his ﬁancée, who was pregnant.

REFLECTION Today we set the stage for the story of the season. We make space that will be filled as we go through the weeks of Advent – filled with colors and shapes and characters. For now, though, the space is open and empty. Lots of our spaces look like this early on in Advent – maybe stockings are hung, but there’s nothing in them; maybe trees are in place, but there’s nothing under them; maybe Advent wreaths are set up, but only one candle is lit. All of the space around us is open, and waiting – filled with expectation, and anticipation. What fills the space now – the empty nativity waiting for pieces, the empty stockings eager for gifts, the unlit candles soon to hold flames – what fills all that space now is hope. The openness is an invitation to imagine what might be.

DISCUSSION As you color the set piece for this week, talk together: •

In our Scripture for today, Mary and Joseph had to travel back to Joseph’s home, to the place where his family was from. How can journeying to be with people who have known us for a long time help us to hope?

•

Tell stories of what you think will be coming to ﬁll the nativity scene. What might this space hold by Christmastime? Imagine together: where are those characters now, and what are they doing?

•

What do you hope for this Advent – for yourself? For your family? For your community? For the world?

ACTIVITY We usually say our prayers with words, but we can also pray with our bodies. One way is to practice a movement repetitively. What movement feels like hope to you? Try lifting your hands high and away from your body, or tilting your head back, or

spreading your ﬁngers wide. Inside, practice this movement facing each direction of your home or church, as a way of sending hope to all the corners where you live. Outside, turn north, east, south, and west, practicing your movement in each direction, as a way of sending hope throughout your community and to all the world. You can add words if you want, or let your movement be the whole meditation.

PRAYER Holy One,  Thank you for the story that begins here.  Thank you for all the possibility that lies ahead.  Teach us to see empty spaces  as places where hope dwells,  where maybe something wonderful   is about to be born.   Amen.

WEEK 2: PEACE & MARY and JOSEPH Suggested date: December 4 December 10

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:6-7 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her ﬁrstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

REFLECTION Today we add Mary and Joseph to the nativity scene. They’ve come on a long journey and Mary’s been very pregnant. They ﬁnally ﬁnd a place to rest for the night, but they are alone – except maybe for some animals in the stable – when Jesus is born.

Think about that: the whole world changes in a very small, tucked-away moment. With whatever is happening outside, in the street, or further away in the city, there is this moment of peace that happens for these people who have nowhere else to go. In our world today, many people are forced to make long journeys in search of a safe place to be. Often it is difficult for them to find rest and safety. Moments of fear and chaos can be more common than moments of peace. Give thanks that Mary and Joseph found a safe place, and a moment of peace, and say a prayer that all people on difficult journeys would find the same.

DISCUSSION As you color the set pieces for this week, talk together: •

In our Scripture for today, Mary wraps the baby Jesus in a blanket, offering him peace by letting him know he is safe and loved. What helps you feel at peace?

•

Have you ever seen someone make peace – maybe at your school, or in your neighborhood, or at your church? What do people do to make peace nearby? What do they do to make peace far away? Share stories about this with each other.

•

How can you create peace this Advent – for yourself? For your family? For your community? For the world?

ACTIVITY A long-standing tradition of the church is people greeting one another with the words “peace be with you.” As you go through this week, practicing speaking peace to everyone you meet. Maybe you’ll use this formula – “peace be with you” – or maybe you can come up with your own ways of sharing peace through your words. Maybe it won’t be the same words for everyone you encounter. But try beginning or ending your conversations this week – with family members, classmates, friends, neighbors, strangers – by saying something that offers peace. As a family, talk about how people responded to this offering, and how it felt, for you, to speak this peace.

PRAYER Gracious One,  Thank you for the promise of peace.  Thank you for moments   where we feel it deep in our hearts.  Teach us to make peace   with our words, with our hands,  for our own place and all places.  Amen.

WEEK 3: JOY & ANGELS Suggested date: December 11 December 17

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:8-14 There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terriﬁed. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.” At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises: “Glory to God in the heavenly heights,

Peace to all men and women on earth who please God.”

REFLECTION Today the angels enter the nativity scene! At ﬁrst there’s just one, and then a huge angel choir appears. At ﬁrst the one voice is gentle, comforting, and then the chorus of voices are bold, celebrating. There’s so much movement, so much noise, it can feel kind of overwhelming. Even the names for Jesus are complicated… like he can’t possibly be all of this at once: Savior, Messiah, Master, and … baby?! But all of us are lots of things at once, aren’t we? We are friends and classmates and children and siblings and maybe artists or athletes or poets or presidents-to-be. As different as we might be from one another, none of us is just one name, or just one role. And all of those angels come together to say, in the name of God, who goes by so many names, to all of us, who also do: “Peace.” They come together to sing for joy that despite all that might seem to separate us, God’s desire for all of us, for all the world, is peace.

DISCUSSION As you color the set pieces for this week, talk together: •

In our Scripture for today, the shepherds are feeling a lot of emotions all at once: fear and worry and excitement and ﬁnally, joy. Have you ever had lots of feelings at the same time? How did you handle that?

•

What is some good news that you’ve wanted to share with other people? What is it like to be the one who gets to tell it? What is it like when other people share your joy? Tell stories of times you’ve experienced that.

•

Where will you proclaim joy this Advent – for yourself? For your family? For your community? For the world?

ACTIVITY Write a song. There are so many models in Scripture – like this very short one above that the angels sing, or Mary’s longer one in Luke 1:46-55. Choose the names for God that ﬁll you with joy – Creator, Comforter, Mother, Father, Shelter, Spirit – and

add in your thanks, your celebrations, your hopes. Tell of God’s faithfulness in the past and claim God’s promises for the future. Then grab pots and pans and wooden spoons – or even actual musical instruments – and see if you can put some joyous sound to your words.

PRAYER Joy-Giving One,  Thank you for the ways you accept and celebrate  all of who we are.  Thank you for the many, many ways   you live among us.  Teach us to recognize you   and to share our joy.  Amen.

WEEK 4: LOVE & SHEPHERDS Suggested date: December 18 December 24

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:15-18 As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

REFLECTION There are so many ways to show love. Sometimes honoring others just means paying attention to them, listening when they share with us, responding in ways that let them know we heard them, and we care about them, and about what they care about. This is what the shepherds did for the angels. Listening and paying attention like that is also one way we show love to strangers who have stories to tell. Based on the angels’ sharing, the shepherds run to Mary and Joseph, and really see them – that’s what it means, right, to say “seeing is

believing”? – they make the joy complete by sharing in it. And by telling everyone else when they leave, they share the love they found in that small stable with all the world.

DISCUSSION As you color the set pieces for this week, talk together: •

In our Scripture for today, the shepherds head to Bethlehem as fast as they can. Why do you think they hurried so much? What makes you hurry? What does it feel like to go as fast as you can?

•

Tell stories of times when you have known people loved you. What did they do, or say, or give, or share, that helped you to know? What does it feel like to know you are loved?

•

How can you share love this Advent – for yourself? For your family? For your community? For the world? © 2016 Illustrated Children's Ministry. All rights reserved. illustratedchildrensministry.com May be reproduced for family and local use only, provided each copy carries this notice.

ACTIVITY Go for a prayer walk around your neighborhood. You could run – you could go as fast as you can, like the shepherds! – but you’ll need to be paying attention, too, to everything you pass along the way. What do you notice? What other people or

places make their homes here? What elements of nature dwell here? What signs of hope and joy and peace do you see? Or what signs of struggle and conﬂict do you see? Stop at any place that catches your attention along the way and pray, “God, may your love be known here.” Then ask each other, what is one way for you to love what you notice? And do it.

PRAYER Generous One,  Thank you for all of the ways we are loved.   Thank you for all of the ways we can love.   Teach us to listen closely to each other,

and to our world,   for all of the ways and places love is shared.  Amen.

WEEK 5: JESUS & CHRISTMAS December 25 Suggested date: December 25

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:19-20 Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

REFLECTION Finally, we turn our focus to Jesus. He’s been in this scene for a long time, but other pieces had to be in place, too: the peace of those surrounding him, the joy of those celebrating him, the love of those devoted to him. His mother took it all in as she held him close.

It’s strange, isn’t it, that we wait for Jesus even though he’s already come? That each year we mark his arrival as a baby all over again – even though that’s not how we mark any other “birthdays.” Somehow our ancestors in faith decided that it’s important to remember, year after year, that God comes to us small, and in need of care, and counting on us – on our welcome and our compassion. Why do you think that is?

DISCUSSION As you color the set pieces for this week, talk together: •

In our Scripture for today, we hear two different reactions to Jesus’ birth: Mary holds her joy deep inside, and the shepherds “let loose” with theirs. What do you think these two reactions look like? Sound like? Feel like? Why would Mary respond in one way, and the shepherds in another?

•

When have you cared for something small, or fragile? When has someone else depended on you? Tell stories of what that has been like. Are there ways the Christmas story connects with that experience?

•

How can you offer welcome, or practice compassion, this Christmas – for yourself? For your family? For your community? For the world?

ACTIVITY Place yourself in the nativity scene. It’s complete, as far as the traditional story goes. But what about your story? Would you place yourself near the angels, shouting with joy? Or with the shepherds, seeking to listen and to love? Or alongside Mary and Joseph, in awe over God’s promises? Or somewhere else? Would you want to hold the baby, or bring a blanket, or sing a lullaby? Are you a character not yet in this scene? What would you add to the story? Talk together about your place at the nativity and, if you like, add a small symbol to the set-up that indicates your presence.

PRAYER God-With-Us,  Thank you for sharing our life.  Thank you for inviting us to journey with you  and with all who love you.  Teach us to share welcome and compassion  with everyone  like we would share it with you.   Amen.

After coloring this sheet, pick one of the words (Hope, Peace, Joy or Love) and draw the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about that word in the space provided above.

BUILD-ANATIVITY

BUILD-A-NATIVITY Advent truly is a time of waiting, but it isn’t a passive waiting, it is an active waiting. This waiting we do during Advent is like being on a journey.

Our devotions for Advent this year take us on a journey. We start with the stable, look to Mary and Joseph, then the angels, followed by the shepherds and ﬁnally, baby Jesus himself. We travel through the themes of hope, peace, joy and love. And this year, we are going to Build-a-Nativity during Advent that can symbolize the process of the journey throughout the month, as we actively wait during Advent for the birth of the Christ child.

You can do the Build-a-Nativity activity on its own, but if you read our Advent Devotions, you can see that we tie in the coloring of the nativity pieces to the conversation questions that we provide for each week’s devotion. As we mentioned earlier, we ﬁnd that some of the best conversations happen when you are just sitting around a table with friends or your children, coloring. This is obviously your Illustrated Advent and you can use any of the activities or

resources included at any time. However, if you are looking for a recommended schedule for building your Nativity, we will simply follow along with the schedule that we are using for our Advent Devotions. We list the weekly devotion ﬁrst, followed by a suggested date, followed by which character set piece should be colored and used to build their nativity for that week. Week 1: Sunday, December November 27th – The Stable 3 Week 2: Sunday, December 4th 10 - Mary & Joseph Week 3: Sunday, December 11th 17 - Angels Week 4: Sunday, December 18th 24 - Shepherds Week 5: Sunday, December 25th 25 - Jesus

INSTRUCTIONS Building your nativity doesn’t require many supplies, and is pretty explanatory. Feel

free to get creative and use the set pieces and the stable however you want, but we thought we’d share one way that you could do it. Supplies needed: •

The print-out of the character/set piece that you will be coloring and placing on the stable each week. We would recommend printing the pieces out on card stock, or a thicker paper, to make your nativity more durable.

•

Coloring pencils/crayons/markers.

•

A pair of scissors.

•

Tape (or glue).

We would recommend having your child/children color the character/set piece ﬁrst. If you do have more than one child, you may want to let each child color and build their own nativity. Once the character/set piece has been colored, cut around the dotted lines to cut out your piece. Note: You may wish to cut out the stable and place it on a different color piece of card stock or thicker paper, or you may wish to not cut out the stable at all. We have provided you a version without the dotted lines around it if you don’t want to cut it out.

If you wish to just cut it out and tape it down ﬂat to the stable, you can ignore the dotted “tabs” that are sticking out around various points of the pieces. If however, you would like to make it look a bit three-dimensional, you’ll need to cut around the tabs that stick out from the pieces.

You will then want to fold the tabs on the dotted lines, and place a small piece of tape on the bottom of the tab, so that you can stick it to the stable and the piece will stand out a bit. There are some photos and additional instructions on the following page.

PHOTO EXAMPLES

If you want to add some depth to your nativity, this is an example of what it might look like once you cut around the

Once you have folded the tabs on the dotted lines, place a small piece of tape (or you could also use glue) on the

Once you have placed tape (or glue) the

When you have colored all of the pieces,

characters AND around the tabs that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll use to tape the piece to the stable.

bottom of the tabs, you will turn them over, and place and secure your character/set piece onto the stable.

bottom part of the tab that will attach to the paper stable.

and placed Jesus in the nativity on Christmas morning, this is an example of what your ďŹ nal product might look like. Happy coloring!

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