Advent — the word means “coming,” and it is a time for preparing for the birth of Jesus!
Welcome to a time of preparing and looking forward to the coming celebrations of the birth of Jesus, the Christ Child. The prophet Isaiah told the people of Jesus’ coming. Isaiah told of the peace that Jesus would bring. He told of a time when wolves and lambs would be able to lie down together peacefully, when young sheep and young cows would play side by side, and when cows and oxen would even share their food. Isaiah said, “And a little child will lead them” (Isaiah 11:6). That little child is baby Jesus.
Christmas is a whole season, not just one day. Advent can be a very long time for children who see, hear, and feel all the preparations going on around them. The waiting is not easy. Using an Advent calendar is a fun way to help a young child, or any of us, to count the days until Christmas and, hopefully, tell the story to ease the impatience.
If you would like an Advent calendar for your children, or yourself, I will bring one to you! There are other kinds of calendars available at local stories. Popular choices include activity-based options for the whole family, adult-only picks for the kids at heart, and candy-filled classics for children that everyone can share. My favorite choice is the wooden countdown calendars that double as holiday decorations, and can be reused in the Decembers to come.
On Sunday mornings during December let’s gather around the nativity scene and learn about Mary and Joseph as they make the journey to Bethlehem.