And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. ~Acts5:42
Advent, just what does that mean? The dictionary defines it as the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. Many people anticipate Christmas with Advent calendars. We see religious and secular practices of Advent. Stores sell little boxes that are opened daily to reveal a prize. We see simple calendars where a date is added to help children count the days to Christmas. Others have scripture readings that lead up to Christmas. Advent is a new term for me as an adult. We celebrated Christmas, decorating a tree, baking, getting together with family, but we didn't have a daily ritual that led us to Christmas, except maybe we had a year-long ritual.
In the beginning of the church, they daily spent time in the temple and in every home teaching and preaching about Jesus. The church grew rapidly. Families sacrificed for each other and the church community.
Today we see so many secular celebrations of Christmas. There's a manger scene tucked in here and there, but how much tinsel and lights, Grinches and Santas cover the real celebration?
We hurry to school. We hurry to our jobs. We hurry to stores and buy online. We eat breakfast on the run and drive through to pick up supper. When is the time for the rituals that bring us together as families and as churches?
Maybe, as Cindy Lou says, maybe Christmas is just a little bit more. Perhaps we need to gather together to sing carols at the doors of shut-ins. Perhaps we need to create rituals to daily lead our families to Christmas.
One of the suggestions I'm seeing is the reading of the book of Luke for the month of December. If we begin on December 1 we will finish the entire book by Christmas. I realize we are already into the month but it's never too late to start. We can have Luke read by New Year. Oh, and then we can take on another book, perhaps Matthew or Genesis or anywhere else you might like to start. Most habits need thirty days to become a ritual. Could this ritual of Advent reading with our families lead us back to the ritual of daily family Bible reading and prayer?
How can you make this work for you and your family? Might I make some suggestions?
- Get up a few minutes early so everyone is at the breakfast table together to read a chapter and pray.
- Read a chapter and pray at supper time.
- Turn the TV off a few minutes early. Read a chapter and have prayer together before bed.
Father God, please help us to celebrate your Son Jesus every day this Christmas and throughout the coming year that our children may know the God we serve. In Jesus's name. Amen.
Hey Kids:
What can you do to help your family with Advent? Hope these ideas help.
- Help your family decide on a time to read Luke
- Remind your family so you don't miss the time
- Pick out a favorite verse from the day's reading
- Draw a picture for the fridge to mark your journey through Luke (at the end of December you can collect your pictures to make a memory book)
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