ADVENT - WEEK 1

We are excited to start this Advent journey with you and your family! 
This year there is a reading and a song for each day.  

**For families or the young at heart, there will be a list of Advent activities to do at the bottom of this page!
Family Advent Activities
Christmas Playlist on Spotify
Our God is amazing and worthy of adoration. He loved us so much that He left Heaven and put on flesh, walked in our shoes, and saved us from sin. That is what this whole month of Advent is about - being amazed at our Savior.  We hope you enjoy this time of excitement and adoration. Spend some time today being amazed.  List your blessings, things you see in nature, and the people around you. Pray and thank God for his wonderful gifts.

Song for today: O Come All Ye Faithful
O Come All Ye Faithful
Emmanuel means "God with us".  So often we feel alone or unseen. Isn't it such a gift that we have a Savior that is with us?  Today as you think about how God will never leave you or forsake you, think of a way to show someone in your world that God is with them.

Song for today: Emmanuel (God With Us Forever) by Bryan and Katie Torwalt
Emmanuel
Our world today can seem like it is spinning out of control. What a comfort it is to know that our God is still on the throne. He is our King Forever, the One who holds us all in His hands. Jesus defeated death and ascended to Heaven and now reigns eternally. We can trust Him to keep all things in order. Spend some time today giving your cares and worries to the One who can take care of them.  Trust Him to hold your today and tomorrow in His hands.

Song for today: The King Has Come by Passion
The King Has Come
All throughout Scripture, God has sent deliverers to save His people.  Joseph, Moses, Esther and the judges were all a foreshadow of THE Deliverer who was to come, the One who would save His people not from invading armies or from famines but from sin and death.  Take time today to thank Jesus for His sacrifice.  Name the ways that He has delivered you.

Song for today: Our Deliverer by Third Day
Our Deliverer
Lately, everyone has been complaining about the time change.  It feels like midnight when it is just 6 o'clock! We don't like all the darkness.  Darkness makes us feel lonely, sad and sometimes afraid.  Praise God today that He did not leave our world in darkness.  He sent the Light of the world so that we would know that we are not alone, that we are loved and that we have nothing to fear.

Song for today: Light of the World by Lauren Daigle
Light of the World
"Hope, it is the only thing stronger than fear."  If people have hope, they can persevere through most any trials. In Scripture, we are commanded to be people who live with hope - hope that this world with all of its pain and heartache is not all there is, hope that tomorrow can be brighter, hope that since Jesus came once, He will keep His promise and will come back! Today, focus on what you are hopeful for.  "And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us..."

Song for today: Hope for Everyone by Matt Maher
Hope for Everyone
After years of hearing the story of Jesus putting on flesh and coming to earth, we can forget the overwhelming enormity of what happened.  God's only Son, the one who sits at the right hand of God, gave all of that up to come and live on this earth, not as a king but as a poor and lowly man.  He did that so that we could have the chance to join Him in Heaven some day as His brothers and sisters.  What an amazing thought that we can know and be in relationship with the Son of God! Today, praise Jesus for all that He is - God, Savior, and friend.

Song for today: Mary Did You Know? by Anthem Lights
Mary Did You Know

Family Advent Activities for Week 1 (Hope or Faith):

*Light a candle and read your scriptures each day.

•Make your Advent wreath craft (from the packet -if you don't have one, find one online to download and color) but only add the first candle this week!

•Play the telephone game.  Pick someone to say a phrase to whisper.  Have the last person say what they think they heard.  Have the first person share what was really said. The people of Israel were told that the Savior was coming.  This message was passed down from family to family. We are all expected to share the news that Jesus was born!

•Make a graham cracker stable.  Use frosting and candy.  Discuss how the birth of Jesus brought hope to the world.

•Make some Christmas slime.  As you are making it, talk about how good things take time (like making slime!).  The nation of Israel and the world waited hundreds of years for Jesus to arrive!  He was definitely worth the wait!
Slime recipe: 4-6 oz white school glue, ½ tsp. baking soda, 1 ½ tbs. contact solution, food coloring or glitter.  Mix baking soda, contact solution and coloring. Combine mixture with glue. Mix until it comes together. Knead and play!