Thank you for making this meditation a part of your advent celebrations this year. These readings are designed to get your children to engage with the story in a new way and, hopefully, to think about it long after Advent is over.
How we’re doing this at our house this year is to gather back at the table after the dinner things have been cleared, where the Advent wreath remains.
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| Yes my candle colors are backwards. It was what I had left over from last year. Maybe I’ll have time to fix it this week. |
They each have a piece of string tacked up in the dining room with 24 numbered little pieces of paper pinned to it with clothespins. Each night I hand them the next piece of paper and on the blank side they draw the things they hear about in the reading. (OR, they draw something else, if they are 5 and want to do something different. Little has so far drawn a nativity scene, the tree and the snake in the garden, and a picture of herself praying. It’ll do.)
When the reading is done we pin it back up, picture side out, so they have a record of the events in their own retelling. (This may sound complicated, but I promise it’s not. I’m just cutting regular white printer paper in quarters and writing numbers on it with a sharpie. I already had the clothespins and the yarn.) (I’m sure a craftier more creative mom could use cool paper and cut out numbers and any number of things to make these into pinterest worthy decorations. Some may even enjoy doing doing it. Or you can use what you have. Your children probably won’t care.)
Some nights we have special treats to go along with the reading. The first night of advent, Sundays, or when I just feel like giving them dessert; a bit of tea or hot chocolate, a cookie, some eggnog or warm milk. I try to keep it simple. This is the period of waiting after all, not yet of celebration. But I do like to make things cozy. Whatever works for your short people.
Thank you for reading along. May your waiting be blessed.
Intro
Day 1 – The Beginning
Day 2 – How We Lost the Breath of Life
Day 3 – Abraham – The Beginning of God’s Plan
Day 4 – Sarah, Part of God’s Plan Too
Day 5 – Isaac, The Miracle Child
Day 6 – Jacob Meets God
Day 7 – How God Redeems
Day 8 – The Slaves Are Freed
Day 9 – Meeting God Face to Face
Day 10 – How God Treats the Poor
Day 11 – God’s Jubilee
Day 12 – How Rahab Becomes Part of God’s Story
Day 13 – Righteousness is Hard Without the BREATH OF LIFE
Day 14 – Ruth and Boaz Remember God
Day 15 – God’s Prophet
Day 16 – Give Us a King!
Day 17 – A King With God’s Heart
Day 18 – The Kings, and the People, Reject God
Day 19 – The New Covenant
Day 20 – Return to the Land
Day 21 – The Son of God
Day 22 – God With Us
Day 23 – For All Nations
Day 24 – Great Joy, For All People
Day 25 – God Comes to His Temple Again