Advent Devotion: December 24

Luke 2:8-15
What is the best gift you have ever gotten?  What is the coolest gift you have ever given?  Did you ever wonder how we started giving gifts at Christmas time.  It’s because God gave us his greatest gift, his son Jesus.  Jesus it’s God’s gift to us.  That’s why we celebrate Christmas, it’s why we give gifts, and sing songs, and make cookies and everything else.  So before you open your own presents or give your own gifts.  Spend time saying thank you to God for giving us his gift, Jesus who brings us the gift of salvation.

May you and your family remember the gift of Jesus and be blessed during your celebration of Christmas together.

Activity: Light the last advent candle.  The white Candle which is the Christ Candle.

Advent Devotion: December 23

Isaiah 9:6
When was the last time you got in a fight?  It happens more often than we admit probably.  It’s easy for us to get in a fight with our brother or sister, friend, mom or dad or spouse.  We fight because God has made us all differently and we like different things.  When people don’t like the same things we do the easiest thing is to fight with that person.

But that’s not what the Bible or God tells us to do. God wants us to listen to each other and try to understand the other person.  And then instead of fighting with the other person try to find a way so that you can both be happy, this is called a compromise.

The Bible says Jesus is the “Prince of Peace.”  That means that when Jesus was born as a baby he was born to bring peace into our lives and when we accept Jesus as our savior he wants us to bring peace to other people’s lives.  The peace Jesus brings us helps us not fight with each other and it helps us be okay with everything going on because we know that God is in control.  Let’s try and receive the peace that Jesus gives us during Christmas time and throughout the year.

Activity: Watch Zootopia and talk about what the movie is trying to tell us.  What does it say about getting along with others instead of being afraid?

Advent Devotion: December 22

John 8:12
Have you ever had a nightlight?  Nightlights are great because even though they are a very small light they help us feel safe because we know that even though there is so much darkness the light is stronger than the darkness.

The Bible describes Jesus as a light shining in the darkness.  Jesus shines through the darkness so that we can see him and follow his light.  We don’t have to be afraid of what is going to happen because Jesus is our light and he will be with us and help us see the path to follow.

Activity: Turn off the all the lights in your house except the Christmas tree lights. Talk about how the lights on the tree are still stronger than all the darkness  You could also drive around some neighborhoods and admire all the pretty Christmas lights.

Advent Devotion: December 21

Revelation 22:13
What makes Christmas special?  I think there are a lot of things that make it special but one of the biggest is the fact that Christmas happens but once a year.  If we had Christmas every day it wouldn’t be special anymore, Hewey, Dewey, and Louie, Donald Duck’s nephews, learn this in Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas.  Why do we only have Christmas once a year because we organize our lives in terms of time.  We go to school Monday through Friday, we go to church on Sunday, Christmas is always in December, you only get one birthday a year, we eat breakfast in the morning and dinner at night.  Our whole live are organized by time.

But the Bible tells us that God is bigger than time.  He doesn’t need it and is outside of it.  The Bible says God has always existed and always will exist.  We can’t understand that because we only understand time that’s why God gave us the sun and moon, day and night, but God doesn’t need them.

Jesus is God and he has always existed and he will always exist.  But we celebrate Christmas because there was a specific time when Jesus was born on the earth and lived on the earth.  And we celebrate that God came to earth so that we could be saved.

Advent Devotion: December 20

John 10:11-16
Have you ever had or taken care of an animal before?  It could be anything, a dog, a cat, a guinea pig, a goldfish?  From the time I was eight until I was about twelve I had two catfish that were all mine.  They had their own tank and even though they were just fish I felt so important and grown up taking care of them each week.  But then when I was twelve I accidently used the wrong kind of cleaner while I was cleaning their tank and killed both of my catfish I felt so bad.

If you have ever taken care of the animal before you know that you have a special relationship with it because you care for it.  Well the Bible tells us that Jesus is like that with us.  The Bible describes Jesus as our shepherd.  That means he cares for us and takes care of us just like we take care of our pets.  He loves and wants to protect us and care for us.  We can trust in him to never mess up like I did with my catfish.

Activity: Talk about the pets you have or why you don’t have a pet.  Why is it important for us to learn how to care for something else.

Advent Devotion: December 19

Luke 2:28-33
The last song of our study is a short one.  It’s the song or blessing that Simeon said when he held the Baby Jesus in the temple after Jesus was dedicated to God.  His blessing focuses on Jesus being the salvation of not only Israel but of the whole world.

Kids have you ever been left out of a game or excluded from something?  It’s not very fun. Before Jesus, God had only been the God of Israel. Everyone else was excluded.  But when Jesus was born into the world he was born to be the savior of the whole world. That’s why we still celebrate Christmas today and why we rejoice at Jesus’ birth. Jesus came to save all of us!   God loves each and every one of us, no matter who we are, no matter where we live, be it in Seattle, or in Egypt or in China or anywhere else.  That’s why we all celebrate Christmas because Jesus was born to save everyone.

Activity: Look at a globe and have each person choose a country.  Then spend time together praying for the people in that country.

Advent Devotion: December 18. Simeon's Song of Salvation

Luke 2:28-33
Joy to the world the Lord is come let earth receive her king.  Those are the words to the famous carol Joy to the World.  When Jesus was born on earth he brought many emotions and feelings with him.  But the one the Angels chose to express in their song to the shepherds was joy.

We all express joy in different ways, some of us run around screaming, some of sit with quiet contentment.  In our story today Simeon chose to express his joy through a song or blessing.  God had revealed to Simeon that he wouldn’t die before he saw Jesus, the savior of the world.  He had been waiting his whole life for this moment.  And how did Simeon express his joy in the moment he had been waiting for?  He did it by praising and blessing God.

That is a beautiful picture of how we should express our joy, especially our joy of Jesus’ birth.  We shouldn’t focus on ourselves, on the presents we get or how we feel.  Instead we should focus on celebrating and thanking God for giving us his only son.  So before we give or receive presents or eat delicious food, or however you celebrate Christmas, let’s first say thank you to God and rejoice because God sent us his son.

Activity: Have some hot chocolate or tea together and light the fourth candle of Advent, the candle of Joy.

Answer this question: How can you celebrate Jesus each day this week?

Advent Devotion: December 17

Luke 1:78-79
Have you ever gone stargazing?  It’s hard to do in the Seattle area because there is so much light pollution it can be hard to see the stars and often the clouds cover up the stars.  But sometime you should drive out into the country and try stargazing, it’s so cool to see all the different constellations and the beauty of the stars.  And stargazing has been around a long time.  That’s what the three wise men who came to see Jesus did.  Their job was to watch the stars.  And they of course saw a very bright star, a star that was brighter than any they had ever seen.  They followed it and found Jesus under the place where the star was shining.

Often times we put a star on top of our Christmas tree to represent the star that the wise men followed.  It’s usually a six pointed star called the star of David.  That star represents that Jesus was born from the house of David.  So way up in his family line was King David, who was king of the Israelites.  Jesus was born as a king, this is important because Jesus was born as a king on earth and he is our king in heaven!

Activity: Make your own constellation flashlights so you can go stargazing at home.  Full details and directions at the following link.
http://www.handmadecharlotte.com/diy-constellation-flashlight-discs/#more-36578

Advent Devotion: December 16

Luke 1:77
I love the Christmas season, if you’ve read this far that should come as no surprise.  I like the music, buying and wrapping gifts, making cookies, decorating, the festive mood.  The Christmas season brings great joy to a dark and somewhat depressing time of year, especially in Seattle.  Kids I’m sure you love the Christmas season as well it’s so exciting, parents you might be on one side or the other.  But because there are so many activities and traditions to take part in, it’s easy to forget or miss the reason for Christmas, bonus question what is the reason for the season?  It’s the birth of Jesus of course and ultimately the salvation and forgiveness of sins that he gives us.

God is the only one who has the power to forgive sins and the fact that he forgives our sins is amazing!  But we need to remember that Jesus is God and not just a little baby who we celebrate Christmas time.  He is holy God and he deserves our worship and love for who he is and what he has done.

Advent Devotion: December 15

Luke 1:76
All right kids I need you to answer this question for me?  What do you always have to do before company comes over?  The answer is of course clean up the house.  We like to make our houses look nice and comfortable when people come over parents, especially moms, have always wanted to prepare for people coming over.

Like that, John the Baptist went before Jesus and his job was to prepare the people of Israel for Jesus.  He told people to repent of their sins and pointed to Jesus as the savior of the world.  Just as John prepared Israel for Jesus, during Advent we prepare ourselves to worship and welcome Jesus on Christmas Eve each and every year.

Activity: Help out your parents and clean up the house to prepare for Jesus being born.

Advent Devotion: December 14

Luke 1:72-75
When I was nine years old I didn’t want to have anything to do with girls, I thought girls had cooties and couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to marry a girl.  An so I promised my whole family that I would never ever get married because I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to do that.  I am now getting married to a wonderful girl in three months.  So I’ve made some pretty silly promises in my life.  Have you ever made a silly promise?  I think we’ve all probably made a promise that was either silly or we couldn’t follow through on at some point in our lives.

But God isn’t like us.  He always keeps his promises.  These verses remind us of the promise he made to Abraham to make Israel into a great nation.  And to always preserve them.  And God has kept that promise as we have seen throughout history.  And because God has kept his promise, Zechariah says we can serve him without fear.  I love that the focus of this verse is on serving God.  At Christmas time we often simply focus on the birth of Jesus and forget the reason God sent him into our world.  He came to save us and so that we could serve God while we’re here.  Let’s remember to serve God during this Christmas season and going into the new year.

Activity: God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as many as the stars in the sky.  Make some stars to decorate around your house, out of cardboard or paper.

Advent Devotion: December 13

Luke 1:70-71
What is your biggest worry in life?  It could be getting good grades, fitting in, making friends, doing well at work or any number of things.  During Christmas time we have more worries, like where are we going for Christmas, will I be able to get all my Christmas shopping done and wrap everything, Will I get what I want for Christmas.  If we allow them to, those worries and stresses can easily consume our life.


But God says trust in me.  I have been faithful to you in the past and I will take care of you now.  This verse reminds us of all the promises that God made through his prophets, specifically that he would send his son Jesus into the world.  Today we can look at the promises God makes in the Bible and know that because he kept his promise to send Jesus to save us, we can trust in his promise to always be with us.

Activity: What is your biggest worry right now?  Pray together as a family and give your worries over to God in prayer and trust in him to help you take care of them.

Advent Devotion: December 12

Luke 1:67-69
In ancient times, people used horns to communicate and generals would use horns to signal their armies how to maneuver.  The horn of salvation in this verse refers to when a group would be under attack and the army would arrive and blow the horn to signal to the people that they would be saved.

Before Jesus was born there had been 400 years of silence where the nation of Israel had not heard from God at all. Jesus’ birth was a horn of salvation from God.  He was saying, “I have not abandoned you or forgot about you.  I am sending my son who will save you and the entire world.”

A lot of times we often go through periods in our life where we feel far away from God.  But God will always reach out to us and bring us back to himself.  Just like he sent the Israelites, Jesus as a horn of salvation.

Activity: Make your own horns at home.  By using the following website for ideas.
http://alittlepinchofperfect.com/easy-kid-craft-paper-party-horns/

Advent Devotion: December 11. Zechariah's Song of Mercy

Luke 1:67-79

Have you ever played the quiet game?  If you have, you know it is a favorite game of teachers and parents around the world.  The goal of the game is to be the quietest person.  The last person to not make any noise wins the game.  I remember playing the quiet game when I was younger and when I finally was out, I would talk for the next 5 minutes straight because I had to make up for all the time I was being quiet. 

I’m sure many of you have experienced a similar situation whether it was the quiet game or you were in an area where you had to be quiet we usually have a lot to say after we have been silent for a while.  And this is the situation that Zechariah had been in when we read this prophecy.

Zechariah had been told by an angel that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son, while he was in the temple.  But Zechariah doubted the angel and because of that, God silenced his mouth and he was unable to speak from that time until 8 days after his son John the Baptist was born.  But then God finally, allowed him to speak and the Bible says that Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and he praised God because of John’s birth and he also prophesied about what his son, John the Baptist, would do.  The prophecy itself was a song of hope for Israel and the world.

At Christmas time I think we all tend to get our hopes up.  As kids we hope that we will receive that one toy or gadget that we really want.  As adults we hope that it is a time of joy and peace for  our family and the prospect of a new year brings hope for changes and new opportunities in our lives.  Those hopes are an important part of our life as we look forward to new things and exciting adventures but let’s remember that those hopes aren’t are true hope.  Our true hope is found in Jesus and his sacrifice for us so that we can have eternal salvation.  And at Christmas time we place our hope in the Baby Jesus who came to be our savior. 

Activity: Light the third candle of Advent the candle of Love. 

Advent Devotion: December 10

Luke 1:54-55
Every Christmas season, we look forward to and love because of our past experiences.  We each have favorite traditions we celebrate each year at Christmas time.  For some of us it might be, decorating the Christmas Tree or making cookies, for others it might be listening to Christmas music or driving around to see Christmas lights.  But these Christmas traditions and our past experiences of Christmas are a big part of why we look forward to the Christmas season.

Much like that, these last two verses describe how God has been faithful to helping and protecting Israel in the past.  And because God has been faithful in the past Mary knows that God will be faithful to her now.  And just like we know God has been faithful to us in the past, we can trust in him to be faithful to us in our lives each and every day, to be with us and watch over us and love us.

Activity: Each person should talk about a time when God took care of them in the past.

Advent Devotion: December 9

Luke 1:53

In the Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge, is a mean and selfish banker who hates Christmas.  He doesn’t want to give any money away and doesn’t even want to give his employee the day off for Christmas.  But on Christmas Eve he is visited by three ghosts who help him learn a lesson that he needs to be kind to people and be generous with the money he has.  It’s a great story about giving.  The way Scrooge is described at the beginning of the story is the way I imagine the rich people are who are mentioned in this verse.

The rich are selfish and greedy people who don’t believe they need God because they have money.  Those who do need God and who ask for help from him are the hungry, and “God fills the hungry with good things.”  God doesn’t want us to be like the greedy scrooge from the beginning of the story, instead he wants us to be the scrooge who has learned to be generous and to not rely on his money but rather on God.

Activity: Read a children’s version of the Christmas Carol and talk about what Ebezer Scroogle learned

Make some Christmas cookies and give some, to someone you know who might be feeling down.

Advent Devotion: December 8

Luke 1:51-52
One of the common Christmas decorations for people across the country is a nativity set.  And these sets may look very different but they always feature the same things, a stable, a manger, some animals, Mary and Joseph, and baby Jesus.  The fact that the savior of the world, God himself was born in stable where animals live in a trough that animals usually eat out of, is amazing!  You might think that Jesus would be born in a palace, but instead he is born in a place not even fit for people.

The way Jesus is born, says a lot about how God views people.  These verses talk about how God lifts up the humble and the people who don’t have very much.  So don’t look down on people who don’t have as much as you do, God loves them and he wants to raise them up.  That’s why we often donate our toys and clothes to charities around Christmas, because God wants us to help out those who are less fortunate than us.  And we are reminded of that when we read about Jesus’ birth.

Advent Devotion: December 7

Luke 1:49-50

Activity: Listen to the Christmas Carol O Holy Night

Many Christmas Carols say that the night of Jesus’ birth was a holy night, but what does that even mean?  The definition is to be dedicated or consecrated to God.  So when we say that the night Jesus was born was holy we are saying that it was dedicated or consecrated to God.  And it was a holy night because Jesus is God so Jesus is holy. 

Often times when we talk about God we talk about how holy he is.  When we say that what we are saying is that God is set apart, there is no one like him and we could never be like him.  He created everything and because of that deserves special kind of respect and praise.  So next time you hear the word holy remember we are really praising God and saying there is no one like him. 

Advent Devotion: December 6

Luke 1:48

I remember when I was 11 years old, I was playing 6th grade basketball there was 3 seconds left in the game and it was tied.  I got fouled and was going to shoot free throws if I made one, we would win the game.  I made one out of two which was pretty big for me at 11 years old!  I remember being swarmed by my teammates and after the game we all went to Dairy Queen to celebrate, I remember I felt so proud which was appropriate, there’s nothing wrong with being proud of the things we accomplish.  But when we experience those moments we need to remember that God is the one who has put us in the position to exceed and remember that God calls us to be humble.

And that’s what Mary does in this verse, she remembers who she is and she praises God for blessing her.  Just like Mary when we accomplish good things in our lives we should praise God because he is the one who has given us the ability to accomplish those things.

Activity: Everyone list one thing that they are most proud of, then answer the question, how did God help you accomplish that thing?

Advent Devotion: December 5

Luke 1:46-47

I love Christmas movies, it doesn’t feel like it’s the Christmas season if I haven’t watched, The Grinch, Elf, Rudoph, and more.  But my favorite Christmas movie is a Charlie Brown Christmas, I love the message against commercialism as Charlie discovers the true meaning of Christmas, “That a savior has been born who is Christ the Lord.”  And in verse 47, Mary understands this truth.

She says “God is my savior.”  What she is saying is, “I know I’m not good enough, I can’t do this on my own, I need someone to save me and I know that God is my savior and he will save me through his son Jesus.  And God has chosen me to be the mother of Jesus.”

Jesus is our savior, he died and rose again so that we could have eternal life and live with God forever.  And that is the message and hope of Christmas.  That Jesus is born into this world to bring salvation to all of us.

Activity: Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas and talk about how we often forget about the true meaning of Christmas in the excitement of everything else.

Advent Devotion: December 4. Mary's Song of Reversals

Luke 1:46-55
Have you ever been given a job that seems impossible? Well that’s what Mary is facing when she writes this song.  Mary has learned that she is going to be the mother to Jesus the savior of the Lord and she has just visited her cousin Elizabeth who blessed her because she knew that Mary was to be the mother of Jesus.

This song is Mary praising God for who he is and everything he has done and what he is going to do through his son Jesus.  Mary is humbled and amazed that God has chosen her to be the mother of Jesus.  And she praises God in the midst of probably some joyous and scary news for her.  It would not be easy to be the mother of Jesus, it is an incredible responsibility and I am sure Mary felt some degree of fear to have such a big responsibility.  But she accepts her role as a servant of the Lord.

God often asks us to accept responsibilities and jobs beyond what we think we can do.  But when God gives us those jobs he is calling us to not rely on ourselves and what we can do but instead to rely on God.  Just like David had to rely on God to kill Goliath we need to rely on God when it comes to whatever we’re facing, it might be making friends at school, trying to honor God when everyone is telling us to do something else, or something else entirely.  When that happens ask God for the help and strength to do the right thing and he will provide.

And when God does ask us to accept those responsibilities our response should be to happiness because God gives us the opportunity to rely on him instead of ourselves.  That’s what Mary does in this passage of scripture and that’s what we should try to do as well.

During the Advent Season I believe God gives us special responsibilities to help those who are less fortunate among us.  Try and look around and find a spot where your family can serve in a special way during this season.

Activity: Answer these questions.
What hard responsibility has God given you?  
What responsibility does God give to us at Christmas time?

Light the second candle of Advent, the Candle of Peace

Advent Devotion: December 3

Isaiah 52:12
When I was a freshman in high school, I was playing basketball and to help raise money for the team we had to sell adds to local businesses.  My mom drove me around to different businesses and the first one we approached I tried to speak but couldn’t because I was too nervous my mom ended up doing all the talking and we sold an add.  Like my 14 year old self, I think we have all faced challenges in life where we said this is too scary or too hard, I want to ask someone else to do this for me.

When those times do come, remember this verse.  God promises to be our guard both ahead of us and behind us.  Whether it’s a bully at school or trying to find time to do Christmas shopping on top of everything else we all faces challenges in life.  But God will be with us and we can trust in his promise.

Activity: Watch the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, and then talk about these questions?   What was George Bailey afraid of, what did he learn when he saw an alternate reality.

Advent Devotional: December 2

Isaiah 52:11

Have you ever been on a long trip?  I know, every time I go on a long trip, towards the end I get really homesick.  I want go home and sleep in my own bed and relax in the living room.  Around Christmas time we often go to be with our extended family such as parents or sibling because we want to be home for the holidays.




There is nothing like the feeling of being home.
And in this verse, the prophet Isaiah tells Israel that they need to return their home. Israel had been living in Babylon for about 70 years and now they were free to return their homes in the land of Israel.

God has given us all a place to call home, And whether you are going to be in your own home, extended family’s home or somewhere else for Christmas we should all say thank you to God for providing a home for us.  Take time together as a family this Christmas season to enjoy time together because soon enough everyone is going to be away from home for Christmas.

Activity: Celebrate the Christmas season at home, together as a family by talking about your favorite Christmas memories and activities.  Pick one or two family activities to do together during the Christmas season this year.

Advent Devotion: December 1

Isaiah 52:10
As a child I always looked forward to the day when I would finally be able to sit in the front seat of the car. Finally, the day came when I was both tall enough and weighed enough to sit in the front seat of the car. I felt so proud sitting up front beside my mom, but my pride was short-lived. My pride soon turned to pain as every time we stopped quickly, my mom’s arm would fly across and hit me in the chest, in what has become known as the mom seatbelt. I’m sure some of you have had a similar experience, or if you haven’t you soon will.

The mom seatbelt is an involuntary reaction. My mom didn’t mean to hit me in the chest every time she stopped short, it came out of her desire to protect me. Much like the mom seatbelt, this verse talks about God baring his Holy Arm. God shows his holy arm in defense of his people the Children of Israel. God promises to protect his people and they trust in his outstretched arm. By trusting in God for our salvation we are also God’s people and we can trust in his promise to protect us. So whatever fears or worries you are facing this Advent season, give them to God and trust in his holy arm to defend and protect you.

Advent Devotional

It is once again the season of Advent, that special time of the year when we take time out of our day to prepare for and celebrate the Christmas Season and specifically the birth of Jesus, the savior of the world.

This year we will again be publishing and Advent devotion each day on this blog.  This devotional is designed to be used every day with your whole family.  Read the passage of scripture together and then read the short devotional and complete any extra activities that are suggested.  Our hope and prayer is that this devotional would help you focus on the joyful incarnation as God came into the world.

As we celebrate and enjoy the season of Advent, may your family experience the joy and wonder of Jesus being born.  May you and your family remember the blessing of Immanuel, God with us.