Perhaps you have never considered celebrating Advent. Maybe you have always viewed it as only a Catholic observance. Maybe you are not even sure what Advent is. Whatever your situation, there are several reasons families should consider this.
1- It is a time to remember the first coming of Christ as well as a time to pray for His second coming.
2- It is a time for cleaning out distractions in your life that have taken your focus off of God.
3- It is a time to read Scripture together as a family (if you don’t already). You can find a list of readings HERE.
4- It makes the birth of Christ more than a one day observance.
5- It is something in which the entire family can participate together.
I believe that celebrating the four weeks of Advent will go a long way in keeping Christ at the center of Christmas and teaching your children about the importance of Scripture. As Focus on the Family states, “More than any other activity, Advent can restore Jesus to the center of the Christmas celebration, because on each Advent day the birth of Jesus is read, sung and talked about. The whole family can participate and find the observance meaningful. The props are simple and inexpensive. The memories and training will last a lifetime. Although the common tenets of observing Advent are shared by many churches, each family can add its own flavor.”
I must be honest and say that I have never celebrated Advent. But after studying it, I believe it is a very worthwhile observance. It is probably a little late to start the observance this year, but I would encourage you to join me and plan to celebrate Advent with your family in 2012.
You can learn more about Advent by reading the full Focus on the Family article HERE.
December 22, 2011
for everything else, for parents