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1st Sunday of Advent Ideas

  • Enjoy this 1st Sunday of Advent Family Service Bulletin as you worship together with your children.
  • In the service bulletin, we suggest several hymns and songs.  You are welcome to use these or whatever music your family enjoys!
  • Before the service, have the children pick fresh flowers and decorate your worship area.
  • If you have a purple cloth, drape it over a small table, then place a Bible and two candles on the table to create a central point within your worship space.  You may also want to light the first candle of your Advent Wreath, if you have one!
  • Consider having everyone dress as though they were going to church.  Doing so helps to make the day feel different from other days at home, and it prepares your children for worship by engaging them in the routines they normally associate with Sundays.
  • Consider ways to involve your children in your worship service.  Have them assist with the readings.  Get the children to lead their own prayers.  All of this is discipleship!
  • Be prepared to adapt!  The service as written may not work well your family, so use only what is helpful to make the day special and worshipful for you and your children.
  • God Bless You!

 

Sunday Activities

  • Read the Story of Simeon and Anna, Luke 2:22-39
    • God promised that one day Simeon and Anna would see the Messiah.  40 days after Jesus’ birth, when Simeon and Anna were near the end of their lives, God fulfilled his promise not only to them, but to all the world.  Upon meeting Christ, Simeon and Anna were finally able to say, “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen the Savior!” 

    • God asks us to take up the mantle of these two servants, to wait faithfully for his Son’s return. That is what Advent is all about.  Waiting for our King to return.

    • Like Robinhood waiting for King Richard, we have only to serve the true King and his people until the man himself arrives!

  • Light the Advent Wreath
    • Your Advent wreath should be no mere holiday decoration.  Each time you light the candles of the wreath, you have an opportunity to praise God for the light of Christ that shines within a darkened world. 

    • On the first week, the candle of Hope shines, showing us that darkness will not win the day. 

    • The second week, we light the candle of Love, knowing that our Savior gave himself for us out of love, in his birth, in his life, in his death, and in his resurrection—one day, in love, he will call each of us home to him. 

    • The pink candle of the wreath is always lit during the third week of Advent, the symbol of joy, to remind us that our Lord is almost here; indeed, he has never been so close! (During the third week of Advent, we also start singing “Joy to the World”, which is a truly a song about the Christ’s 2nd coming.)

    • And then, during the fourth week, with all candles lit, we reflect on the peace that God will bring to this world when his Son returns in the fullness of his power.

  • Move the Figues of the Nativity Set
    • Begin with an empty barn and manger, with the figures of Joseph and Mary set far from their destination. 

    • Tell the story of the Holy Family, and God’s promises to Mary and Joseph throughout the weeks of Advent, as you slowly bring the figures closer to “Bethlehem.”

  • Discuss Fasting
    • Much has been said at All Saints on the importance of fasting.  To deny ourselves something that our body desires for a short time is to remind ourselves, if we need these things so desperately, how much more we need the love, and presence, and care of our Father in Heaven.  Whether you fast for extended lengths of time, for only a meal or two, or from a particular thing that brings you pleasure, the lesson is the same.  We all need Jesus to come into our lives. More than food itself, we need the Bread of Heaven!
    • Make a plan to practice this discipline during the Advent season.