Family Advent Nights

Here are suggestions for four family Advent nights.

To make it easier for young children to understand, you may wish to choose a simplified Bible version such as the NIrV.  Your children can take turns reading the Scripture verses for each evening.  If your child struggles with reading, assign just a verse or two, and have them practice it ahead of time.

It may also help to provide song sheets for when you sing the Christmas carols.  You can download lyrics from the web (I have provided the links) and print them out.  You can even talk about the historical backgrounds of some of the carols.

These ideas are just suggestions.  You can choose whatever Scriptures, songs and activities fit your family.  I found it helpful to weave in things we already wanted to do, such as drive around to see Christmas lights.

I took a bright yellow piece of paper and divided it into several blocks, one for each day until Christmas.  Then, in bold letters, I wrote out a brief description of what we had planned for each evening, including the four family nights and other planned events, such as a child’s basketball game or the Christmas Eve service at church. 

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Family Advent Night #1

“God is With Us – Prepare Your Heart!”

Tell your children ahead of time that you will be having a special time in the evening.  Talk about a few of the things that you will do together.   If you can think of a way for your child to participate, ask him to prepare for this, such as practicing Bible verses to read out loud, or a song on the piano, etc.  Another child might make copies of a song sheet.   You will talk about this advance notice and preparation a little later.

Scripture

Isaiah 7:10-14 – Immanuel promised

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 -- darkness and light, a child shall be born, Wonderful Counselor

Isaiah 53:10-12 -- the suffering Savior

Isaiah 61:1-3 – the ministry of the Messiah

Matthew 1:18-25 – Immanuel comes

Discussion: Immanuel means “God with us” and Jesus means “The Lord saves.”  Why do we need a Savior?  Because we are sinners!  Remind your children that you told them ahead of time some of what you would be doing, so they could know what to expect and how to prepare.  Relate this to how God took the time to tell his people, through the prophet Isaiah, several hundred years early, that a special messiah would be born.  He told them many details so they could know what to expect.   

Songs

“O Come, O Come Immanuel” – The lyrics of this song (originally written in Latin) are a prayer for the Messiah to come and set the people free from their misery in sin.   The tune was written in a minor key, which makes it sound melancholy to fit the lyrics.  You may wish to point this out to your older children.  What makes it a minor key?  If you play a C major chord, it will be the notes C, E and G.  If you play a C minor chord, you will use C, E flat and G.  If you sing this TO your children, have them join in on the chorus after each verse.  http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/c/ocomocom.htm

“Joy to the World” – The lyrics of this song are an answer to the lyrics in the last one.  The Messiah has come, so we can rejoice.   What can we do to prepare room in our hearts for God? http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/o/joyworld.htm

“O Come, All Ye Faithful” – God has come to us, but each of us must come to him in faith.  http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/c/ocomeayf.htm

Handel’s Messiah – play a selection such as “For Unto Us a Child is Born” (which is from Isaiah 9) and tell your children how George Frederic Handel wrote a whole concert using verses from Isaiah that prophesied about the Messiah.

Activity

Drive around through different neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights.   Remind your children that Jesus came to light up the dark world.  We should be lights in the world, too, if we have Jesus in us.

Family Advent Night #2

“Jesus is Our Glorious King!”

Scripture

Luke 1:26-56 -- The angel told Mary that she would give birth to a king.  When she visits her relative Elizabeth, she speaks forth what is now called the “Magnificat” – a psalm of praise to God.  When you read the Scriptures this evening, choose people to read the parts of the narrator, Mary, the angel and Elizabeth.  Practice ahead of time, if possible.

Discussion: Ask what good things we can say about God and what he has done for us. 

Songs

“Joy to the World” (try to sing this one every night for continuity) http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/o/joyworld.htm

“O Little Town of Bethlehem” – talk about how “the hopes and fears of all the years” were met in Jesus  http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/l/olittle.htm

Choose other favorite Christmas carols.

Activity

Go see the movie The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  If you have already seen it, talk about it and how Aslan represents Jesus as the King who came to redeem his people.

You can also have each family member write a psalm of praise to God.

Allow one of your children to perform a song he or she has learned to sing or play on an instrument, or read a poem.  This will be good practice for tomorrow night, if you choose to visit other people.

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