This is my favorite Madonna and Child painting. 

What captures my heart most is Mary's gentle awe of the Child. She holds him carefully, gingerly, as though she is in awe of his divinity. And at the same time, she seems to be aware of the fragility of this tiny babe, who is fully human, too.  He is Emmanuel, "God with us".  During the season of Advent, we're invited to share Mary's wonder and her joy as we ask ourselves, "Who is this child?" 

Mothers like you and me, who spend a great deal of our everyday lives with our children, have a very special privilege-- we are given the awesome responsibility of nourishing our children spiritually.  What a blessing!  As I've pondered this lately, I'm reminded of the words of a very wise woman, who understands the deep, spiritual hunger and enjoyment of God that even the youngest children possess...Sophia Cavalletti said:

"When sharing religious experience with the child we will continually see that whatever contribution we have made [as parents] is exceeded by the child’s response.  We will come to the awareness that children, in their relationship with God, reach a depth of knowing and an intensity of feeling that surpasses, by far, anything we have been able to offer.

So it happens that in being with children we will sense the presence of a force, mysterious and silent, which does not belong to us, and we will treasure it as an inestimable privilege to be granted at times to “see it” working in the child.  As Elijah did, on Mt. Horeb, when he heard the “tiny, whispering sound”, at moments like this we, too will want to “cover our face” in beholding the presence of God (1 Kings 19:13)."

And so, when it's time to light the first candle of our Advent wreath this coming Sunday, we'll remember to keep it simple and honest. There won't be any talking vegetables to speak for God. We won't have puppets or a cute storybook, either.  Instead, we'll dim the lights in the dining room and get used to the darkness for a moment. Then, I'll strike a match and light a candle on our wreath and invite one of the children to read a prophecy from the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 9:2) And for this solemn reading we'll use a large Bible "with golden pages!" as my son likes to exclaim, because it is no ordinary book. It is The Word of God. Children are fascinated with the Real Thing; they really don't need Bible storybooks.

Next we'll sing the first verse of "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel". 

How vividly I remember this song from the Christmases of childhood.

It never fails to move me.

Then, we'll spend a moment pondering the darkness and the Light, and wondering about the meaning of the prophecy written hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Where is the Light today? Is Jesus with us now? In what ways? What does it mean to walk in the Light? How might we share His Light? (*Note* There are many other prophetic readings that could be substituted here. Use the one that speaks to you most vividly.  Additional phrophecies for Advent: Isaiah 9:6 and 7:14, Micah 5:2, Numbers 24:17)

Finally, we'll close by holding hands and offering our prayers-- for anything-- whatever is on our hearts at the time. Then, the child who didn't get to read will be invited to snuff out the candle.

We'll continue to light this same candle at supper each night for a week, just before saying our mealtime grace.  But my husband and I will resist the urge to sermonize on JesusThe Great Light or to quiz the children on the Bible verse we read the day before. 

We will trust the Holy Spirit to do the work when we get out of the way. And we know that getting out of the way is very, very important if our children are to have their own relationship with God.

We'll plant a seed and let it grow.