|
|
 |
Featured Article:
Family
Devotions and the Season of Advent
By
Jennifer Wolf
Advent devotions are a great
way to begin or reinforce the habit of regular
family devotions. But if this is something you
haven't yet begun to incorporate in your
family's life, starting a devotion routine
during Advent - with everything else that's
already on your plate - can seem intimidating.
Here are some practical ideas
for incorporating family devotions during
Advent, whether you choose to aim for weekly
devotions on Sundays during Advent, or daily
devotions in conjunction with an Advent
Calendar:
-
Have a plan. There
are many resources1
available to help you plan for daily or
weekly Advent devotions as a family. Begin
by asking your church leaders for
suggestions, but also consider looking for
Advent devotions on the Internet or at your
local library.
-
Be Flexible. If you
miss a week or don't start Advent devotions
until it's nearly Christmas Day, that's
okay! Don't worry about doing this "right"
or being perfect; God will honor every
effort you make to share the true meaning of
Christmas with your children.
-
Consider what you know
about your children. If your youngest
child doesn't have a tremendous attention
span at this point, don't try to read the
same passage in all of the parallel Gospels
in one sitting. Instead, keep the readings
short so that your kids can pay attention.
You may also want to consider providing
something more in-depth for your older
children, if appropriate.
-
Provide young children
with figures to manipulate as you tell the
story. If possible, consider even
getting them a Nativity set that's
child-friendly and not considered "off
limits." Then, allow them to use the
figures to re-tell the story at the end of
your devotion time. This will help cement
their understanding of the material and keep
them engaged throughout your time together.
-
Consider adding crafts
and/or music to your family's Advent
devotion time. This will also help the
children to remember the story, and
incorporating age-appropriate activities
makes it more interesting to them.
-
Do your family devotions
at roughly the same time each evening
(or each week if you're planning to do
weekly Advent devotions on Sunday nights).
This will help the children know what to
expect.
-
Let the kids' enthusiasm
lead you. Once you get started with
family devotions, you may be surprised by
how readily your children will prompt you to
remember the next reading!
-
Be Ready. Keep in
mind that there are
plenty
of opportunities throughout the Advent
season to teach your children about
Christ. Keep your eyes and ears open for
everyday "teachable moments" that you can
use to share the true meaning of Christmas
with your kids.
Finally,
one of the most exciting things about doing
family devotions during Advent is how God moves
in the hearts of moms and dads!
When we take the time to be intentional in
leading our children spiritually, we open
ourselves to the Spirit's leading in our lives
as well. In His ministry, Jesus was clear about
the importance of having a child-like faith -
may He instill that same enthusiastic,
awe-filled faith in each of us this season.
1
Suggestion
Resources:
-
The Adventure of
Christmas
by Lisa Whelchel
-
Just 25 Days 'Til
Christmas
by Rebecca Hayford Bauer
Jennifer Wolf is a Certified Parent Coachâ
and the owner of
Pathways Parent Coach, LLC. She also
runs a free weekly support call for Christian
moms every Tuesday through her blog,
www.faithinparenting.com. In addition,
Jennifer
writes content for the
Single
Parents site on
About.com's Parenting Network.
Jennifer and her husband, Christopher, have two
children, ages 8 and 4.
|
|
