Family Advent Reading
First Reader: We have come together to light another candle on this third Sunday in Advent. Let’s review our first two candles.
First Child: (Relight first candle.) On the first Sunday, we lit a candle to remind us to get our hearts ready for the coming of Jesus.
Second Child: (Relight second candle.) On the second Sunday, we lit the candle of peace.
First Reader: When we open our hearts and let the love of Jesus enter, we know joy! Today’s candle is for joy.
Second Reader: Some people who knew the joy right away were the shepherds. After visiting the stable, they went back to their sheep, glorifying and praising God. But a lot of people living in Bethlehem missed it. They slept right through the whole thing and never knew it happened.
Another Child: (Light the third candle.) I light the candle on the third Sunday in Advent to remind us that the angels said, “We have news of great joy!”
First Reader: Philippians 4:4–7 (GNT): “May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice! Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.”
Talk about joy. As we walk through these days leading up to Christmas, how much joy do we see in the faces of people around us or in each other? Nehemiah 8:10 (NASB) tells us, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” We can’t order a dozen “joys” for Christmas and charge it on a credit card. What is joy, and how do we get it?
Click here to play “Joy to the World”.
Pray each day that the joy we know, the joy that is in our hearts, will be reflected in our faces. “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” Psalm 144:15 (GNT)
Thought for the week: “For you will go out with joy, and be led forth with peace.” Isaiah 55:12 (NASB)
This would be a good time to begin assembling a nativity scene in your home. Place a small barn or stable in a prominent location where it will be noticed, add a cow, sheep, and/or donkey, place the manger in the stable, and sprinkle straw all around.