An Advent Devotion - 1

SCRIPTURE:
"Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." ~ Romans 8:24-25

REFLECTION:
God gives us so many things; he asks in return that we believe, that we have hope and faith in him. We have not seen God. We have not seen Jesus. Yet we are asked to believe in what we haven't seen. Even more, we are asked to wait in patience. All this is the very nature of hope and belief. The Advent season is a time of waiting and hoping. We remember that Jesus was born to save us and to give us hope.

PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, Thank You for the hope You offer us and for love that holds us so close to You. Help us to care for others the way You care for us. Amen.

ACTIVITY:
Make your own Advent Wreath.
Your advent wreath could look traditional (circle of evergreen) or perhaps candles lined up, really whatever works best for you.
You will need 5 candles (4 tapers and one pillar). The colors of the candles vary, usually 3 purple or 3 blue candles (the colours of royalty) and one pink or rose coloured candle. The pink candle is lighted on the 3rd Sunday of Advent (or can be lit on the Sunday just before Christmas Day). If you cannot find the colour candles you want, you could use all the same colour candles. The 5th Candle is in the middle of the wreath, usually a large white pillar candle. This candle represents Jesus Christ and is called the Christ Candle. It is usually lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
The 4 taper candles can represent many different themes - Hope, Peace, Love, Joy are the traditional ones.

SONG:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Dimitry Bortniansky
© Public Domain

O come, O come Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel,
Shall come to Thee, O Israel!

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse,
Free Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave.

O come, Thou Dayspring come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
And drive away the shades of night
And pierce the clouds and bring us light.

O come, Thou Key of David come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high
And order all things far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show
And cause us in her ways to go.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
Fill all the world with heaven's peace.

STORY/POEM: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

QUOTE: "Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." ~ -Hamilton Wright Mabi

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