LiViNG FAITH Kids

What We Do in

ADVENT

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What’s Advent all about? What if you threw a birthday party and forgot the cake? Or the games and activities? That would be a pretty sad party. Whenever you want to do something fun, like throw a party or take a trip, you have to prepare. Sometimes getting ready is almost as much fun as the big event!

Advent is our time of getting ready for Jesus’ birth. Shopping, decorating, baking and sending cards are good ways to prepare for the celebration. But when we remember that Jesus comes to save the whole world, and that he loves us more than we can imagine, we know that we need to get ready in a deeper way…in a way that Jesus will see. And do you know what? This kind of getting ready helps us find real happiness. That’s what Jesus’ great love for us is all about.

So let’s get ready during Advent for the great big, joyful celebration of Jesus’ birth. And let’s have some fun too!

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An Advent Action Plan When you plan a party, you think about cake, candles and even a theme, like your favorite superhero or cartoon character. That’s a lot like what we do in Advent. We have themes, candles and colors. We even have Advent heroes, like Mary, Joseph and John the Baptist! We also have a way to keep track of the season. Many Catholics light candles on an Advent wreath to remind themselves to get ready for Jesus, the light of the world.

Here are some more Advent basics: Advent is the four weeks before Christmas. It usually begins on the last Sunday of November or the first Sunday of December. Each week of Advent we think about a theme, like hope, peace, joy and love.

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Advent has colors! Look for violet or purple on the altar and in the priest’s vestments. Violet stands for sorrow for sins. On the third Sunday of Advent, also called Gaudete Sunday which means “Rejoice,” watch for a rose color. (It looks a little like pink.) This rose color reminds us of the joy that’s coming at Christmas.

In the first week of Advent, we light one purple candle on the Advent wreath. We say a prayer of hope, something like this: As we light this candle, O God, we ask you to help us get ready for the birth of your Son. Give us hope in your great love and mercy, now and forever. Amen.

Light one candle.

Use the candle stickers.

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Other New Ways to Pray Here are some fun ways to pray during Advent: • Ask your parents to bring you to church one day during the week (in addition to Sunday Mass) for some special time with Jesus. Talk to Jesus—he is there in the tabernacle in a special way, and he wants to hear all you have to say.

• Draw a picture of Mary and the angel Gabriel or of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in the stable. Think about what is happening and ask God to help you see what it means for your life. • Take a walk with your family and look at Christmas decorations in your neighborhood. As you pass each house,

pray for the family that lives there. • Breathe in the awesome smell of a Christmas tree. Thank God for this beautiful creation and ask him to bless your tree and your home. Pray for all the people who don’t have homes this winter. • As you bake cookies or treats, pray for those who don’t have enough food. Ask God to open the hearts of all people to share with others.

Scripture Spot Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

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Don’t forget the invitations! It happens on TV shows all the time. People get ready for a surprise party but forget to invite the person being surprised. Or they forget invitations altogether. Everyone is embarrassed, but things always work out somehow. When Jesus was born, God himself sent out the invitations. He sent his angels to tell the shepherds about baby Jesus. And don’t forget the star that led the wise men to the stable where Jesus was born. But God doesn’t just invite the shepherds and the wise men to see his Son. He invites you, too, in a very special way. At every Mass he invites you to come and receive Jesus in Holy Communion. God also invites you to see Jesus in everyone around you, especially the poor, suffering, sick, lonely and forgotten.

Place the star and angel stickers above the stable.

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Invite Jesus into your heart! During Advent we join the shepherds and wise men searching for Jesus. Here’s how: • Look for Jesus in the poor and homeless. Collect food or clothing for the needy and help deliver it to a shelter or food pantry. • Look for Jesus in the people around you. Celebrate St. Nicholas Day (December 6) by doing a good deed for someone. Or make a list of good deeds you can do all season long. • Look for Jesus in you! Gather with your family and look at your baby pictures, especially if you have any from your baptism. That’s the day you became part of God’s big family, the Church.

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• Look for Jesus in every member of your family. Ask the adults in your family to share stories about how they celebrated Christmas when they were little.

In the second week of Advent, we light two purple candles on the Advent wreath. We say a prayer of peace, something like this: Jesus, you have said that your peace isn’t like the world’s peace. Your peace is forever. Show us your peace by helping us to love one another always. Amen.

Light two candles. Use the candle stickers.

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Advent Hero: John the Baptist Long ago, the prophet Isaiah foretold of a voice in the desert, who would “prepare the way of the Lord!” (Isaiah 40:3). God chose John the Baptist to make those words come true. God even sent an angel to announce John’s birth, just like he did for Jesus. When Mary visited Elizabeth, the baby inside Elizabeth leaped for joy. That was John. He wasn’t even born yet, and he knew that Mary’s baby would be the Savior of the world. When John grew up, he lived and preached in the desert. He ate locusts and wild honey and wore clothes made from camel hair. John baptized people and told them to turn away from sin. One day, Jesus asked John to baptize him. “I need to be baptized by you,” John said. “And yet you are coming to me?” Jesus told him it had to be this way. So John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, and the Spirit of God came down “like a dove.” A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Scripture Spot Prepare the way of the Lord! (Isaiah 40:3).

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The Perfect Christmas Present Most people agree that the best thing about any party is getting presents. To John the Baptist, the best present anyone could give the Savior was a clean and loving heart. That’s why he baptized people and told them to turn away from their sins. Here are some ways you can give Jesus the gift of a clean, loving heart this Christmas: • Get in the habit of saying an

Act of Contrition

every night. Tell God you are sorry for anything you did today that hurt him, and promise you will do better tomorrow. • Get ready for confession by really thinking about what you may have done to turn away from Jesus’ love. •

Go to confession with your family. Find out when your parish offers this sacrament. You might even attend a parish reconciliation service.

• After receiving the sacrament,

celebrate God’s forgiveness with your family by doing something fun together.

What We Do in

ADVENT

Waiting for Christmas to arrive can take patience! But we have Advent

activities like lighting candles, finding presents to give, decorating the tree and even baking treats to help us get ready. This little booklet can show you how these and other Advent activities help us to love and honor Jesus. Place colorful stickers as you read and learn. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to Christmas!

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LiViNG FAITH Kids What We Do in Advent was written by Connie Clark. © 2015 Creative Communications for the Parish, 1564 Fencorp Drive, Fenton, MO 63026. 800-325-9414. www.creativecommunications.com. Illustrations by Jim Burrows. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.  SAJ