Advent The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the...

Advent

The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of

the Messiah, and to be alert for his Second Coming.

First week of advent

The candle lit during the first week of Advent is purple and is called the “Candle of Hope.” It symbolises faith in God keeping his

promises to humanity

Jesus is Coming!

Monday 30th November Prayer to say:

• Thank you, God our Father, for your promise of Jesus!

Stand up, raise your heads, for the Saviour is drawing near!

Long ago, God the Father promised that he would someday send his Son. At Christmas, we celebrate that he did send his Son, Jesus!

But first comes Advent, when we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth. The most Important things we prepare are our hearts and minds so that we can better understand and love Jesus.

Christmas is coming' The Church is glad to sing And let the Advent Candles Brightly burn in a ring.

The first is for God's promiseto put the wrong things right, and bring to earth's darkness the hope of love and light.

Candle of Hope

Together!

Tuesday 1st December Prayer to say:

• Jesus, I am happy that many people all over the world now love God and know that God loves them! Amen

Jesus said, “Many will come from the east and west and will find a place with God.”Matthew 8:11

Jesus said that people from all around the world would come to know and love God, And that happened!



Candle of Hope

A peaceful world

Wednesday 2nd December Prayer to say:

• Dear Jesus, please help me learn to treat others with kindness and love.

Isaiah said, “The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. ISAIAH 11:2

In Advent, we read the words of the prophets. They help us understand God’s love. The prophet Isaiah said that if we live in the ways of God’s love, our world can be a happy, peaceful place.



Candle of Hope

Waiting, waiting!

Thursday 3rd December Prayer to say:

• Dear Jesus, like the blind men, I find it hard to wait. Help me to be patient.

The men Jesus helped went off and spread the news about him.MATTHEW 9:31

Is it hard to wait for Christmas? Once, when Jesus had cured two blind men, he told them to keep it a secret. But they were so excited they ran off, telling many people of Jesus’ miracle. It is hard to wait!



Candle of Hope

Many kinds of gifts

Friday 4th December Prayer to say:

• Dear God our Father, thank you for all our gifts. Help us to use them well.

The angel said to Mary, “Hail, favored one! The lord is with you.” LUKE 1:28

God chose Mary to become Jesus’ mother. Mary gave both God and us the greatest gift of Jesus! God gives each of us gifts, such as being a good friend, cook, artist, sibling, singer, listener or helper.

What gifts has God given you?



Candle of Hope

Second week of advent

The candle lit during the second week of Advent is also purple and is called the

“Candle of Preparation,” reminding Christians to “get ready” to receive God

The man in the desert

Monday 7th December Prayer to say:

• Dear God, Please help me prepare my heart for Jesus’ coming.

John said “Make ready the way of the Lord!”LUKE 3:4

Prophets tell us about important things that help us live as God wants us to. Isaiah said that someday a new prophet would announce that Jesus had come. He would shout, “Make ready the way of the Lord!”

When Jesus lived on earth, many people listened to a prophet named John, who prepared people to meet Jesus. He baptised people, he is called John the Baptist.


The second for the prophets,who said that Christ would

come with good news for many and angry words for some.

Candle of Preparation

Believers

Tuesday 8th December Prayer to say:

• Dear Jesus, you are incredible in many ways!

The crowd said, “We have seen incredible things today!” LUKE 5:26

Jesus was teaching many people in a building. Some believed Jesus was God’s Son. Others didn’t. Some men carried their friend a long way. They hoped Jesus would heal him so he could walk again. It was too crowded to get him close to Jesus. The friends lifted him to the roof! They made a hole in the roof and lowered him down, right infront of Jesus.

Jesus healed the man. The man walked home, praising God. The believers then said, “We have seen incredible things!”

The lost sheep

Wednesday 9th December Prayer to say:

• Dear God, thank you for watching over me!

Jesus told a story: “A man owns a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away…”MATTHEW 18:12

How much does God love us? To show us, Jesus tells us a story:A shepherd owned one hundred sheep. One sheep wandered away. The shepherd went out into the hills, looking, searching, and calling for the lost sheep. When he found it, the shepherd was joyful!Jesus said that God is like this shepherd, not wanting any of his greatly loved children to get lost from this love.

Prayer poems

Thursday 10th December Prayer to say:The _ _ _ _ is _ _ _

_ 4 6 7 1 2

6 6 1 to all, _ _ _ _ _ _ to

4 6 8 3 5 2

every creature.

O My God, I will bless your name forever! PSALM 145:1

A psalm is a prayer, and a kind of poem that can be sung too. There are psalms for praising God or asking for God’s help or forgiveness. Most psalms help us to understand something about God.

Toda’s psalm is number 145. Use the code to add the missing words to today’s prayer:1=D 2=G 3= I 4=L 5=N 6=O 7=R 8=V

Great prophets


Jesus, help me to become wise like the prophets.

Jesus told his disciples, “I assure you that Elijah has already come.MATTHEW 17:12

We have already heard of the great prophets Isaiah and John the Baptist. Elijah was another prophet. He lived long before Jesus and John. Elijah prayed and listened to God to speak to him. He then told others what God said.

One day Jesus mentioned Elijah to his disciples. They realised Jesus was comparing John the Baptist to Elijah. That helped them understand that Jesus was God’s Son.

Third week of advent

The candle lit during the third week of Advent is pink and is called the “Candle of joy.” It recalls the angels joyfully singing

about the birth of Christ.

The Third Sunday of Advent:

• The third Sunday of Advent, also called Gaudete Sunday, means “rejoice!”

• We rejoice because we are now halfway to the celebration of Jesus birth!

The Holy One

Monday 14th December Prayer to say: Jesus may your name be blessed forever. May his name be blessed forever!

PSALM 72:17

Long before Jesus was born, the Jewish people believed that someday a special child would be born. He would be sent to them by God and would become a great King.

They did not know when he would be born, but they waited and hoped, generation after generation. They prayed, “May his name be blessed for ever; his name shall remain as long as the sun. In him, all shall be blessed.”


The third is for the Baptist,who cried, 'Prepare the way. Be ready for Jesus, both this and every day.'

Candle of Joy

Joseph’s dream

Tuesday 15th December Prayer to say: Lord, help me to know that God is always with me.They shall call him Emmanuel.

MATTHEW 1:23

When Mary and Joseph were going to get married, Joseph had a dream. An angel said, “Mary is going to have a baby, promised long ago. Name him Jesus, which means saviour.”

God trusted Joseph to help Mary take care of Jesus. And Joseph trusted God would be with them.



Candle of Joy

A messenger

Wednesday 16th December Prayer to say:Please help me to get my heart ready for Jesus too!The angel told John’s Father, “You

will have a son whom you shall name John.” LUKE 1:13

In the same year that Jesus was born, the prophet John the Baptist was also born. When they grew up, John would help prepare people for what Jesus would teach.

Like Jesus, an angel appeared to announce that John would be born. Like Jesus, the angel told his parents what they should name him.



Candle of Joy

The Decision

Thursday 17th December Prayer to say:Lord, Mary made a big decision to do what God wanted. Please help me to understand God’s ways too and follow him more closely.

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town, named Nazareth. LUKE 1:26

Mary was living a quiet life in Nazareth. Then one day, the angel Gabriel suddenly stood before her! Startled, Mary waited. Gabriel said God would send his Son to us and wanted Mary to be his Mother! What was her answer? Mary said yes.



Candle of Joy

Our Good News


Thank you Jesus that you live with us always.

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill to all people. LUKE 2:14

Imagine you are a shepherd. It is a quiet night, and the sheep are safe. Suddenly a voice calls out. “God has sent his son to be with you!” It is the voice of a magnificent angel! Then the sky is filled with angels, singing joyfully! How wonderful this baby must be! How important he will become!You are not a shepherd in Bethlehem, but this news is not just for those shepherds. It is for you, right now!



Candle of Joy

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