Advent – Week 1 | Family Activity
The Promise of a Savior
Set aside 10 minutes one night this week to talk about God’s promise to send a Savior. The only materials needed are five candles, matches and a Bible.
Lighting of the Advent Candle
Have one member of the family light the first candle.
Scripture Reading
Have one person read the following passages out loud:
Before they left the garden, God whispered a promise to Adam and Eve: “It will not always be so! I will come to rescue you! And when I do, I’m going to do battle against the snake. I’ll get rid of the sin and the dark and the sadness you let in here. I’m coming back for you!” And he would. One day, God himself would come. JESUS STORYBOOK BIBLE
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ISAIAH 9:6
Reflection
Have an adult read the commentary below.
In the very beginning, God created a perfect world. There was no sin, pain, sickness, death or sadness. God created Adam and Eve to live in His perfect world with joy and peace. But Adam and Eve sinned. They disobeyed God. When they sinned, God’s perfect world broke.
There was a punishment for Adam and Eve’s sin. Because God is perfect, He cannot be near sin. So Adam and Eve were separated from God. The punishment for their sin would also be placed on all humans who were born after Adam and Eve.
But before Adam and Eve left God’s perfect Garden, God made a promise. God promised to send a Rescuer, someone to save Adam, Eve and mankind from the punishment of sin. He promised to send Jesus!
God did not send Jesus to rescue His people right away. God waited thousands of years to send the Rescuer. During that time, God’s people faced many hard things. While they waited, God gave them hints and clues about how Jesus would come, what He would do and what He would be like. These hints, written in Scriptures by prophets, would help God’s people wait. The verse from Isaiah that we read together after lighting the Advent candle was written while God’s people waited those thousands of years for the Savior.
During that time, God made other promises to His children and kept those promises. Each time God made and kept a promise, it helped His children trust that He would be faithful to His promise to send Jesus to rescue them from their sins.
Some days, God’s children waited patiently for God to keep His promise. Some days, they waited with tears and frustration. Some days, they wondered if God had forgotten His promise. But God continued to whisper it over and over again as His children waited. And one day, when no one was expecting it, Jesus would come.
Prayer
Have one family member say a prayer to thank God for promising to send Jesus to rescue us from our sins.
Song
As a family, sing or listen to O Come, O Come Emmanuel.
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.
Family Activity
Parents, make plans for a fun Christmas activity next week that you know your children will love. Perhaps it’s seeing a Christmas play or movie, decorating cookies together or seeing Christmas lights.
At the end of your family Advent time, promise your kids that you are going to do something special together to celebrate Advent—something they will love—but don’t tell them what
or when. As the days go by, remind them of your promise and give them hints as to what
it might be. Let their expectation and excitement grow throughout the week. Use this opportunity to remind them of God’s promise to send a Rescuer and the anticipation God’s people felt as they waited.
Content provided from the The Village Church – Advent Guide