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Share your Advent and Christmas devotions and family worship resources here, including Advent candle lighting scripts that can be used at home.

Worship Jesus At Home This Christmas - D6 Family

Related topic: More At-Home Advent Ideas and Resources!



Here are a few "Advent at home" worship resources to kick off the topic...

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More Advent devotions with activities that could be used by families with young children as well as families with just adults.

Rotation.org has a couple of related topics full of Advent "at home" resources that can also be used in church. Check our full menu.

Some of the following are free, some cost. I've included some of my own review notes. This first group includes Advent "devotions" that can culminate in an at-home Christmas Day worship.

Illustrated Children’s Ministry Advent Journey Devotion Guide

This guide has the advantage of having a devotion for Christmas Day (and also Epiphany) included. Sample available online. This is a once a week devotion, so it would not be as demanding or overwhelming for “beginners;” it does not provide a daily option for those who want more. Each devotion has a kid-friendly version and an adult version. (I would suggest we accompany it with Illustrated Children's Ministry's small 8.5x11 coloring sheets for at home and also possibly large coloring posters at church) https://store.illustratedchild...ariant=3268839440412

Illustrated Advent for Families

By the same publisher as above. Daily devotion for families for all of Advent. Includes activities, coloring sheets, daily Advent calendar, cut out crèche scene. New ones every year; may not use the same scripture as the poster art and devotions listed above. Illustrated Ministry family resources   (Link is to family page – this year’s will be similar, to be released in November.) Purchase pdf and then we will need to make copies.

Advent Activities & Worship Service for Families

This page at the Florida Conference United Methodist website has a list of activities for families to do at home, as well as an excellent weekly worship with Advent candle lighting and also daily discussion questions that would work well with families with or without children. You could rewrite to insert your own hymn – otherwise, no changes needed. Includes Christmas Day.

A Guide to Making Various Types of Jesse Trees

A daily family devotions (and "deeper" devotions for adults), patterns for ornaments, plan for an intergenerational Advent Event, and good explanation of Jesse Tree.    https://www.rca.org/jessetree     Goes through Christmas Day.



Two other things I found that do not include Christmas Day activities:

  1. Blog listing ten books (some are digital books) with daily advent devotionshttp://www.marieosborne.com/10...-advent-devotionals/

  2. Nice weekly devotion starter with discussion question – includes suggestion to mail (or email) each week to families.  http://childrensministry.com/a...mas-weekly-mailings/


Advent devotions that use the popular Jesus Storybook Bible from Zondervan



Redeem the Tree -- Uses Jesus Storybook Bible. 24 days with good discussions and activities, including an advent wreath.   https://amummysmusings.files.w.../redeem-the-tree.pdf     Does not include Christmas day. (Activities may be too big and involved for most to keep up with.)  Blog introduction   https://amummysmusings.wordpre...u-do-this-christmas/

Very Cute Idea! – felt ornaments – photos, but no patterns. Too involved a craft, no discussion. Follows JSB    http://saramblings.blogspot.co...jesus-storybook.html

Another JSB 24 day calendar – with art from JSB book for advent calendar: http://joyfullyweary.blogspot....nt-calendar.html?m=1

Another 24 day Jesse Tree which was adapted to use JSB   
http://keepinglifecreative.com...-tree-advent-project   
https://www.teacherspayteacher...dvent-Project-436602
https://www.teacherspayteacher...oject-Add-ons-441037  
- pdf with color pictures to print and use – Excellent artwork!! Instructions for using these:   http://kelleighratzlaff.com/li...sus-storybook-bible/

Great colorable JSB ornaments  - jpegs online (only 24 again) https://redheadjulie72.wordpre...sus-storybook-bible/

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Here are several more ideas/printables that caught my eye...

FREE! "Jesse Tree: God's Big Advent Story"

Daily printable devotions for Advent along with printable Jesse Tree ornaments available both color and black and white from Faith Alive/CRC

Here is a blog post full of suggestions for using Jesse Tree: God's Big Advent Story.  I like this project because it goes BEYOND Christmas Day with activities.

Jesse Tree Ornaments Devotions

Here is a great FREE Jesse Tree Advent Family Devotional, with ornaments you can print out and color and daily readings/devotions from Today devotional.




Easy Advent calendar suggestion using envelopes:



adventCaledarEnvelopes

Advent in Two Minutes

Here's an excellent video (more for parents or good readers) that explains what Advent is. Would be great in worship, or to share on your Facebook page for a bit of education for the adults in your congregation.)

Advent in Two Minutes, by Busted Halo.

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Two more Family Advent Duides of note:

lifewayAdventLifeway has a free family advent guide with one reading/activity for each of the four weeks of Advent. The new in '22 guide includes patterns for cutouts so that families can build a manger scene.

Illustrated Ministries has  download kit titled, An Illustrated Advent for Families: Do Not Be Afraid.  The printable PDFs can be shared with your families each week during the Advent season to be intentional and focus on their faith. These weekly reflections explore the theme, "Do Not Be Afraid," which is found in Jesus’ birth story in the Gospel of Luke. This isn't free but it can be purchased for your entire church at a reasonable price.

Screenshot of one of the PDFs which children can color and assemble:

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  • Illustrated Ministry Printable Advent Guide, devotion, craft
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Advent Kits Gallery

This article is a great collection of ideas WITH PHOTOS collected from several different churches by Building Faith blog showing the supplies each church sent out to its families  (including older people without children) for use at home to mark the passage of the Advent season.

Some of my favorite ideas and insights:

  • adventKitinclude plain peg dolls and other supplies so that families can make their own creche scenes for use for years.
  • use battery LED candle lights (or give a choice between battery and regular candles) so that the weekly candles can be lit by older people living in group homes as well as by families traveling over the holidays.
  • putting together these kits may be a lot of work, but it is also an opportunity to pray for each family in your community as you put together their kit.

The article includes links to weekly devotions/candle-lighting readings that you can print and give to your families.

Some of the suggestions in the article were specific to 2020 Christmas at home with no churchwide gatherings. But most of the ideas are appropriate for an at-home family devotion kit for any year.

at home Advent kits

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Advent At-home Guide and Activities for Families and Individuals

Attached is a page that I created for parents and families with activities and conversation starters for the Advent season. You are welcome to share this with your congregation or adapt as necessary for your community. You could have your college students or single adults adapt it for their fellow singles.  You could also have your OLDER students help you create a resource like this!

Activities for families to celebrate Christmas at home

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Last edited by Neil MacQueen

Eli the Donkey, book and activities

I'm a big fan of Dema Komen's children's ministry booklets, posters, and other printables for at-home and in-church. Dema is a children's minister with a marvelous illustrating and teaching talent.

Here are a couple of his resources for Advent:

Eli the Donkey at-home Christmas booklet. Lots of storytelling and illustrations with great questions and follow up activities in this resource. 

Dema also illustrated Advent Calendars. In 2022 it was a "scratch off" style. Prices are very reasonable.

If these page links go dead, go to www.wearekidmin.com and use his search feature.

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  • Advent Family Devotional 2
  • Story page from Eli the Donkey
  • Eli the Donkey cover page
Last edited by Neil MacQueen

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