Advent is almost as anticipated an event in our home as Christmas is... the season of expectation, Ava has been slowly marking off the days, counting down to the countdown. On Sunday, the first Sunday of advent finally arrived!
A morning at church, followed by a quiet afternoon. Our Sunday afternoons are usually spent with family - literal, or church family - and so a quiet one is a rarity, but on this occasion it was perfect for finding our rhythm for Advent this year. We were trying something new...
There are still the four advent candles, one lit each Sunday throughout December, and the calendar hangs as ever on the wall, but we are trying out a new resource this year, "A Slow and Sacred Advent" by Jennifer Naraki, and I was excited to get going on it.
Week One: Jesus the Seed Brings Hope.
That little kernal, lying, apparently, dormant and silent in the ground, is slowly working a miracle! Advent - the time when all our dormant hopes and expectation gather momentum as we look forward to the coming of the Saviour!
And so, after some responsive readings which David and Ava led us through, and some interesting (and at points rather hilarious) discussion, we created our own "seed" garlands... using oranges, fresh cranberries and popcorn!
Only after we'd devoured our dinner of course!
It was a low-key, precious afternoon... the children pushing needles through fresh cranberries with the christmas music in the background and the completely random (so random!) chatter of small children.
Even Jonas got involved - though I think there was potentially more popcorn eating going on than garland creating!
At the end of the evening, the table was covered with the happy chaos of busy children... one of those messes that you can't be mad at, because you know that in the mess, your children are learning deep, rich truths and soaking up memories.
This beautiful season of expectation and hope
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love reading your comments! Thanks for stopping by!