This is part II in a series of posts scheduled through the first week of December about practicing and observing the Advent season at home. Part I on the Magnificat may be found here. These posts offer ideas and suggestions for inhabiting Advent as we learn to look for and expect the miracle of the Messiah’s birth.
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The days before Advent are a perfect time to begin sharing stories about waiting. Children may love to hear the stories of those who long ago waited, prayed, and searched for God’s Messiah, one who ultimately appears in a small stable in the corner of an ancient town far from our own. In Advent, we look and wait for Jesus, anticipating the birth of a child whose birth was announced by angels to shepherds and by stars to Magi from far places.
Spend the Advent season looking for the baby Jesus. When you are putting your family Nativity together, leave out the baby Jesus. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, hide him around the house. Whoever finds him can hide him next (without telling anyone). On Christmas, search far and wide, and upon finding him, place him in the manger and invite your children to share the story of the Nativity.
Here is a sermon from the Reverend Canon Karen Schmidt, “On Searching for Christ during Advent.” You may find her sermon and others from a Cohort of Anglican Churches in the U.K., here.