Advent Wreath  

Advent is the time we prepare to celebrate Christmas. Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus and look forward to his return. Advent begins on the first Sunday after Thanksgiving and lasts for four weeks. Advent is also the beginning of the new church year. Each Sunday during Advent we light one candle to help us countdown the celebration of Christmas, there are three purple candles, and one pink to place along the Advent wreath and one white candle to place in the middle of the wreath, called the Christ candle.

The tradition of the Advent wreath began in the 19th century in Germany when children were eager to know how many days until Christmas. To help the kids remember how many days until Christmas, a German pastor by the name, Johann Hinrich Wichern, took an old wheel from a wooden cart and carved out holes and put 20 small red candles in them and 4 large candles to help the children count down the weeks until Christmas. The version of the wreath we use today with greenery and 4 candles began in the 1920’s in Germany and spread to the churches in the United States.

During Advent we take time each Sunday looking at the different people in the bible who help us prepare for Christmas before we light the candle.

The First Sunday of Advent we look to the Prophets. Prophets are God’s messengers. The prophets point us to God and help us turn our attention to Him and His ways.

The Second Sunday of Advent we look to the Holy Family: Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Joseph, the father of Jesus, and the baby Jesus. We follow the Holy Family’s journey to Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

The Third Sunday of Advent we look to the Shepherds. Shepherds were the first ones given the news by the angels that the Christ child had been born and went to worship him. They set the example of worship for us. You will notice this candle is pink, and known as Gaudete, which is the Latin word for Rejoice!

The Fourth Sunday of Advent we look to the Wisemen. The Wisemen followed the star that led them to the household of Jesus, there they offered him gifts, worshipped and adored him. They set the example of offering our gifts to God and adoration.

Craft idea from picture below: Have kids make Advent wreath by first painting the Styrofoam green. Then hot glue green garland on top to represent greenery. Insert 4 clear plastic straws into the Styrofoam. Have the kids put 3 purple or royal blue pipe cleaners in 3 of the straws and then one pink pipe cleaner in the last remaining straw. You will want 4 small orange or yellow pieces of tissue paper to use each week to use as a flame to light their candle. You can place a white pillar candle that is battery operated in the middle.