Introducing this year’s Advent Devotional Booklet for all ages, For Us, A Child is Born.
On Sunday, November 28, 2021 we begin the season of Advent; the first season of our Christian year. And, as we anticipate the coming of Christ the Messiah into our world anew, it is good to prepare a way for our Lord to come into our homes and our lives. Daily devotions are a wonderful way to prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus as we read the prophesies and stories that lead us to Jesus’ birth.
With this simple devotional booklet all ages will have the opportunity to light the Advent candles, read the scriptures and hear the stories that prepare us for the nativity. Everyone is invited to ponder Advent questions, write and/or doodle on journal pages and say pray of thanksgiving, joy and love.
This devotional booklet is available free for download by individuals or for congregations for distribution. The file for download can be found at the end of this article along with directions to make the simple Advent Wreath In A Box noted within the devotional booklet and seen in the picture above. For those who would like instructions for a larger evergreen wreath there is a video for one also included below.
When you open the file for the devotional booklet it will appear quite mixed up. Don’t worry – everything is exactly as it should be. It has been laid out in such a way that it can be printed out as a 2-sided document with the short edge binding. Then take the resulting four, double-sided pages and fold them into a booklet much like a church bulletin.
If you are wanting to print and distribute a number of booklets, I recommend that you print out each page individually (this will give you 8 pages of text) and then feed these pages through a photocopier for a double-sided document that can then be folded into a booklet and stapled together.
Along with this Advent Devotional Booklet there will soon be an interactive Advent Calendar uploaded to this synod website. Users will be able to open each of the windows of the calendar through the synod website or churches will be able to publish the interactive calendar directly on their church website for participants to interact with there. Each dated window on the calendar opens virtually to a videoed bible story, and children’s book, a song, a craft, an adventure, a prayer, or a way of caring for others throughout the Advent season. When people use the devotional booklet and the Advent Calendar together the stories and opportunities for Advent grow. Of course each are also able to stand alone and participants can choose both or either option as they wish.
Come back to the website for a sample of the interactive Advent Calendar next week and complete instructions for placing it on your church website and/or emailing to church members’ homes.
To download the 2021 Advent Devotional Booklet click here
To download the instructions and templates to make your own Advent Wreath in a Box click here
If you would like to make a more traditional Advent wreath with fresh greens please click here for videoed instructions.