Advent Wreath at Home?
“We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,” Psalm 78:4-6 ESV
For as long as I can remember growing up we did an Advent wreath lighting and devotion during supper. My mom would read the scriptures and my sister and I took turns lighting the candles. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized this wasn’t the norm… that some people have never seen an Advent wreath outside of church.
Then around ten years ago, our church began hosting an Advent Workshop. This was a lovely event where families could come and make ornaments, fellowship together, and create a take-home Advent wreath. This was such a beloved tradition that even in this Covid year, our church still provided kits for families to work on at home.
If you are new to the Advent-at-home tradition, don’t be intimidated! This will quickly become one of your favorite parts of December.
Traditionally, we use five candles in ours-- three purple, one pink, and one white candle in the center. If you don’t have tall taper candles or a lot of space, try using a little bit of play dough and birthday candles. Or grab a pack of tea light candles from the Dollar Tree. Anything will do.
If you have young children, the lighting and “unlighting” are the most exciting parts. We take turns each night and sometimes whoever eats all their supper without complaining gets extra turns. A few years ago I even invested in a long handled candle snuffer. It was worth every penny not to have wax splashed all over my wall from over-enthusiastic unlighters.
When my kids were toddlers, I purchased this felt Advent wreath so they could handle the candles without setting the house on fire. Now they feel very grown up that they are allowed to light the real candles.
Finally, don’t despair if your Advent wreath family time isn’t the Hallmark movie you imagined it would be. Some nights our three kids take my breath away with their insights and faith. Other nights they scream and fight over a sibling getting too many turns lighting the candles.
You are planting seeds. And for today, that is enough.
Lord, thank you for this season of Advent. Thank you for a time to intentionally prepare our hearts for you. Amen.
