"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name Him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High;
and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
and His kingdom will have no end."
Luke 1: 31-33
DAY 3: Zechariah
For Day 3, we first started reading from Luke, and learned about the angel Gabriel visiting Zechariah to tell him that his wife Elizabeth would conceive a son (John), even though she is older. We talked about how God usually gives babies to parents who are young enough to take care of the baby until he or she is an adult and can take care of him or herself, but that Elizabeth and Zechariah had not yet been given a baby, and because they were past this age, they assumed that they would not be blessed with a child. Then, when Gabriel told Zechariah that Elizabeth would be given a baby, Zechariah did not believe it, and as a consequence of doubting God, Zechariah was rendered mute until the baby was born.
We made a Zechariah ornament, and SC put a big red "x" over his mouth to remind us that all things are possible with God, and we should not doubt Him as Zechariah did.
DAY 4: Gabriel
On Day 4, we continued reading in Luke and learned about the angel Gabriel visiting Mary and telling her that she would conceive a baby, who would be named Jesus, and would become the savior of the world.
For our craft, we created an angel ornament, with a glitter bell, shiny wrapping paper, and sparkly pipe cleaners.
DAY 5: Mary
Day 5 was a continuation of the reading in Luke from Day 4, and this time we focused on Mary instead of Gabriel. Mary did not doubt Gabriel's message, but she did ask how, if she were a virgin, she could have a baby. Gabriel told her that her virginity would be a sign that Jesus is the Son of God. I really wasn't sure how to explain the virginity issue to SC without giving her more details than she needs right now, but this is a huge part of the story, so we talked about how most people are married before God gives them a baby, and because Mary was not yet married to Joseph, she was unsure as to how God could give her a baby. How have you handled this with younger children?
We made a Mary ornament, and dressed her in traditional Christmas colors.
DAY 6: Mary/Elizabeth
On Day 6, we read from Luke about Mary going to visit her cousin Elizabeth, and how the baby in Elizabeth's tummy (John) leapt for joy when Mary entered the room, making both women realize that neither of their pregnancies were anything typical. SC and I talked about how babies inside their mothers' stomachs will react to things that are going on, like loud music, talking, and other things, but in this case, John was reacting to Jesus, who was inside Mary's stomach, which was special. We also talked about how SC was very active when she was inside of me.
Our craft was to paint paper dolls of Mary and Elizabeth, including their round "bumps" (which SC painted dark black after mixing too many colors together).
DAY 7: Song
Day 7 was focused on the song Mary sang in joy and wonder after her encouraging experience with Elizabeth. SC and I talked about how the words in many of the songs we sing are to praise God and His greatness, and to thank Him for the blessings He has bestowed upon us. Then we listened to a few worshipful Christmas songs while we made a music-inspired ornament.
Don't forget, we are using Truth in the Tinsel to guide us through Advent this year. So far, I would highly recommend it.
What Advent activities have you been up to so far in December? Leave a comment and let me know!
**I am not an affiliate of Truth in the Tinsel, nor have I been asked to review it. I am not being compensated in any way for using this product, including, but not limited to, receiving a free copy for review purposes. Please read my disclosure statement to learn more about my affiliations.
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