 Advent For the Family
December
17, 2012
It's
Monday! 
 Begin by lighting the same 3
candles as last evening.
Christmas
Carol:
I Heard the
Bells on Christmas Day
I heard
the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play.
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of Peace on earth, good will to men.
I
thought how as the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll'd along th' unbroken song
Of Peace on earth, good will to men.
And in
despair, I bow'd my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song,
Of Peace on earth, good will to men."
Then
pealed the bells more loud and deep;
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With Peace on earth, good will to men."
Bible
Reading:
Luke
1
18Zechariah
asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I
am an old man and my wife is well along in years."
19The angel answered, "I am Gabriel.
I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent
to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20And
now you will be silent and not able to speak until
the day this happens, because you did not believe my
words, which will come true at their proper time."
21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for
Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the
temple. 22When he came out, he could not
speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in
the temple, for he kept making signs to them but
remained unable to speak. 23When his time
of service was completed, he returned home. 24After
this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five
months remained in seclusion. 25"The
Lord has done this for me," she said. "In
these days he has shown his favor and taken away my
disgrace among the people."
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26In the sixth month, God sent the angel
Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to
a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,
a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The
angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who
are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29Mary
was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what
kind of greeting this might be. 30But the
angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you
have found favor with God. 31You will be
with child and give birth to a son, and you are to
give him the name Jesus. 32He will be
great and will be called the Son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him the throne of his father
David, 33and he will reign over the house
of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34"How
will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since
I am a virgin?" 35The angel answered,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the
holy one to be born will be called[3] the Son of
God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is
going to have a child in her old age, and she who was
said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For
nothing is impossible with God." 38"I
am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May
it be to me as you have said." Then the angel
left her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39At that time Mary got ready and hurried
to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where
she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When
Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in
her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy
Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed:
"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
child you will bear! 43But why am I so
favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to
me? 44As soon as the sound of your
greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped
for joy. 45Blessed is she who has believed
that what the Lord has said to her will be
accomplished!"
Activity:
Fruit Loop Garland
This
is much easier for children to handle than a needle and
popcorn and it turns out much prettier. All you do is
string fruitloops on ribbon or string until you have
enough to go on your tree. You can either do one long
string or give each child their own piece and then tie
them together. The end effect is like a huge one of those
edible candy necklaces I used to get when I was a little
girl!!
Recipe
Idea: Hot Cider
2
cups unsweetened apple juice
1 stick cinnamon
2 whole cloves
2 lemon slices
Combine
apple juice, cinnamon, and cloves in a saucepan. Bring to
a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Strain
cider, discarding spices. Serve hot or cold.
From
the kitchen of Candace Hays
Closing
Prayer: How do you think Mary felt when she was
visited by the angel? It's difficult to imagine what
thoughts went through her mind. Mary The angel told Mary
37For
nothing is impossible with God." 38"I
am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it
be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
"
Mary
says that she is the Lord's servant and she believed. Do
you think you would respond to the angel as Mary did?
Mary trusted God with everything - even the things that
appeared to be impossible. Do you have situations in your
life that seem impossible? You can give those situations
to God and trust Him to deal with them. Put Jesus first
in your life, trust Him with your life and be a good
servant to Him.
As
you close tonight in prayer, surrender your "Impossible
Situations" to the Lord. Ask Him to help you be a
better servant and to trust Him with all your needs. He
will provide for you in every way. God is the same today
as He was back then. He is still the God of the
impossible.
End
with a GIANT GROUP HUG!
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