Advent At Home: Week 3- Joy
Bible Verse
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (NIV) Luke 2:10-11
The four weeks leading up to Christmas are a special time for God's people to join together in anticipation of Christ's birth. This time is called Advent.
For full instructions on the Advent candles, click here.
Light the third Advent candle: Joy. The pink candle represents joy. This week, you would also light the candles from the previous weeks (Hope and Peace).
Have someone say, “This is the third week of Advent. We light the candles of hope and of peace from the last two weeks. Today, we light the candle of joy.” Have someone light the candles of hope, peace, and lastly joy.
Dig Deeper
Talk about the devotion Advent: A Time of Joy. You might use the prayer at the end of the devotion together.
To learn more about what joy means in the Bible read Luke 2:8-20; John 15:10-12.
Ask this question: “In what ways can we show the joy of the Lord to others?” Allow each family member to answer the question, and then have a conversation about what joy means to them. After the sharing time, say, “Let’s find ways to show our joy in Jesus to everyone we meet this week.”
Listen to (or even sing!) a family favorite Christmas carol about joy, like “Joy to the World.” You can listen to an Advent playlist on Spotify We also love "Waiting Songs" by Rain for Roots.
We pray that this practice of participating in Advent gives your family a deep sense of anticipation for Christmas. May God bless you during this special season.
Want to do a deep dive? Check out Family Fire's article Finding Joy at Christmas! and Choosing Joy Over Happiness
Ron VandenBurg
Senior Producer of Children’s Ministry at ReFrame Ministries
Ron VandenBurg joined the ReFrame Ministries team in 2014. He plans and develops projects specifically for the spiritual formation of children. Before coming to ReFrame, Ron taught middle-school for 27 years. Ron completed a M. Ed. degree in Teaching, Learning and Development at Brock University. Ron and Rachel have three fantastic adult children and one grandchild and reside in Ontario.
