Advent Gifts of Kindness: Love Week Four
Bible Verse
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (NIV) John 13:34-35
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 fourth Advent candle: Love. This week, you would also light the candles from the previous weeks (Hope, Peace, and Joy).
Have someone say, “This is the fourth week of Advent. We light the candles of hope, peace, and joy from the weeks before. Today, we light the candle of love.” Have someone light the candles of hope, peace, joy, and lastly love.
Dig Deeper
Talk about the devotion Advent: Love as an Action. You might use the prayer at the end of the devotion together.
To learn more about what love means in the Bible, read John 13:1-38.
Ask these questions: “Jesus loved people that were outcasts in his society. He touched those that others forgot or looked down on. Who does our society forget or ignore? How can you show them the active love of God?” Allow each family member to answer the questions, and then have a conversation about what love means to them. After the sharing time, say, “Let’s find ways to show our love in Jesus to everyone we meet this week.”
- Share these Gifts of Kindness ideas and explore some ways you can give other people love:
Make a thank you sign for sanitation workers.
Set the table for dinner.
Tell someone why they are special to you.
Make a thank you card for your librarian.
Write an encouraging letter to someone in prison.
Make a family member’s bed.
Write a letter to try to help someone who is the victim of injustice.
Bring cookies to the church or school custodian.
Video chat with some faraway friends.
Listen to (or even sing!) a family favorite Christmas carol about love like “Away in a Manger.” 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 How to Love Well at Christmas
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.
