Practicing Advent: Ideas for Individuals, Families and Community Groups

Advent is a season of hopeful expectation and preparation, as the Church anticipates the coming of Christ -- both at his birth in Bethlehem many years ago, and at his future, final coming to judge the world at the end of time. During Advent, we prepare our hearts for the Lord, so that when he comes, he may find us watching and waiting.

This Advent Devotional Guide is designed to be used by individuals, families, community groups, or gatherings of friends and neighbors. If it feels childish, don’t worry about it, just go with it! Jesus tells us that we must become more like little children in the way we trust our heavenly Father, and Advent is a great time to practice becoming more childlike in our faith. 

You can use the guide either as a stand-alone resource or in tandem with an Advent wreath and/or Jesse Tree (see below for more information). The readings begin with God’s promise that a savior would come from the family of Jesse, “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isaiah 11:1), and then follow the biblical story of God’s promise as it unfolds toward the coming of Christ at Christmas. 

Advent Wreath 

This guide includes directions for incorporating an Advent wreath into your observance of the season, should you care to do so. The Advent wreath is made of evergreen boughs encircling five candles. Four candles represent each week of Advent, and the fifth (placed in the center of the four), represents the birth of Christ at Christmas. One new candle is lit on each of the four Sundays of Advent (for example: on the Third Sunday of Advent, two candles would already have been lit before beginning the liturgy, and the third candle would be lit at the appointed time during the liturgy), and then the Christ candle is lit on Christmas Eve (or Christmas Day, if preferred). Using the Advent wreath can be a meaningful practice for disciples of all ages, but it can be especially helpful for teaching young children about the story of Christ. 

Jesse Tree 

This guide is also formatted to complement a Jesse Tree devotional exercise “a simple, easy-to-observe practice of placing one symbolic ornament per day on a tree (or picture of a tree) that represents the unfolding story of God’s promise to provide a savior for his people from the “stump” or “root” of Jesse’s family. As Advent progresses toward Christmas, the tree begins to fill up with images, each one signifying a particular story of God’s faithfulness to keep his promise. The final ornament comes at Christmas, when we celebrate the fulfillment of God’s ancient promise in the coming of Christ by adding the star to the top of the Jesse Tree. 

The Jesse Tree can be a fun and fruitful exercise for people of all ages, and it is especially helpful for involving children in our observance of Advent. The hands-on activities of making (or finding) the ornaments and decorating the Jesse Tree add visual and participatory elements to our daily worship that can help make our observance of Advent more memorable and formative for all of us. 

How to make a Jesse Tree (a few different approaches): 

1) Use a Christmas tree that you can specifically designate as your Jesse Tree. 

2) Find a tree branch without leaves (~2-3 feet long) that has a main branch with lots of smaller branches attached to it. Place the branch in a bucket of dirt or rocks and cover the bucket with fabric or a blanket. 

3) Make a 2-dimensional Jesse Tree out of large format paper, felt, or another material. Draw, paint, or cut out the shape of a tree that is 2-3 feet tall. Use glue or tape to attach the ornaments. 

Making Jesse Tree Ornaments 

The simplest way to make the symbolic ornaments is to print out the templates and use markers or crayons to decorate them. The illustration for each daily devotional makes it easy to identify which Jesse Tree ornament fits the Scripture lesson for the day. You can access ornament templates and more Jesse Tree ideas online at: https://www.rca.org/resources/advent-discipleship-children/making-jesse-tree.