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I’m not sure there’s anyone who loves Christmas more than I do.  Seriously!  The decorations, the gatherings, the crafts, the cookies, the music, the movies...I love it all!  And because I enjoy all those things, the fight to keep Christmas about Jesus Christ gets even harder.

So if my own heart struggles to keep Jesus at the center of Christmas, how in the world am I supposed to shepherd the hearts of my kids to do the same?  2 words...FAMILY WORSHIP.  This isn’t just another ‘thing’ to help your kids love Jesus more...it’s just as much for your heart as it is theirs!  So what is Family Worship?

Simply, Family Worship is a time set aside for your family to put Jesus Christ first.  We do this on Sundays when we gather together to encourage one another, pray, read the Bible, and worship God through song.  Your home is kind of like a little church, so family worship will follow that same pattern: gathering to encourage one another, pray, read the Bible, and sing.

There are lots of resources to help you do this and we will be offering a Milestone Class in March to get into the specifics of what “Family Worship” time looks like.  But for now, December is a great time to establish this routine because of Advent!  

What is advent?  

Advent simply means this: the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. In the church we take this time (Dec 1-25), to look back at the bigger story in scripture and treasure what God has done by sending His Son, Jesus!  There are a variety of resources for kids & families available that span from nightly readings/activities to a weekly story. The main goal isn’t to just complete the book or check all the boxes; it’s to take time to stop, refocus, and remember.  We encourage you to think about how you might take intentional time with your family this December and reflect on these things!

Here’s a list of books we’ve put together for you during this time!  If you’ve used resources that you’ve really loved as a family, we’d love for you to share them with us!    

Resource Recommendations

Don’t forget to stop by the gym and enter the drawing to win the books!!

• Nursery: The Christmas Promise Board Book
• Preschool: The Way To The Manger: A Family Advent Devotional 
• Elementary: Unwrapping The Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas 
• A really cool resource for ALL ages!! The Wonder Of The Greatest Gift: An Interactive Family Celebration of Christmas

When you open this book, a 25 inch tree pops up and there are 25 advent doors to open.  Each door contains an ornament to hang on the tree that goes with the story of the day.  It is the same material as the Unwrapping the Greatest Gift book, however, the stories are shortened and in a little booklet that comes with the tree/book!  Your kids will LOVE this!  

• Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Ornaments  This is a free resource that you can print and assemble at home.

 https://www.faithgateway.com/jesus-storybook-bible-advent-calendar-printable/

We hope this encourages and equips you to orient your hearts (and the hearts of your kids) to Christ this Christmas.

Lyndsay (and Kimmy!)

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