Advent is the celebration of Christ’s birth and second coming. It is from the Latin word Adventus, meaning a coming or arrival.
It is traditionally celebrated on the four Sundays prior to Christmas. Each Sunday contains Bible readings from the Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament, and Gospels.
Many churches light a candle on each of the four Sundays, with the themes being hope, peace, joy, and love.
Recognizing that many of our readers are serving in churches where Advent is celebrated, we are taking a break from our Five Smooth Stones series to provide a series of Advent devotionals.
Each is followed by an experiential activity that can be used by churches or families to teach the weekly theme.
This third week, we focus on joy.
When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?" 4 Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me." (Matthew 11:2-6 NIV)
When we lived in Poland, we discovered there were the same kinds of stereotypes that we have in American culture.
These included that Dutch people are tall. The Scottish are frugal. The Germans are organized, and all their trains run on time. And the British cooking leaves something to be desired.
On one occasion, an artist friend from church traveled to England, where his art was being displayed. He was gone for several days, and when he returned, I took the opportunity to see if English cuisine was as reported.
My friend told me the Indian, Thai, and Korean food in London was excellent. When I pressed further, he stated, “All the cooks in England will be cooking in Hades!” I burst out laughing! Apparently, the report was true!
Joy in the Kingdom of Jesus
In Matthew 11:2-6, John is asking for a report on Jesus’ ministry. John the Baptist and Jesus were more than cousins.
In so many ways, their lives went down similar tracks. Both had miraculous birth stories and then grew up to be charismatic prophetic figures.
They called for spiritual renewal among the people of God. Both John and Jesus eventually confronted, offended, and angered the Jewish leaders of the day. The Roman government took them into captivity and then brutally murdered John and Jesus.
John, who was in prison with not long to live, wanted to know if Jesus was the expected Messiah.
The Messiah, literally “anointed one”, was thought to be the leader who would restore Israel and fulfill the promises made to David. John’s disciples are asking Jesus if He is the One.
His reply is a rundown of His ministry work. Jesus believed that these ‘signs” would make His identity clear to John.
The activities associated with His ministry included:
- The lame walk
- Those who have leprosy are cleansed
- The deaf hear
- The dead are raised
- And the good news is proclaimed to the poor
Without going into the details, we can see that Jesus' ministry involved physical healings, power over death, and a concern for the poor and outcast of society. Taken together, this is good news and cause for joy.
My maternal grandparents met at a hospital in Chicago, Illinois, where doctors were fitting them for prosthetic limbs. Grandma, a beautiful young woman, had been involved in a train wreck that killed her fiancé. She lost an arm.
Grandpa had been a young train worker and slipped on the ice and fell under a train that took off his arm and leg. I grew up watching them function with these challenges.
I have some idea what it would mean to experience that kind of dramatic manifestation of God’s power. Jesus announces to John’s disciples the good news that healing had arrived.
This third week of Advent is about celebrating the joy that comes in Christ’s Kingdom. His birth ushered in the Kingdom of God and fulfilled the promise made to David.
Jesus’ birth announces healing for the hurting and good news for all, especially those on the margins. His death and resurrection declare a new reality where even death will be overcome. His birth is a proclamation of joy.
This is certainly a message children need to hear. Many of them are facing all varieties of pain. Some are living in broken homes and even live under the cloud of abuse.
Others struggle at school, in sports, or with siblings. Self-image crises are common. In corners of our society and around the world, children live in poverty, physically and spiritually.
We can help boys and girls focus on King Jesus and rise above the brokenness of this world. This third week of Advent, we can celebrate the joy that comes with following Jesus.
Experiential Activity: From Broken Pieces to Joyful Art
Materials Needed:
- 2" x 2" tissue paper squares in many colors (8-10 per child)
- 5" x 7" sheets of waxed paper (2 per child)
- Small crosses cut from black construction paper (1 per child)
- 5" x 7" frames cut from black construction paper (1 per child)
- Slightly watered-down glue in small containers
- Paintbrushes
- Iron (optional)
Instructions:
1. Set Up:
- Place one waxed paper sheet and a small pile of tissue squares at each spot. Put glue containers and paintbrushes in the middle of the table.
2. Discussion & Paper Tearing:
- Show the tissue paper and invite children to think of something good that brought them joy recently. Let a several kids share their happy thoughts.
- Then, have them tear their squares into smaller pieces while thinking about something difficult, scary, or sad. Invite 6–8 children to share briefly.
- Say: “The beautiful, colorful tissue paper reminds us of good times. We think about people and things that make us joyful. But sometimes, hard things happen. These torn pieces remind us of struggles and difficult times. But God doesn’t leave us alone—Jesus can turn our broken pieces into something beautiful and full of joy.”
3. Creating the Art:
- Have children glue their torn tissue pieces onto the waxed paper, overlapping colors to cover the whole sheet.
- Place a black cross in the center.
- Lay the second sheet of waxed paper over the top and glue on the black frame. Trim edges if needed. (Optional: leaders can iron the sheets together to seal.)
4. Wrap-Up:
- Say: “You’ve made a beautiful stained-glass window! When it dries, you can take it home to hang in your window. The cross reminds you that Jesus loves you and helps you find joy even in hard times.”