Prepare Our Hearts
Advent and Christmas Traditions for Families
by
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With the foregoing history, brief as it is, one can easily understand why an early church official would have looked out among His followers in late December and have wished to add some meaning to what must have looked like a huge circus. Many Christians were probably following the traditions of the times – going through the festivities just as their parents and grandparents had done before them. Many of us know what that is like. We just do certain things because they have always been done. Even though some of the trappings of the modern day Christmas may seem very heathen, we do know that Christmas is about a small child, born to peasant parents in a stable, and that the name of the holiday comes from that Child’s name.
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About the Book
When we join a group, be it Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Rotary, or Kiwanis, we expect to give it time and energy to fulfill the mission of the group. If we don’t participate, we receive no benefits from our membership. We don’t join a family, God puts us into one, but the same thoughts apply. Being in a family that lives separately under one roof is a huge loss. God could predict this, so we have the passage in Deuteronomy 6, which is worth re-reading from time to time. Prepare Our Hearts will give you new thoughts about your Christmas celebrations. It may help you appreciate that many people before us have longed to be ready for the birth of the Christ child and have taken time to alter their patterns and make room for activities that inspire. Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, can be a wonder-filled time for families to begin the practice of gathering as a family for a common purpose. During Advent, we prepare our hearts, thoughts, and homes for the coming of the Christ child. It is a perfect time for sharing, reading Scripture, and special stores about Christmas, singing, praying, and lighting the candles in the Advent wreath. The family is encouraged to plan for others and enjoy activities together. Families need encouragement in our day when many forces intrude. Think seriously how your family lives in December. Use the suggestions to make your own traditions. Most importantly, don’t allow the precious years with your children to vanish into nothingness. Prepare Our Hearts will contribute to memory-making that will be remembered long after the gifts exchanged no longer fit or hold interest.
About the Author
Muriel Tarr Kurtz is a wife, mother of four, grandmother of five, and a former teacher. She was challenged by the suggestions for observing Advent her children brought home from Sunday school. Prepare Our Hearts and Returning Another Way record that adventure and the precious memories that followed.