Advent is very much linked with light. It’s a dark time of year in the northern hemisphere, and there is both Christian and pagan symbolism in the idea of lighting our houses as we celebrate. Candle-lit dinners are romantic, and times to reflect around a lit candle are apt to become fairly mystical, so candles are a good way of focusing on something beyond the material, for children and adults alike.
Here’s another of the quotes I found last year:
‘These seasons – ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, EPIPHANY – call out to us for silence and significance. They speak to us and to our children of becoming more like those who came to Jesus with only the gifts of our hearts, with only the thoughts of being present at a mystery, with only the desire to bow down in awe. This book is dedicated to the silence and awe and mystery of these seasons, and to family relationships given the power to grow in ritual, prayer and togetherness of the celebrated seasons’. From the introduction to ‘The Gift of Time’, published in 1977.
‘Silence, awe and mystery’ – a real gift to parents and children as things get more and more materialistic and frenetic!
‘Family relationships given the power to grow…’ – that’s got to be what we’re looking for!
For practical details about the way we’ve used Advent candles, see Son 2’s tutorial below!
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Here’s another of the quotes I found last year: ‘These seasons – ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, EPIPHANY – call out to us for silence and significance. They speak to us and to our children of becoming more like those who came to Jesus with only the gifts of our hearts, with only the thoughts of being present at a mystery, with only the desire to bow down in awe. This book is dedicated to the silence and awe and mystery of these seasons, and to family relationships given the power to grow in ritual, prayer and togetherness of the celebrated seasons’. From the introduction to ‘The Gift of Time’, published in 1977.
‘Silence, awe and mystery’ – a real gift to parents and children as things get more and more materialistic and frenetic!
‘Family relationships given the power to grow…’ – that’s got to be what we’re looking for!
For practical details about the way we’ve used Advent candles, see Son 2’s tutorial below!
3 comments:
Is that the blue Peter Advent candle?
I really, really like these posts. I wonder though...about materialism. How does one teach their children about this effectively? You've got the battle of the TV, the shops, peer pressure from kids at school...all these things to excite them and kindle their desire for materials and consumer goods...
I'm not so materialistic these days but I remember the lure and its strength as a kid growing up...how do you tackle this? xxx
I love candle light which is tender and make warm into our heart.
Advent Meditations by John E Windell includes short story illustrations based on one of the scriptures from the Revised Common Lectionary for each day in Advent.
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