I am just sending my three god-daughters a countdown candle with a card with some suggestions of prayers they could use with their candle. I say countdown candle, as strictly it’s not Advent, as Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, I believe. This candle has numbers 1-24 to countdown to Christmas during December.
Anyhow! I always send them something for Advent rather than Christmas, as I’m sure they get lots at Christmas, and as their godmother, I’d like to help them find fun ways to find meaning in Christmas each year. So as well as a candle, I’ve also sent them a card with some prayer ideas for them to use with their candle if they’d like to. I know they all still have things to do from the craft box make-your-own nativity scene out of Benecol bottles I sent them last year so I wanted to keep it simple.
This is what I’ve written:
Hi!
I thought you might enjoy saying a prayer as you light an Advent candle each day of Advent.
Here’s an idea for a simple prayer you could use, or you could invent your own.
Jesus, light of the world,
Come into our darkness.
You could also think about Jesus being the light of the world. Here’s four different things to think about. You could do one a week or whenever you choose.
Thought 1
Whenever you see candles or Christmas lights, thank Jesus for the light of His presence is with you. (Psalm 89:15)
Thought 2
Think of something ‘dark’ in your life. Ask Jesus to bring His light and change it. (2 Samuel 22:29)
Thought 3
Think of something ‘dark’ in the world. Ask Jesus to bring His light into that darkness. (Job 12:22)
Thought 4
If you need help choosing or deciding something, ask Jesus to shine His light on your path. (Psalm 119:105)
Advent-prayers-for-families an alternative set of prayers for use in Advent which you might prefer.
I also wanted to write something about US being light for the world, but couldn’t quite find the right way to word it. Next year maybe…
For more ideas and Activities to explore at Christmas visit my 50 Faith at home ideas for Christmas here.
