Day 17 Advent Candle: Light the first two candles and then the Shepherds' Candle. Bible Verses Psalm 98 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout for joy to the LORD , all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn- shout for joy before the LORD , the King. Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. (NIV) The Psalms are divided into 5 major groups. Today's Psalm, number 98, is included with those that are called "enthronement" Psalms or royal Psalms. The poetry of the Psalms is very purposeful and symbolic. And at the same time, they are personal and practical about the human experience. The enthronement Psalms summon the praise of God in three main ways. God is praised first for saving or redeeming Israel. He is also praised throughout the earth as King. And finally, God is praised in all the universe as the King who comes to rule and judge in righteousness. Psalm 98 contains 3 distinct sections with these praises! In each of these particular Psalms (most notably 95-100) the theme is on exalting the Lord in song and with great joy. The term "the Lord reigns" (Yahweh malak, also, "Yahweh is King") is included in some as well because these Psalms are about Christ's kingship over the earth! Psalm 98 is our joyful reminder today that Jesus is Lord! Article/Devotion Five Rules for Happiness Here is a nice article that is perfect for this season! Consider It All Joy Another great article from Path-Light.com about this week's theme: JOY! Dinnertime (or anytime!) Discussion If you have time, read some of the other enthronement Psalms (95-100). Does your church sing any of these verses? Notice that in all of these Scriptures, we are encouraged to praise and SING to the Lord! Word to Know Praise: The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament defines praise as "being sincerely and deeply thankful for and/or satisfied in lauding a superior quality(ies) or great, great act(s) of the object." The following information is then given concerning the Biblical use of the word: The most frequent use of (the word praise) relates to praising the God of Israel. Nearly a third of such passages occur in the Psalms. The largest numbers of these are imperative summons to praise. The frequency and mood emphasizes the vital necessity of this action...The themes surrounding and included in the verbal expressions of praise (the psalms) show that it is imperative that God in His deity be recognized and that the fullness thereof be affirmed and stated. This is to be offered in an attitude of delight and rejoicing. Belief and joy are inextricably intertwined...It is significant that most of these occurrences are plural. This shows us, as does the use of the psalms in the worship that praise of Jehovah was especially, though by no means uniquely, congregational. (The above is quoted from this webpage: Path-Light Psalm Lessons by DiAnna Paulk) Book Suggestion The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola. This storybook tells the Mexican legend of a little girl named Lucinda who helps her mother weave a blanket for the baby Jesus. But after Lucinda ruins the yarn and her mother gets sick, she worries what she can give to Jesus! When a mysterious woman appears and tells her that the Christ child will love ANY gift that she gives Him from her heart, Lucinda picks some weeds and goes to the church to pray before presenting them to Jesus. You'll just have to read the story to find out what happens next! Advent Extras Art "Rest on the Flight to Egypt" Esteban Bartolome Murillo was the first major Spanish artist to achieve fame in Europe. His work was popular in Seville, Spain where he was born and raised, but also influenced artists in Italy and England. When the Academy of Fine Arts in Seville opened in 1660, Murillo was its first president. Murillo painted mostly religious scenes and as he became more proficient, his paintings became softer and more light-hearted. In one of his paintings, "Holy Family With the Infant Saint John", toddlers Jesus and John are playing with a wooden toy as Joseph works on his carpentry in the background and Mary looks down upon them pleasantly with her sewing in her lap. Murillo was also what is called a genre painter; he was famous for his scenes of poor children, either begging, playing, or selling flowers or fruit. However, even these paintings are warm and not somber as the subject matter could be. In the late 1640's, Murillo visited Madrid where he was able to see the works of Flemish, Venetian and other Spanish masters. Because he never dated his artwork, Murillo's paintings are grouped into periods by the way his style changes. For example, it was after his trip to Madrid that his paintings became less dry in their depictions of religious figures (abandoning more Baroque-Renaissance styles) and more natural and almost sentimental. That is what I love about them, although Murillo was sometimes criticized for taking this approach! Be sure to visit the Web Gallery of Art to see more: Paintings by Murillo (I believe all of the paintings in this collection are suitable for children.) Olga's Gallery--Murillo This gallery contains additional paintings not found in the Web Gallery like the series on the Prodigal Son. Christmas Carol or Hymn Mary's Boy Child composed by Jester Hairston on Harry Belafonte's To Wish You a Merry Christmas album (CD). I heard this on the radio yesterday and thought it was called "Hark Now Hear the Angel's Sing". And I had no idea who sang it! Listen at the link and read along...what a great Christmas song. (Sorry, this was the best audio of the entire song I could find. Scroll down to the second set of words for "Mary's Boy Child".) It was successful on the music charts in the 50's when it came out; Jester Hairston's lyrics and Belafonte's voice give just the slightest hint of a Negro spiritual. It's such a simple but heartfelt song! Sorry, there isn't really a story to the song today, but here are a few links about the composer (who was also an actor!): Justin Hairston Tribute   Hairston article (by same author). Holiday Tradition & History Poinsettias Above is the legend of the poinsettia flower that flourishes in Mexico as told by Tomie dePaola. Here is the actual history of how the plant made its way to America. The first people who admired and even worshiped the poinsettia were the ancient Aztecs of Mexico. The Aztecs believed that the poinsettia represented purity. Unfortunately, that belief came from the fact that they performed human sacrifices to their gods and thought the blood of those who gave their lives to appease the gods was sacred! They also believed the poinsettia to have medicinal value and used it for making red dye. If the poinsettia plants were growing well (and they can grow to be 8-10 feet tall in the wild), then the Aztecs felt that their sacrifices had made the gods happy and they would have a prosperous winter and year ahead. They valued the poinsettia because its red leaves were a solemn reminder of those who had been sacrificed. They called the plant "cuetlaxochitle", which means "flower that withers, mortal flower that perishes like all that is pure." Only the religious leaders of the Aztec people were allowed to touch the poinsettia. When European conquerers like Cortez arrived, the Aztec civilization was dismantled and destroyed almost entirely. The conquistadors were only interested in what they could plunder and made most of the remaining Aztec people slaves. However, once the Aztecs were defeated, the region was open to European missionaries who came to assist the enslaved Aztecs. The legendary poinsettia lost its significance for a long time until, in the 16th century, some Franciscan friars told the story of the first Christmas to their little congregation. The Catholic missionaries decided to tell the people in the area of Taxco about the Christmas story from the Bible. They constructed a nativity scene and held a special mass with the retelling of Jesus' birth. Then the children broke the traditional piñata and the church was left open for visitors all night. This is where the famous legend begins! (You can read the book mentioned above or continue reading here...) Sometime during the night, a poor Mexican girl named Pepita went into the church to see the baby Jesus in the manger. When she saw the figure, she began to cry. The friars and other around her asked what was wrong. She asked if this was Jesus' birthday and when they said yes, she cried even more. Pepita felt that the baby King should have a gift and yet he had none. At that point, someone--the legend sometimes goes that it was an old woman who disappeared after she spoke--bent down to tell her that any gift given in love was good enough for Christ. So Pepita left the mission and looked around her for a gift. She found some beautiful weeds nearby and plucked them into a bundle and brought them back to the manger. As she laid them next to Jesus, the leaves turned a bright red! Those who witnessed this believed that they had seen a miracle. Many people prayed and some say that many became Christians that night, too! And from then on, the poinsettia has held a special place in the hearts of the Mexican people who use it as a sign of Christmas and the new life of converted Christians. While the poinsettia and its legend became popular in Central and South American countries, it wasn't until the late 1920's that it made a major appearance here in United States. One of America's first congressmen, John Poinsett, was a man with many interests. He had studied medicine, was obviously keen on politics, and was also an amateur architect. In his years of political service under Van Buren he invented rockets, fought for the military draft, and...studied botany. In the early 1820's, Poinsett was the ambassador to Mexico. Rather than observe the country and assist in its dealings with the United States, however, John Poinsett wanted to make Mexico more like America. He was considered very meddlesome by both Mexican and American diplomats! Then, on Christmas Eve in 1824, John Poinsett attended a small church service that would change his life. In Santa Prisca, the Franciscan friars had decorated their small Catholic church with the nativity scene as they'd always done. They surrounded the scene with bright red flowering plants and it was these that caught the amateur botanist's eye! After the service, Poinsett asked about the plant and was given some seeds by the priests. He shipped the seeds home to Charleston, South Carolina while he continued his work. But, his meddling had frustrated and angered Mexican leaders so much that by the next year they had put a price on his head! Poinsett left and was told by the U.S. government that his services were no longer needed! And this is when he decided to try his hand at growing the beautiful red Mexican plant in his own greenhouse. As he had successes with the plant, Poinsett gave them as gifts to friends and family at the holidays. His friend William Prescott, a historian and horticulturist, called the plants poinsettias and it has been the same ever since. Gradually the Mexican legend of the poinsettia made its way to America but churches here had already begun giving special symbolic meanings to the plant. The flower which was first associated with human sacrifice became known as the Christmas flower, "flower of the blessed night", and the symbol of Christ's undying love for the world when he gave his life for us. 'Round the World at Christmas Christmas Traditions in Mexico This page, written in both English and Spanish, gives a wonderful overview of the Christmas celebration in Mexico! Coloring Pages, Cooking and Crafts Our crafts come from the Christmas book selection today, the Poinsettia! The Poinsettia is called the "flower of the holy night" and the red part that we call the flower is actually just the top leaves which turn red as winter approaches! Poinsettia Coloring Page And other Christmas coloring. Here is another small Poinsettia coloring page. Ribbon Poinsettia An easy craft you can make with leftover Christmas ribbon. Great for ornaments or getting your gifts fancied up! Make a Poinsettia Fan Paper Plate Poinsettia From Enchanted Learning, make a Poinsettia from a paper plate and your child's handprints. Poinsettia Broach Make a pretty pin with painted dried beans shaped into a Poinsettia. Milkweed Pod Poinsettias This is an easy craft...sorry, no picture, but it's very simple to follow and the results are very neat! Poinsettia and Holly Candles Dress up your candles with a little tissue paper. Chenille Poinsettias Fancy "bump" chenille pipe cleaners create pretty flowers. Christmas Fun! Plucky's Snowball Bash The sound effects had me laughing so hard I could barely play! Silly little game! LOL Poinsettia Jigsaw Puzzle Home Holiday Preparations Today's Tips: *Take care of those Poinsettias! Caring for Poinsettias...and more! *Stock up for any last minute wrapping needs like paper, tape, etc. OR... try this idea for a new, less-paper-waste Christmas morning! Fabric Holiday Bags *Be sure you have batteries for those kids' toys (and Dad's toys!) that might need them. Then... *Carefully remove battery-operated gifts from packaging, put batteries in and seal back up before wrapping so that there's no rushing around for power on Christmas morning! Movie Time Miracle on 34th Street (1947--please don't bother with the 1994 version!) Natalie Wood stars as the little girl who decides that she no longer believes in Kris Kringle. Santa gets a job for Macy's department store but soon goes on trial to prove that he's the real thing! (OK, we know JESUS is the real thing, but this movie is still a Christmas classic. ;o) Home | Contact teachingmom 3.0    ©2003-2007 teachingmom.com All rights reserved. *Copies for personal home use permitted, however no part of the TeachingMOM Advent Calendar may be reproduced on the web or sold in any format. Permissions were personally granted, as necessary, for the use of images, articles, and book excerpts found within this portion of our website. Thank you.