Day 5 Advent Candle: Light the first candle--the Prophecy candle--on your Advent wreath today. Bible Verses Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (NASB) Ephesians 1:9-12 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. (NIV) Both of today's verses share a simple truth about the birth of Christ. God sent Him at the perfect time! It was the perfect time in history and God maneuvered events so that Jesus would be born in fulfillment of prophecy and His promises. In the book of Isaiah, we see God use the King Cyrus (who was not even a follower of God) to bring about the long-awaited deliverance of Israel from the Babylonians. (In yesterday's verse, we read about Daniel who prophecied that one of the signs that Christ was the Messiah would be the restoration of Jerusalem!) Rome's great power caused the region to be in political peace (known as the Pax Romana ) which prepared a window of opportunity for Christ's message to flow somewhat freely to the people. Caesar Augustus even decreed that there should be a census at the perfect time, causing Mary and Joseph to return to their home of Bethlehem...causing Jesus to be born there in fulfillment of the Scriptures. God brought "all things in heaven and on earth together" so that the world would be prepared for His only Son. But while God is in sovereign control of events and always delivers on His promises, He gives us free will to let our hearts approach Him and to prepare ourselves for Jesus. This is why we are celebrating Advent! We are preparing our hearts before Him, acknowledging that the Lord's perfect timing is working in our lives today! Jesse Tree Verse: Genesis 12:1-7 Symbol: Tent and Camel, representing Abram and the journey God sent him on. Article/Devotion Patient Endurance What Advent means--learning to wait. From Elisabeth Elliot. Dinnertime (or anytime!) Discussion God is at work in the things that happen to us every day! He gives us opportunities to share about Him, to love our family and our neighbors. But it's up to us to see the opportunities He works out for us. One of the main themes of Advent--in particular, next week's candle on the Advent wreath!--is "preparation". What are some things we can do to make ourselves ready and on the lookout for times when we can serve? (Freeing up our schedule...being in the Word so that it's in our minds and ready to share...etc.) Word to Know Today's word is not found in the Bible, but it describes what Jesus did for us by coming to earth in human form, in the "fullness of time". Incarnation: that act of grace whereby Christ took our human nature into union with his Divine Person, became man. Christ is both God and man. Human attributes and actions are predicated of him, and he of whom they are predicated is God. A Divine Person was united to a human nature (Acts 20:28; Romans 8:32; 1 Corinthians 2:8; Hebrews 2:11-14; 1 Timothy 3:16; Galatians 4:4, etc.). (Easton's Bible Dictionary) Book Suggestion The Candymaker's Gift by David and Helen Haidle. On a cold winter's morning, an elderly candy maker kneels in prayer, asking God to help him create a special Christmas surprise for his granddaughter. The story of how God answers his prayer will delight your children and teach them about God's faithfulness and love. Also, The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg. Advent Extras Art Today, I thought that we would have some fun with the concept of time as reflected by the phrase "in the fullness of time" from our Bible verses. So, when I began thinking about what kind of art I'd like to share, the first medium that came to mind was sculpture! It's something that cannot be rushed, of course, but can be ruined by spending too much time trying to perfect it! This sculpture is by the Italian artist Donatello. As a sculptor, he was talented with many materials including wood, bronze and marble. He created statues, facades, and most elegantly, bas-relief or low relief carvings (like this one) in stone. A favorite technique he used was creating the reliefs so that they were best seen from below or another point of view; Donatello was always aware of the focal point of those who viewed his work. Donatello began sculpting at the very earliest stages of the Italian Renaissance and is often referred to as the founder of modern sculpture. His style strayed from the strict classical of most Renaissance artists which sometimes brought him criticsm for portraying Biblical characters too realistically. After creating a wooden crucifix for a church, a friend commented that it looked as if he had put a peasant on the cross and not the perfect Son of God. Donatello replied later to this friend, who was also an artist, "To you it is given to do Christs, and to me peasants." But Donatello continued with his religious subject matter and went on to create prophets, saints, angels and Madonnas with the Christ child. And, of course, the first nude sculpture of the Renaissance, his famous bronze "David". Works of Donatello at the Web Gallery of Art Biography of Donatello Provides a good synopsis of the progression of his work and the many materials he worked with. Christmas Carol or Hymn Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus Charles Wesley wrote more than 6500 hymns, including "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" which is included in the United Methodist Collection of Hymns. It is one of 18 Christmas "praise hymns" written by Wesley and his brother, John. No story behind this song that I know of. It just fits the Advent season and is a hymn that I hadn't heard of and would like to learn! Here are the words: Come, Thou long expected Jesus Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us, Let us find our rest in Thee. Israel’s strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art; Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart. Born Thy people to deliver, Born a child and yet a King, Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring. By Thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone; By Thine all sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne. Holiday Tradition & History The Christmas Candy Cane Although this may be another "urban legend", I see no reason why we can't celebrate Christ in whatever creative ways others have invented! If it's true--wonderful! If it's not, we're still using the story to glorify God in even the little things. We can make a tradition for our children that will help "Fix these words of Mine in your hearts and minds"! 'Round the World at Christmas Christmas in Germany, A German Christmas, Christmas in German Europe, Christmas in Germany Germany is the source of many Christmas traditions, including the Advent Calendar! Every year in early December, the Nuremberg "Christkingdlesmarkt", or Christ Child Market, opens to offer delicious sausages, spiced cookies (Lebkuchen), fruit breads, Christmas decorations and the famous "prune men and women"! Children write letters to the Christ Child and leave them on windowsills. They leave straw and carrots outside for St. Nicholas' horses with the hope that he will leave gifts in their places. Germany is also thought to be the origin of the Christmas tree with Lutheran minister, Martin Luther, as the originator of lighting the trees with candles. One of the delicious German traditions at Christmas is marzipan! Click here to learn how to make Marzipan Fruit Candies! It requires only almond paste, corn syrup, confectioner sugar and food coloring. Coloring Pages, Cooking and Crafts Timing...what Christmas treat takes perfect timing? CANDY! Here are some candy crafts that you can make and enjoy or give as gifts! Candy Wreath These are especially pretty if you use multi-colored candies or just red and white peppermints. You can even make an Advent wreath out of this by numbering the candies and letting your child remove one for each day of Advent! Candy Cane Bath Salts (and other Jar Gifts) Recipesource Gifts in a Jar This is the mother load of Gifts in a Jar recipes! Graham Cracker "Gingerbread" Houses These are so fun! The houses don't take too long to make and soon they are ready to be decorated with all the candies that will fit! Candy Topiary Tree Centerpieces These look very pretty on the table...as long as you can keep little (and big) hands off! Christmas Candy Recipes And here is a recipe from my family to yours! These are Homemade Gumdrop Candies that I used to make with my mom, brother and sister when we were growing up! I still love them! Homemade Gumdrop Candies Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups un-sweetened applesauce 2 envelopes un-flavored gelatin 1 6-oz. package fruit-flavored gelatin (Any flavor; we like cherry, strawberry, orange, lemon, grape and peach) 2 cups granulated sugar 1 tsp. lemon juice Additional granulated sugar for coating Mix the applesauce, un-flavored gelatin, flavored gelatin, sugar and lemon juice together in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, boiling for about 1 minute, stirring frequently. Cover a 7-inch by 11-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the mixture in the pan and refrigerate for about 3 hours. Remove the set mixture from the pan and into squares, then roll in white sugar until coated. Refrigerate to store. **Be sure to have a wet wash rag or baby wipes handy because these are sticky to make! Christmas Fun! Here are some "time"-consuming things to do for fun! Santa Balls I know, I know. Terrible title, but this puzzle-type game is neat! Christmas Mazes While you're at this site, check out their cute printables of all kinds! Very nice. Christmas Word Search Home Holiday Preparations Today's Tips: -Begin shopping for your Christmas cards if you haven't already, or get your materials if you're ambitious enough to make your own cards! -Get those holiday items out of storage and see if you need more wrapping paper, ribbon/bows, etc. and put those items on your master shopping list. Movie Time Holiday Inn (1942) or White Christmas (1954) Both movies star Bing Crosby; the latter is somewhat a remake of the former and has a slightly more fun plot. Both have great music and dance numbers, though! 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. 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