Day25 Advent Candle: We have reached the last Sunday of Advent! This week's candle is called the Angel Candle and it represents the love which God shared with the world when He sent His Son, Jesus! Another theme for this week is sharing--the angels announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds and they shared it with others. The magi also left the baby Jesus and probably shared the wonderful news of the Savior with everyone they met! So this week, as we read through the story of Jesus' birth from Luke 1 and 2 and light all four Advent candles, remember that the light of Christ can only shine brighter as it does on your Advent wreath if we SHARE the Good News of Jesus Christ with the world! Bible Verses This week is a short final week for Advent! Usually we take this last week to read through, several verses at a time, the whole story of the birth of Christ found in both Luke and Matthew. (Many people use Advent Calendars or follow a tradition that reveals the baby Jesus on either Christmas Eve or Christmas, so you can incorporate that however you wish!) Here is the reading schedule we follow for a full 7-day Angel Candle week in Advent. You can combine the readings as you like; there is a very slight overlap in the nativity story accounts in the two gospels but together they give the most complete historical picture. 1. Luke 1:5-25 Zacharias and Elizabeth; angel appears to tell Zacharias that Elizabeth will carry the "forerunner" to Christ, he doubts and is struck dumb 2. Luke 1:26-38 Angel Gabriel visits Mary to tell her that she will carry the Messiah 3. Luke 1:39-56 Mary visits Elizabeth; the "Magnificat", Mary's response after she hears that the baby John leaped in Elizabeth's womb when Elizabeth heard Mary's voice 4. Matthew 1:18-25 Mary becomes pregnant and the angel speaks to Joseph 5. Luke 1:57-80 Elizabeth gives birth to John; Zacharias' prophecy 6. Luke 2:1-20 Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem because of the census; Jesus is born 5. Matthew 2:1-12 Herod sends the magi to find the Christ; they see the star and are overjoyed, giving Him gifts The Arrival Kids4Truth Here is the homepage of the company which made "The Arrival". Be sure to check out their other GREAT multimedia presentations! They even have coloring pages of some of the images. Have a look around! Article/Devotion The First Christmas Carol A Christmas sermon from Charles Spurgeon. We've been discussing the history of some favorite Christmas songs this season of Advent, but did you ever stop to think that the announcement of Jesus' birth by the angels to the shepherds was the world's first Christmas song? Dinnertime (or anytime!) Discussion We've learned a LOT this Advent season! As we wind down to the birth of Jesus and our family celebrations, now is a great time to discuss and reflect on some of the ways that all of this anticipation has played a part in these past few weeks. Take the opportunity, if you can, to print out some of these discussion starters to use during a meal or snack time or maybe after a Christmas reading. Some are fun and light; some are more thoughtful. I've tried to make them appropriate for many ages and you can take as much time with them as you like. Cut them out, fold once, put in a hat or box and then take turns pulling them out! Enjoy! New!Advent and Christmas Discussion Starters! Book Suggestion The Very First Christmas by Paul Maier. This is one of my favorite Christmas books. When a young boy tells his mother than he's tired of listening to fairy tales at bedtime and wants a REAL story, his mother shares about Jesus' birth. Maier is a Christian historian--which you know if you've listened to the audio broadcasts I linked above!--and his telling of the Christmas story really helps younger children (say, 6 and up) to understand some of the parts of the Biblical account that can be difficult to explain. He answers many of the "Mom, why...?"s! The illustrations are gorgeous, too. A definite Christmas keeper! Advent Extras Art The painting at the right is "Madonna della Sedia" (1512-1514). I've saved the best for last! This is my favorite of all Renaissance Madonnas. Raphael, or Raffaello Santi, was born in Urbino, Italy in 1483. He grew up assisting his father, who was a court painter, in his studio and learning about the fundamentals of fine art painting. By his teens, Raphael had surpassed his father and began to receive commissions on his own merit. Not much is known about who taught Raphael his techniques after his father died, but his early works closely resemble an artist named Pietro Perugino and are vibrant but simple and without much detail. At age 21, in 1504, Raphael moved to Florence where he spent the next four years studying the techniques of the two great masters of the Renaissance: Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. His style soon changed after that and he drew heavily from their influences. But Raphael soon became as sought-after as da Vinci and Michelangelo and the two greats of the Renaissance became the great three! Raphael is known for his sweet and warm depictions of the Madonna, beautiful balances of classical and natural. His four years in Florence brought him fame throughout Europe and he was soon commissioned by Pope Julius II to begin work on frescoes for his papal apartment at the Vatican. This is where Raphael painted one of his greatest pieces, "The School of Athens". Under the next pope, Leo X, Raphael was named chief painter, architect AND archaeologist. He initiated the first comprehensive survey of Roman antiquities. While he was busy with all of these tasks, he found time to paint his well-known Madonnas, including the "Madonna della Sedia" (Madonna of the Chair). In 1519, Raphael was commissioned by the Cardinal Giulio de' Medici to paint "The Transfiguration". As he neared its completion, Raphael suddenly died of a fever. He was only 37 years old. Works of Raphael (parents preview...many of his Madonna and Child paintings include a nude baby or toddler Jesus. ;o) Raphael's Madonnas The popularity of Raphael's Madonnas is evident from this website which highlights most of the Raphael postage stamps (usually found at Christmas, of course) from history! Very interesting. Madonna and Child Coloring Book Here is a set of 7 coloring pages from Eclectic Homeschool Online which are nice line drawings of famous fine art Madonnas, including "Madonna della Sedia" by Raphael. Christmas Carol or Hymn Handel's Messiah: An Appreciation and Explanation "Messiah" Sampler Listen to parts of Handel's "Messiah", courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio. Scores for Handel's Messiah All of the choruses are available except for "O Thou that Tellest Good Tidings to Zion". There is a wonderful book called The Handel's Messiah Family Advent Reader by Donna Payne and Fran Lenzo which contains 28 stories, each prefaced by a portion of the words to "Messiah". It also includes a CD with the music! The stories share some of the history behind Christmas traditions. Christmas Carols Here is a nice printable Christmas Carol booklet to use if your family would like to have the words to many of the Christmas songs we've discussed this season! Print out a few copies and sing along! 'Round the World at Christmas Creches from Around the World This is an amazing collection of Nativity scenes by the University of Dayton (Ohio). I wasn't sure where to put this, soooo...be sure to check out Animal Planet's "Animals of the Nativity" section! Read about how Francis of Assisi, a lover of all animals, was the founder of the creche or nativity. View a gallery of nativities in art and take a nativity animals quiz! Very interesting site! Coloring Pages, Cooking and Crafts Manger Scene Coloring Page Christmas Puzzles and MORE! This is a GREAT set of 41 Christmas worksheets! Crossword puzzles, word jumbles, word searches and more. Might take a minute to download (PDF) but it's worth it! Mary Engelbreit's Workshop Crafts, recipes and coloring pages from one of the most popular illustrators. Preschool/Kindergarten Nativity Craft Christmas-Cookies.com What makes this site so wonderful is that it has several ways of searching for recipes. My favorite: by country of origin! A simple nativity scene can be made with only cinnamon sticks, potpourri (or yarn or hay), a small star of some kind and an old Christmas card with a nativity scene. Simply glue the cinnamon sticks onto a stiff piece of paper to form a house shape. Glue a small amount of potpourri (or yarn or hay) for the manger. Cut out the figures from your Christmas card and glue them into the scene. Attach the star at the top! You can hang up the whole picture or cut out along the outside of the cinnamon stick stable and attach a looped ribbon to make it an ornament! Christmas Fun! Rooney Design Holiday Games Alphabet Soup Scavenger Hunt and Contest! Find 10 secretly placed pictures of a Christmas tree (see the site) on the Alphabet-Soup.net site and be entered in a drawing for a $15 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble bookstore! Santa Trivia Contest Another contest from Alphabet-Soup...win a $15 Toys R Us gift certificate! Matching Parts This is a cute little game! Help the elf match Christmas toy parts. Chateau Meddybemps This is a very cool site! I love it. Take your time and explore...very unique! ASCII Advent Calendar A neat Advent calendar with a new ASCII creation for every day of December. Holiday Arcade Here are some more online games! Check out the Snowman4000 to make your own snow person AND see the gallery of other people's creations! Fun. CrecheMania! Speaking of the nativity, here is an awesome site where you can download some beautiful creches--these are gorgeous! What a find! Printable Finger Puppet Nativity For younger ones, this nativity puppet theatre can be printed out in pieces and assembled with a shoe box for lots of finger puppet fun! Home Holiday Preparations Holiday Countdown Checklist I'm out of ideas, so check here to see if you've left anything out! LOL I like this list. Movie Time It's a Wonderful Life Don't leave Christmas without it! 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