Presented by Lisa Kammerer, Associate in Ministry

1. Children learn what they live 2. Celebrating in our home teaches children that our faith is a part of our everyday lives 3. The commitment a community makes to living faithfully makes it strong 4. It gives us a rhythm for living, learning, & celebrating our faith in our church and our home 5. It's really fun!

 Advent means a coming  4 weeks before Christmas  4 Sundays of Advent  A season of preparation for the birth of our Savior  Color: blue or purple  Themes: waiting, anticipation, hope, joy, peace, love

Celebrating at Church  Advent wreath during worship  Hand out advent devotions or a calendar  Decorate the church in steps  Moving Nativity  Advent prayer stations  Advent Fair Celebrating at Home  Advent calendar or countdown  Jesse Tree  Devotions or chapter book to read  Wrapped books  Decorating  Random acts of Christmas Kindness  Gingerbread nativity  Volunteer as a family  Christmas caroling  Feast of St. Nicholas  Make ornaments

 Lasts 12 days  Ends on Epiphany  A season of celebrating the Savior, Jesus Christ, who came to the world  Color: white  Themes: joy & peace

Celebrating at Church  Christmas songs or hymns  White decorations  Place Jesus in the manger  Hand out 12 days of Christmas devotions or gifts  Christmas caroling  Christmas play or monologue or skit  Christmas event over break Celebrating at Home  Read the Christmas story from the gospels of Matthew & Luke  Record kids acting out the Christmas story  Christ candle  Do 12 acts of Christmas kindness  Pray before your Christmas meal  Use white placemats or napkins  Pray before you open gifts  Write one nice thing about each family member and place it in their stocking  Keep your Christmas tree up

 Begins on January 6th  A day and a season  Lasts until Ash Wednesday  A season of celebrating Jesus, the light  Color: white or green  Themes: light, revelation, kings

Celebrating at Church  Songs or hymns about kings or light  Decorating with stars  The wise men arrive  Epiphany worship service  Epiphany party  Kings cake  Burn incesnse  Distribute a blessing of the home Celebrating at Home  Read about the arrival of the magi in the gospel of Matthew  Place a crown on baby Jesus  Open a special epiphany gift  White candles  Star cookies  Star crafts  Epiphany feast  Stars on your Christmas tree  Make pomander balls  Cinnamon ornaments

 40 day season but doesn’t count Sundays  Begins Ash Wednesday ends on Holy Saturday  40 days has meaning  A season of preparation where we journey with Jesus to the cross  Color: purple  Themes: follow Jesus to the cross, prayer, fasting, almsgiving

Celebrating at Church  Lent worship  Lent prayer stations  Bury the alleluia  Give out a Lenten calendar  Decorate  Lent fair  Offering for others  Social media project for Lent  Lent art Celebrating at Home  Return to a spiritual discipline  Lent devotions  Fast  Prayer  Almsgiving  Lent candles  Cross in the home  Use purple placemats or napkins  Read stories about Jesus' ministry  Social media for Lent

 Palm Sunday  Maundy Thursday  Good Friday  Holy Saturday  Theme: Jesus' journey from triumphant entry to the cross

 Read about Jesus' entry into Jerusalem through Jesus' burial  Attend worship  Pies and Palms event  Make palm crosses  Receive communion  Make bread  Attend a Sedar meal  Drape your cross with black cloth  Make hot cross buns  Start to make resurrection cookies

 A day and a season  50 days  Easter Sunday until Pentecost  Color: white  Theme: Jesus' victory over death, Jesus is Risen!

Celebrating at Church  Songs or hymns about Jesus is Risen  Easter lillies or spring flowers  Decorate with butterflies  Bring back the alleluia  Place a butterfly on the cross  He is Risen! banner  Easter egg hunt with empty egg  Chalk messages of Easter joy Celebrating at Home  Read about Jesus' resurrection  Make butterflies  Dye easter eggs  Make a He is Risen poster or banner for your house  Surprise Egg hunt a neighbor  Finish your resurrection cookies  White candles or placemats or napkins  Bake butterfly or cross shaped cookies  Resurrection rolls

 A season and a day  Day of Pentecost until Advent begins the new church year  Color: red on the day & green for the season  Theme: holy spirit, growth, discipleship, the church, faith  Images: tongues of fire, dove, wind

Celebrating at Church  Decorate with doves  Pentecost party  Make windy crafts  Spiritual gifts focus  Decorate with red for the day of Pentecost  Intentional hospitality Celebrating at Home  Read about the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit  Make a dove craft  Fly kites  Hang a windsock  Bake dove cookies  Take a spiritual gifts assessment  Learn about the fruits of the Spirit

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