And so it begins..1st Sunday in Advent

And so it begins, the lighting of the first Advent candle, focusing on the Prophet Isaiah and Hope. My husband started with blessing the wreath and reading out the prayer, then we read suitable bible passages....do you want to see the candle like we did? (without the flash) Here it is below, shimmering in the darkness with all the children around, looking on with great anticipation.

Such a lovely scene..

The children got to open TWO doors today - the first being St Andrew (his feastday) and the big doors of the first Sunday of Advent. We popped a light inside and the pictures came to life!!

One of my last minute preparations but always a worthwhile one - the Advent Paper Chains. Each chain has a bible passage as we make our way through advent, purple chains for the weeks of penance and preparation and pink for the week of joyful anticipation.

This is very simple but it is one that the children specifically ask for. They like unlinking the one chain per day and reading it's verse...there is great symbolism in it all. The chains make you think of prison, sin and punishment (reminding the children where they have seen someone wearing chains recently...the movie David Copperfield when Uriah Heap is sent to Australia as a convict and in the movie Scrooge, when Marley enters with his eternal chains of woe.) so each day we are unlinking ourselves from the bondage of satan and sin as we draw closer to the birth of the Messiah, who will 'set all captives free'.

If anyone is wanting the sheets with the scripture verses, feel free to email me.

A blessed Advent to you all!