A NIGHT TO REMEMBER â—½ HOME
I read about a reverse advent on Instagram, and thought it would be a good idea for family devotion time this November, as we get ready for the holiday season. I love a good advent calendar and will most likely get ones for the kids, but what if – in addition to those calendars – we did a sort of reverse idea for the holiday season? I’m sharing this now so that November’s devotion can start the process, and by Christmas it will all be complete!
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November is the month we give thanks, and December is the month we give gifts. What a great time of year to give thanks for Jesus and the gift that he is to us…by giving to others in the process!
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Preparation: You’ll need a large basket for the family to fill, and paper to then wrap to give. If you have a chalkboard or whiteboard, grab it. Have a fall treat (candy corn, cocoa, cookies?) ready for enjoying at the end.
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Jesus gave his life for us, when his Father sent him here to save us from our sins. The best gift of life is Jesus, and he is the best example of giving. He gives us forgiveness, he gives us life, and he gives us hope and love forever and always.
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Over the next month, up until Christmas, we are going to give to others some cool things. We have a few weeks to do it, and we want offer those things as we pray and consider and then give…
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​This is our basket. Remember the story in the Bible of the loaves and fishes! Let’s read it. (Read Mathew 14:13-21)
The boy had a simple basket with very little in it. Jesus took the basket, gave thanks and blessed it, and it was more than enough for the hungry crowd! (Let the kids discuss this story and ask questions or comment.)
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What’s in our basket right now? Nothing!
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Each day until Christmas, we’re going to pray and consider what to place in our own basket, to give away. It could be money, a gently used toy, something we make or draw, a nice note of encouragement, anything at all that we want to give. Every person in the family can participate. And no gift is too small, as each gift is from our hearts.
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Tonight, let’s think of a list of what we could place in the basket and write it down. ((Let the kids come up with ideas to place in the basket and write it on a chalkboard or white board, if you have it)
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We will hang it up, and read it nightly, and then quietly (without others seeing who gave what) slip our gifts into the basket. Let’s try for three things each! They just have to be from our hearts. And we will stop at 12…or 24…whichever works for us for the advent season!
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Right before Christmas, we will pray about who or where to leave the basket with, and we will deliver it! They’ll have an advent basket all their own to enjoy for Christmas, because we filled our basket and shared!
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Enjoy a fall treat, as you sing and pray in anticipation of a reverse advent this season…
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(Kids can also decorate the basket over the next few weeks, however they wish, with ribbons and bows or whatever!)