Hello Riverside Family,
Advent begins November 29th. This year Riverside’s theme is Those Who Dream.
“This theme is for the dreamers in all of us—those who dream of a deeper connection with God and those who dream of a better world. It’s for those who dream of comfort and for those who have given up on their dreams. It’s for those whose dreams have been crushed and for those who show us that dreams take time. Join us this Advent as we dream alongside prophets and angels, Mary and the Magi. Join us as we seek and sow God’s dreams for our world.”
Now that we are back in the building we hope that you will be joining us in person. But if you are unable to we would like to encourage you to make yourself and your people an advent wreath. Each Sunday we encourage you to light the candles along with us. To help us build community, post a picture, if you are able, on the Riverside Joy Squad Facebook page of your people and your wreath. And an added bonus you can put the wreath on your table and light the candles all week long.
If you don’t have an advent wreath you can buy the basics on amazon here.
Christ Candle– You would probably do better to find a white candle in the back of your closet or on clearance at your store of choice.
If you don’t want to buy one, you can make them very easily. A quick Google search will show you they can be as simple or as elaborate as you want them to be.
This one is a great option if you have little people at home. It uses battery operated lights so they could turn them on.
This is a great place to start if you want to make one out of materials you already have.
Seriously, one quick internet search and you will see the options are endless. Here are the essential pieces:
5 candles: 3 purple,1 pink,1 white (Note: a lot of these options leave out the Christ Candle-but we light this on Christmas Eve).
Here are some of Miss Megan’s recommendations for Advent books for families to check out:
A Better than Anything Christmas By Barbara Reaoch
Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp
Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Reading Plan if you already have the Jesus Storybook Bible you can simply read these stories as part of your advent preparation.