I had the honor and privilege to lead Visual Faith® Ministry Advent by Candlelight resource for 2024 in two unique settings this season. Neither setting required any candlelight, which is optional when you lead it.
On the first Sunday of each month, my worship community, New Thing Lutheran Church, which gathers in the media center at Concordia Preparatory School in Towson, MD, has a First Sunday fellowship lunch, which often includes some kind of activity or discussion.
Since the first Sunday of Advent also happened to be Dec 1, I asked if I could lead an Advent activity for our church.
I used a Thrivent grant to offset the cost of the supplies and the lunch. For those who attended, we reflected on the season of Advent together, paused to use the Secret Code prayer practice (learn more about various prayer practices here) and made an ornament that reminds us of God's hope, love, joy, peace and light of the world, Jesus, the very reason for the season!
It was a wonderful time to connect with one another, pause before December gets too busy and re-center our hearts and minds on the coming of Jesus, first as a baby, and when he comes again on the Last Day! As you can see from the pictures below, the event connected individuals across all generations!
One story came to me this past Sunday, a week after we engaged with the event. A woman, who had learned about the Secret Code Prayer some years ago when Connie Denninger visited her church, had come across a completed one when cleaning out her son's house after he passed away several years ago. Last week, when she had the opportunity to pause and reflect, that memory came back to her and it showed how powerful Visual Faith® prayer practices can be in our lives, no matter how many years go by!
In addition to leading this activity with my church family, I also had the opportunity to connect in the mission field, for our church, which is the school where we meet. Over 250 middle and high school students were led through the material this past week!
This resource provided a presentation and script that I could easily revise and adapt to customize for this particular age group! As I entered each classroom, I prayed for all the students, especially those who were learning about the season of Advent for the first time! Though we didn't sing the songs together, the student heard the music as they worked on each step of the project. We didn't get to the cut and paste the ornament together, but this also gave teachers and students the opportunity to come back to the project, whether it be in the classroom or at home.
I am confident that seeds were planted because God's Word was present in the script, music and ornament to color and put together.
I pray that in this Advent season you have the opportunity to use this resource in whatever setting you can connect. It's great to do on your own, with your family, to share with your neighbors, or to be done in your own church community. The other activity options within this resource could also be utilized when visiting shut-ins or during a Sunday school class with children.
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