KIDPROJ MCC: Advent Time - United Kingdom

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Advent Time - United Kingdom
by Mike Burleigh

1 December

26 Days

Advent preparations for Christmas

The weeks leading up to Christmas when we prepare for a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ are known as _ADVENT_.

Christians are asked by their spiritual directors during this time to focus their minds and hearts on the real meaning of Christmas and to consider, as they do during the festival of LENT, whether they are truly following the example of Jesus in the way they are living their lives.

One of the features of Advent is the candle lit wreaths on display places of worship and homes.

                   |
               --==|=---      \         |         /
               |       |        \       |       /
               |       |          \     |     /
               |       |            \  (0)) /
               |/      |              ((00))
       |      /        |  ------------(((0))-------   |
 \    (|)   /  |       |              / (Y) \      ---|---
   \ ((0))/    |       |            / ---|--- \   |       |
--  ((0%0)) -------    |          /  |       |  \ |       |
    (((0))     |     \ |      |      | /     |    \       |
  /   (Y)  \   |       \      |      /       |    |       |
/   ---|---  \ |       | \   (|)   / |       |    |       |
   |       |   |       |   \((0))/   |       |    |       |
   |       |   |           (((0)))           |    |       |
   |       |   |   --------(((00))---------- |    |       |
   |       |   |           / (Y) \           |    |       |
   |       |   |         / ---|--- \         |    |       |
   |       |   |       /  |       |  \       |    |       |
  ////////\\\\\\\\\\\/////////////\\\\\\\\\\\///////////\\\\\
 ////////\\\\\\\\\\\/////////////\\\\\\\\\\\//////////\\\\\\\
 \\\\\\\\\\//////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////\\\\\\\\\\\//////


     "I am the light of the world...
     Whoever follows me will have the light
     of life and will never walk in darkness" John 8:12

In the U.K. Advent wreaths are made for the first Sunday of Advent, it usually consists of 5 candles. Four red ones and one white. Each Sunday a new red candle is lit. The candles are lit when the family meet together for prayers etc. The white candle is lit on Christmas Eve as a symbol of Christ coming into the world to lighten up the darkness.

Christian homes had these wreaths on display and they used to be the centre of family prayers each night in the weeks leading up to Christmas. However I think that the custom of parents and children kneeling to say prayers and sing hymns each night before bed is sadly no longer common in the UK. (or perhaps this is just the perception of one whose teenage children have outgrown these practices....

...I would like to think so).

Happy Christmas from Mike Burleigh
<UBJVM6Q@CCS.BBK.AC.UK>
<mikeb@gn.apc.org
<mikeb@metnet.epflbalto.org>

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