Well, Advent is over, the new year has come, the 12 Days of
Christmas have passed, the celebration of the 3 kings (or wise men, aka Ephiphany) coming to
visit the young child Jesus is here and we have yet to wish you a merry
Christmas!
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| Thanks to some friends, we had a "Malawian" Christmas tree this year! It was twice as tall, but we had to cut it down and used the greens for the final Advent wreath and decorating around the house - very fun! |
So, Merry Christmas!
We have thought of you often through this season of preparing for the
celebration of Christ’s birth. We’ve
thought of the snow many of you enjoyed (or despised), the gatherings held at
our home churches, the decorations you shared with us through pictures on Facebook
or via email or postal mail. We’ve
enjoyed receiving your Christmas cards and newsletters (always beginning with
my Aunt Angie and Uncle Dave – never to be beat!). And we treasured the time we got to Skype
with both Jonathan’s and my families as well!
Christmas was different this year. We’ve been here a year and a half and are getting
into the rhythm of the tropical climate, etc. The
Jesse Tree was something new in our household this year, centering our thoughts
throughout the season on God’s love and promises throughout the history of the
world, culminating on Christmas day with the arrival of Jesus on earth.
Jesse Tree Ornaments
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| Our First Jesse Tree |
This brief daily devotional walked us through the symbols of the Jesse Tree for this
year. The kids loved being able to hold
the ornaments while we read and taking turns hanging them on our tree! I enjoyed making them and may add some
finishing touches to them as the years go on, but for the first year, they were
quite sufficient!
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| Stump of Jesse, world, apple & snake, Noah's ark, Abram's tent & camel |
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| TOP: Isaac's cradle, Jacob's ladder, Abraham's sacrifice (ram) [should be switched with ladder], 10 commandments, Rahab's red rope BOTTOM: Grain gleaned by Ruth, Samuel's horn of anointing oil, Elijah's altar to God, Queen Esther's scepter, Hand of the prophets (used instead of rose) |
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| TOP: Wolf and Lamb, Jonah's big fish, Daniel and the lion's den, Bethlehem, Zechariah & Elizabeth BOTTOM: John the Baptist (instead of baptismal shell), Mary's heart for God, Joseph's tools, Sandals for Joseph & Mary's journey to Bethlehem, Star of Bethlehem |
We (especially I) have become more involved in our church
home here in Blantyre (Blantyre Community Church) while Jonathan remains
available to preach at BIC churches when called upon. In addition to being on the Sunday school
teacher rotation, one way I’ve begun to participate in church life is through
assisting with planning worship. Since I
am so passionate about Advent, I offered some ideas this year. As many of you know, when you offer ideas, you’re
likely to do them...although it took a lot of energy, I really enjoyed offering
myself in these ways!
Advent Wreath & Children’s Talks
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| Advent wreath on Christmas Day |
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| Lighting the central Christ candle on Christmas morning! |
Scripture Through Symbols
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| With each Bible reading of the Christmas story throughout the Christmas Day service, a child brought up a symbol to represent that part of the story: 1: Hand of the prophets pointing to Jesus' coming 2: Luke 1:26-33 Angel visiting Mary 3: Luke 2:1-7 Jesus' birth 4: Luke 2:8-16 Angels visiting shepherds who visited Jesus 5: John 1:10-18 Jesus among us today! (pictures of people at BCC) |
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| Having just moved to a new meeting space, we thought it'd be neat to utilize the 3 flights of stairs up to the sanctuary! A new ring with symbols and words for that week of Advent was added each week - not pictured is the final Christmas ring. (granted, much more interesting in person) |
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| A close-up of the first week of Advent's ring: Symbols: Stump of Jesse, Angel visiting Mary, First candle on the Advent wreath, Hand of the prophets Words: God's Plan, Hope, Promised One, Expectation |
It is a joy for me to help people understand the Biblical
story, not only through the written Scriptures, but also through visual
representations and songs. Children are
especially known for catching ideas through visuals, but they can be very powerful in the midst of the fast-paced
demands of adult life, too. So, even when
things are done in the name of the kids, adults can glean a lot as well!
Some may call it too “high-church” or too reminiscent of a
certain tradition, but honestly, I just find it downright useful in
understanding the reason why we celebrate Christmas. It pulls me back to the center of Christ,
God’s love given to us, how the whole story of history is knit together by our
heavenly Father and how much He sought to save us – and still does!
Continue living God's story!
