Advent & Christmas Reimagined
Advent and Christmas will look different for most parishes, but that doesn't mean we have to do it alone!Children/Family
- Advent & Christmas Faith Practices in a box ($)
- Advent Prayer Stations
- Art by Joel: Travel Size Paper City Nativity Scene
- Building Faith: Free Family Friendly Resources for Advent
- Christmas Pageant – Invite individuals/households to read or act out a part of the Christmas story. Invite people to make or gather their own simple props. Patch videos together into one longer recording, or release videos sequentially to keep people tuning in.
- Illustrated Children’s Ministry: An Illustrated Advent for Families: Do Not Be Afraid ($)
- Illustrated Children’s Ministry: Do Not Be Afraid: A Virtual Christmas Pageant ($)
- Nativity Wednesday Share – Invite families to record themselves setting out their family nativity. Have them share a bit about where it came from, how long they have had it, and what it helps their family remember about the Christmas Story.
($) = Paid Resource
Worship/Fellowship
- Association of Lutheran Church Musicians Virtual Christmas Carol – Participate in the virtual choir by submitting a recording of “Angels We Have Heard on High”
- Advent Calendar Samples
- Advent Candles/Advent Wreath: Share materials with each household to create a simple wreath. Designate a daily time for a churchwide livestream gathering to light candles or distribute a devotional. (Advent) ($)
- Advent Photo-a-Day: Participate in NWOS Advent Photo-a-day Devotional. Each day you will be given a word/scripture and challenged to post a picture to social media that illustrates it. (Advent)
- Blue Christmas
- Luminaries: Send people white paper bags (or offer them for pickup) to decorate as luminarias. On return, fill with sand and LED lights. place in front of church on Dec 21 to mark the Longest Night. Invite people to drive by to mark the occasion.
- Young Clergy Women: Blue Christmas: When Christmas Hurts Sample Liturgy
- Caroling – Have households/family units commit to carol to assigned shut-ins.
- Christmas Park, Porch and Sidewalk Sings – Mini concerts outdoors.
- Christmas in a Barn/Live Nativity – Host an outdoor Live Nativity. Have the characters (Mary, Joseph, Angel, Shepherds) share monologues recordings in the weeks leading up to the Live Nativity. (Christmas)
- Giving Tree: Instead of Christmas tree with tags that people take off and then buy the requested items/gifts for local agencies, reverse it on an outdoor tree – when people buy an item online, put an ornament on an outdoor tree to represent the gift given. (Alternate: Offer new masks, scarves, gloves to people in need by placing them on the tree with a note to take what you need.)
- Holden Evening Prayer Recorded Sample (Advent)
- Outdoor Bells & Joy to the World – Instead of singing “Joy to the World” in the sanctuary process outside or gather in an outdoor public setting to ring bells & sing. (Advent 4) ($)
- Outdoor Luminaries & Silent Night – Instead of singing “Silent Night” in the sanctuary process outside or gather in an outdoor public setting to sing. (Christmas/Christmas Eve) ($)
- Stations of the Nativity – Like “Stations of the Cross”, but around the nativity story. Set them up to allow social distancing in a church or outdoors with activities/art at each station.
- Stations of the Nativity by: Lawrence Boadt
- Virtual Hymn Sing – Ask organists/pianists from multiple parishes to record a favorite hymn and make a Video Hymn Sing
($) = Paid Resource