A RESOURCE FOR CHILDREN’S LITURGY - PowerPoint Presentation

A RESOURCE FOR CHILDREN’S LITURGY www.caritas.org.au/advent

ADVENT RESOURCE This resource invites participants to journey through the four weeks of Advent.Each week of Advent has been divided into six components: The ritual of lighting a candle on the Advent wreath.The Gospel reading with reflection questions. A Caritas Australia story with reflection points.Actions to take. A group prayer. There is also additional information in the 'Notes' section of some slides.

The advent wreathThe word ‘Advent’ means ‘coming’. When we light the candles on the wreath, it symbolises the coming of light (Jesus) into the world. Candle 1 (violet): represents hopeCandle 2 (violet): represents peace Candle 3 (rose): represents joyCandle 4 (violet): represents love The central white candle is lit on Christmas Day and represents Christ.This Advent we will learn, act and pray for a more just and fair world – a world full of hope, peace, joy, and love. Make your own Advent wreath.

Making the Advent wreath a daily customAdvent wreaths can be used in Church, at school or at home. As the Advent wreath helps us keep our thoughts focused on the coming of Jesus at Christmas, it should be integrated into our daily lives. The class could gather around the wreath at a set time of the day as a selected student lights the relevant candle.

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Advent is a special time in the church year when we prepare and get ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christ our Hope, Shine in our lives with hope and promise. Open our eyes to see you in others. Help us to be people of hope. We await your coming with gratitude. Amen

first week of advent Light the first candle of hope. What do you know about Advent? What are some things that you look forward to? How do you prepare for them? Why is Jesus asking us to ‘stay awake and be ready’? How can we prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus?

Bayan waits for the program’s private bus to take her to the Caritas Education Program Credit: Richard Wainwright, Caritas Australia Bayan is 12 years old, living with her family in Jordan. She grew up in Syria but the country became too dangerous with all the fighting. Bayan was scared for a long time and she missed out on a lot of school. Her family became refugees, travelling to live in Jordan. When they left Syria, they took with them hope, for a safer life with an opportunity for Bayan to attend school and get an education. Twenty-six year old Sileap lives with her husband, Simouen , and her five-year-old son and daughter, aged two, in Pursat province in Cambodia.   They were struggling to survive. She and her husband worked in their rice paddy and raised chickens.  Floods, droughts and animal diseases meant low income. The family was in debt and lacked proper nutrition, sanitation and hygiene. Twenty-six year old Sileap lives with her husband, Simouen , and her five-year-old son and daughter, aged two, in Pursat province in Cambodia.   They had no money, didn’t have enough food to eat and didn’t have access to clean water for cooking and washing. She and her husband worked in their rice paddy and raised chickens.  Floods, droughts and animal diseases meant low income. Sileap holds a chick in her home in Pursat District, West Cambodia. Credit: Richard Wainwright

Bayan waits for the program’s private bus to take her to the Caritas Education Program Credit: Richard Wainwright, Caritas Australia Bayan is 12 years old, living with her family in Jordan. She grew up in Syria but the country became too dangerous with all the fighting. Bayan was scared for a long time and she missed out on a lot of school. Her family became refugees, travelling to live in Jordan. When they left Syria, they took with them hope, for a safer life with an opportunity for Bayan to attend school and get an education. Sileap poses for a photograph with her daughter Molin at their home in Pursat District, Western Cambodia. Credit: Richard Wainwright

Bayan doing her homework. Credit: Richard Wainwright, Caritas Australia Sileap poses for a photo with her husband Simouen , daughter Molin and son Meng . Credit: Richard Wainwright

first week of advent Light the first candle of hope. Show care for your environment: recycle, reuse and reduce. Host a Caritas Kitchen event to show hospitality during Advent. Sileap had to learn about weather patterns. What weather patterns do you see in your area? How might your healthy meals be the same or different to Sileap ? Where do you see hope in Sileap’s story? What are your hopes?

first week of advent Light the first candle of hope. God of Hope, You love and care for us. Fill us with hope as we prepare for Christmas. Help us to prepare our hearts for you and may we recognise the talents you have given each of us and look for ways to be hope for others. In your name we pray, Amen

Advent has a focus on light, not darkness. Christ will come again as the light of the world. Christ our Peace, Glow brightly in each moment. We ask your forgiveness for the times we have not been peaceful people. Guide us in the way of your peace. We await your coming with serenity. Amen

second week of advent Light the second candle of peace. One way to help bring peace in our lives is by asking for forgiveness. Identify a time in your life that you would like to ask God’s forgiveness for. What can we do to make the world a more peaceful place? What conflicts in our world need our thoughts, prayers and actions?

Gina, her husband Alexandre and their children received farming kits including working tools and seeds. Credit Dooshima Tsee, Caritas.

Gina, her husband Alexandre and their children received farming kits including working tools and seeds. Credit Dooshima Tsee, Caritas.   Alexandre and Gina were forced to leave their community with their two teenage sons and resettle a long way from their original home.   Caritas Mozambique and its global partners provided emergency assistance to the family.   Now, the couple and their children are farming and have started a new life together, working with the tools and seeds provided by the Caritas network.

Gina, her husband Alexandre and their children received farming kits including working tools and seeds. Credit Dooshima Tsee, Caritas.

SECOND week of advent Light the second candle of peace. Create a to-do list of all the ways you will show peace in the season of Advent. Take some time to learn more about climate refugees. Show solidarity by participating in refugee/pilgrimage simulation. Pray for communities around the world affected by climate change. Alexandre and Gina lost everything. Describe how you feel when you lose something that you treasure. How has Caritas helped Alexandre, Gina and their sons find some peace in their lives after their devastating loss?

SECOND week of advent Light the second candle of peace. Jesus, Prince of Peace,   Fill our hearts with your peace. Guide us as we work for peace in our families, our communities and  our world and may we  continue to grow in faith and love, being examples of peace through our words and actions. In your name we pray. Amen  

The third Sunday in Advent is Gaudete Sunday, from Latin meaning ‘rejoice’. Christ our Joy, Brighten our hearts with your presence. May we see your joy in the hopes and dreams of our sisters and brothers around the world. Help us to spread your light and love. We await your coming with delight. Amen

THIRD week of advent Light the third candle of joy. What is the ‘ Good News ’ Jesus speaks of? What joy could this story bring to vulnerable people and communities? Where can you see the work of God in the world? What does it mean to be a messenger of good news to the poor?  Who could you be ‘Good News’ for this week?

Marta says that she feels more confident through a positive collaboration with Caritas Australia. Credit: Caritas Australia Marta is 33 and is married with 4 children. Marta felt trapped, food was scarce and money was tight. She could only afford to send two of her four children to school. Marta and her husband were not able to buy enough food, clothes or pay school fees. They had no choice but to borrow money at a high interest rate. This placed pressure on their family and only added to the challenges that they already faced. A ‘talent group’ band supported by Caritas Australia, consists of people like Thipphakhone with intellectual disabilities who are interested in music and dancing. Credit: Chanthea Nou

Thipphakhone’s first opportunity for education came in 2010. He has now finished primary school. He can communicate with family and friends. He has learnt how to make cookies, plant vegetables, help with family chores and can cook by himself.   Through the program, Thipphakhone is learning cleaning skills which will give him a better chance of getting a job in the future. Through the program Thipphakhone is learning cleaning skills which will give him a better chance of getting a job in the future. Credit: Chanthea Nou

A ‘talent group’ band supported by Caritas Australia, consists of people like Thipphakhone with intellectual disabilities who are interested in music and dancing. Credit: Chanthea Nou

THIRD week of advent Light the third candle of joy. Investigate different ways you can communicate with people around you, for example sign language or braille. Identify ways you can support vulnerable families (hampers, gifts, tutoring, food). Share the story of Thipphakhone with others. What skills are you learning that will help you get a job? In what ways does Thipphakhone bring joy to his life and to those around him? What message of joy did you take from Thipphakhone’s story?

THIRD week of advent Light the third candle of joy. God of Joy,    You sent your Son Jesus to bring joy to the world. Show us how to be joy-filled people and recognise Jesus in those we meet. Bless us with your love and compassion.   In your name we pray.   Amen  

Our final days of Advent, are a time when we can reflect on our Advent journey. Christ our Light, Fill our hearts with your grace. Remind us to look for you in small acts of kindness and love. Help us to share your love with others. We await your coming with wonder Amen

FOURTH week of advent Light the fourth candle of love. Who do you know who is expecting a baby? How are they preparing for the baby?  How are we preparing for the birth of Jesus?  How can we see and listen to God today? Who can we listen to this Christmas?

Credit: Michelle Young, Tjanpi Desert Weavers Nancy Jackson, a First Australian woman, lives in Warakurna on the Ngaanyatjarra lands, a very remote and isolated area of Western Australia. She is a fibre artist. Through the work of the Tjanpi Desert Weavers, she has been helped to support her family through art. She makes baskets and sculptures using desert grasses harvested from country.

Credit: Michelle Young, Tjanpi Desert Weavers Nancy is the primary carer of her grandson who lives with a disability. Her artwork provides money for her family, enabling them to have access to food, transport, electricity and housing. She is a strong female role model for her entire community.   In the last three years she has earned enough money to buy a second-hand car which she can use to take her family ‘out bush’ to their traditional lands and to collect grass for future artworks.

Credit: Kowanyama Land Office Credit: Michelle Young, Tjanpi Desert Weavers Tjanpi Desert Weavers work with over 400 women living on their traditional lands across 350,000 square kilometres, helping women support their families and those under their care.

FOURTH week of advent Light the fourth candle of love. Do some random acts of kindness this Advent. Recognise someone who is isolated in your community and visit them with family or friends. Show solidarity with Nancy by finding and sharing indigenous artworks with friends and family. In what ways does Nancy show love for her family? How can we care and love those we don’t know, especially during Advent? How is indigenous art the same or different from art you create?

FOURTH week of advent Light the fourth candle of love. Loving God,    We look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus, a sign of your love for us. Help us to see others, to love them as you love us and reach out to them as we seek to build a better world. In your name we pray.   Amen  

Making A WREATH Use the symbols that follow on the proceeding slides to create an Advent wreath. Make your own Advent wreath. The seedpods, nuts and cones are used to decorate the wreath and are symbolic of life and resurrection. The laurel signifies victory over persecution and suffering.Pine and holly signify immortality.The apple represents the nourishing fruitfulness of the Christian life.

CandleChrist Candle

EvergreenHolly

Pine coneApple

LaurelNuts

Seed Pods