December 29, 2022
Advent for All - The Returning King
Week 6
Week 6
“It is a great thing to be owned, and Jesus Christ owns us. He is our Chief, whom we delight to honour and serve; and He is our Saviour, who delivers us, our Friend who cherishes us, our King who blesses us with His dominion.”
~Charlotte Mason, Ourselves, Book 2, p.201-22
We hope you have enjoyed this year's Advent series!
Bible Reading
Luke 2:22-52, Matthew 2, Revelation 22
Read & Listen
Journey of the Magi with audio and The Song of Simeon. Read both poems aloud (or listen to a recording). Try reading Journey of the Magi to someone without telling them the title of the poem. Can they identify what the poem is about? The line “Grant me/us thy peace” is repeated several times in “The Song of Simeon.” Reflect on this line; how does its significance change each time it is repeated? How might the poem feel different if there was no repetition? Use these questions as a way to ponder the poems more deeply.
View
Сретение Господне (“The Meeting of the Lord”) from the Russian Novgorodskye School (dated to the 15th century). Describe the painting to someone else. See how many details you can notice.
Listen
Music: O Holy Night and Nunc Dimittis.
Note: “Nunc Dimittis” (Latin for “now let depart”) and the rest of Simeon’s song in Luke 2:29-32 has inspired composers for centuries. The version above is by Arvo Pärt, an Estonian composer who has pioneered new musical forms in recent decades. Read more about his life and work here.
Activities
- Reflect: Write a few lines about this advent and Christmas season. Where have you seen beauty afresh? How does Advent look both backwards and forwards?
- Consider making and/or putting up a bird-feeder and keeping a list of all the different types of birds you see (or skip the bird-feeder and just start the bird list).
- Try out a new handicraft (one suggestion: lotion candles).
- Suggested Read-alouds: The Gift of the Magi (audio), The Other Wise Man.
Thank you for journeying through Advent and Christmas with us!
