This week’s Godly Play lesson is Advent from The Complete Guide to Godly Play: Volume 3 by The Rev. Dr. Jerome Berryman.

Told by Godly Play® US Trainer Caryl Menkhus Creswell.

This lesson, together with the next three lessons, helps the children to anticipate the mystery of Christmas. We move toward Bethlehem and arrive at the birth of Jesus and the lighting of the Christ Candle in the church.

There are five cards or wooden plaques, representing, in this order:
• the prophets – Advent 1
• the Holy Family – Advent 2
• the shepherds – Advent 3
• the Magi – Advent 4
• the birth of Jesus – Advent 4

The stories are told in sequence, adding a new story tile each week. The storyteller always begins in at the first tile, and adds the subsequent week’s tile/story to the previous week(s).

The church learned a long time ago that people need a way to get ready to enter, or even come close, to the Mystery of Christmas. The Church set aside four weeks to get ready. This is such a great Mystery that it takes that long to get ready.

During this time, we are all on the way to Bethlehem. We are all making the journey. We are all getting ready to enter the Mystery of Christmas; so let’s go – with the prophets, the Holy Family, the shepherds, the angels, the Magi and all the rest to make the journey that was not just back then. It is also now.

There are no wondering questions to the Advent lessons.