Mandy Catto

Before the rush of Decemeber begins, take an evening out, invite your friends and neighbours round and be crafty together! Serve some winter Pimms with warm apple juice as you gather round the kitchen table.Ask them to bring some greenery from their gardens that you can share together and you are all set,,,

Advent wreaths

The old German tradition of making an Advent wreath is probably the most basic way of marking the weeks immediately before Christmas. It consists of a simple circle woven from twigs of evergreens with four candles (traditionally purple, although white candles with purple ribbons around them may be used instead) around its circumference. The wreath is completed by placing a fifth (white) candle in the centre to be lit on Christmas Day.

The wreath is a rich source of symbols which help to remind us of the significance of Advent. A circle is one of the traditional ways of symbolizing eternity since it has no beginning and no end. The living green of the twigs from which it is made contrast with the colourlessness and lifelessness of this time of year, reminding us of God’s promise of new life for the lifeless fulfilled so completely in Christ’s coming. The candles remind us of the light of Christ shining in the darkness of the world. Their number, four, represents the four weeks of Advent but, beyond that, they remind us of the centuries during which the faithful remnant of Israel waited for the coming of the Messiah and of the millennia during which Christians have awaited his second coming. The purple of the candles reminds us that it is a king for whom we wait. The increasing amount of light as more candles are lit each week announces that the celebration of Christ’s coming draws steadily closer. Finally the fifth candle, for Christmas Day, is white and represents Christ the Light of the World.

Assembling the Advent wreath is an activity which could involve all the family in different ways: gathering the evergreens, weaving them together. The Saturday before Advent Sunday would be a good day to have a go at making your own Advent wreath.
Here is a simple way to make an Advent wreath.

1. You will need either a home made wire ring or a ring oasis from a florist.
2. Decorate with holly, ivy, moss, laurel or any available greenery.

3.You will also need 4 candle holders available from florists. Put four candles (white or red) into the holders

4. Add ribbon. This can easily be done using florist’s ribbon tied onto stab wires. You can go for the tinsel and glitter look although people now prefer a more rustic look with raffia and twigs trailing. Just check when you buy the extras that everything is fireproof and suitable for going adjacent to candles.

There was a very famous advent wreath shown by Blue Peter’s Lesley Judd and John Noakes, made of wire coat hangers and lots of tinsel, every home had their version of it. As you work together, it is a great chance to chat through some Christmas memories and hopes for the future. No need to produce a lengthy sermon but a great opportunity to talk about Jesus as the light of the world and the One who makes Christmas special for you.

I have been involved with Activate for five years and when people ask me who we are and what we are trying to acheive this is the simplest two word answer – friendship evangelism. We know there are other great organisations, networks and charities that are out there doing street missions, pamphlet printing, crusades, tv adverts, media campaigns and other attention grabbing activities. We are different because our emphasis is relational. We believe that reaching out with God’s love and the story of Jesus is best done through friendships and natural connections.

You won’t find us printing a pamplet that you could hand out to strangers on a street corner, nor will we be paying for adverts on the sides of buses. For the last 40 (and hopefully the next 40) years we have been encouraging relationship building within our communities, neighbourhoods, workplaces, school gates, book groups, gyms, golf clubs…wherever you are.

Since we started our new website we have been adding polls for our supporters to add their opinions. Usually only a handful actually vote. Last month we had our most popular poll by far when we asked ‘How did you become a Christian? How did your faith journey begin?’ The answers were really interesting –
60% started their faith journey in a Christian home. How great that so many of us have had the privilege of a faith filled background. This shows how important the family unit is and reminds us of the importance of supporting and praying for Christian families.
The next highest score was 13% – ‘a friend introduced me to Jesus’.That is why we are a friendship orientated network. Our relationships are crucial if we are to earn the right to share the reason for the faith that we have and the peace that we have found. What a privilige and a responsibility to carry on!! The only score with zero votes was the one referring to ‘a conversation with a stranger’.
Let’s not be a stranger in our neighbourhoods and communities -let’s continue being involved, friendly and real with the love of God.

And we would love to hear more details of your faith journeys, who were the friends that introduced you to Jesus? How did they do it?
For the 13% that ticked ‘some other way’, tell us more. We want to hear your stories…