Advent Wreath and Crèche Readings

Preston Price, pastor at Anaheim United Methodist Church in California, offers this interesting variation on the Advent wreath candle lighting meditations. Each week involves two families, one for reading the meditations, and one for "building" the crèche.

Anaheim United Methodist Church has the tradition of adding figures to the crèche each week (Mary and angel, then Joseph, etc.) as well as lighting candles on the Advent Wreath. The script is my way of helping people be participants and — you will note — use the "O, Antiphons" as a center. Of course, the details of the instructions would change for each church. But the detail and the cues are part of the illustration that helps people do this without time-intensive rehearsals. And, of course, the crèche section can be removed. (During the building of the crèche, a pastor speaks extemporaneously about each addition. This could be scripted and have readers, too. However, there are many families in which not even the adults wish to speak out loud; so this gives them the opportunity to participate without having to say anything.)

Advent 1

Advent 2

Advent 3

Advent 4