Sunday School coordinators, homeschooling moms and parents:

Are you tired about being consumed with the excesses of the "holiday season"? Do you and your family see so little of Christ in Christmas that you sometimes wonder how your celebration of Christmas is any different than your unbelieving neighbors? Make this Christmas a special time of looking forward to the celebration of the Advent of Christ and the Incarnation of God into man. But how?

1. Read the article, "Redeeming Christmas"

Director of Children's Ministry International, Brad Winsted has a thoughtful article reprinted for your edification on how to [reclaim Christ in Christmas](http://www.childministry.com/articles/news22.html). Its easy to get swept up in all the garishness of the holidays and miss Christ completely. In this article there are many "helps" on keeping Christmas Christ-centered.

2. Advent in Your Church

The Christmas Advent Season will soon be here! Celebrating Advent gives our children the true origin of Christmas and the Incarnation of Christ. Throughout the Old Testament we see stories telling of this upcoming event. Let your children see why saints such as Mary and Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth (parents of John the Baptist), Simeon and Anna (at the temple dedication of Jesus) in the Gospel of Luke so looked forward to the coming Messiah because of their knowledge of the Old Testament signs pointing to Christ.

CMI has a great four lesson workbook, "Jesus Family Tree....the Story of Redemption" for your Sunday School program. For just $25.00 you can fill the four weeks prior to Christmas with great Bible lessons of the coming Christ. This is a lot more than an "Advent Candle" as you get into the biblical stories of the prediction and requirement for the Messiah's coming to earth, first told to Eve in the Garden of Eden after the Fall.

There are colorful symbols to make a "Jesse Tree" (out of the root of King David's family/Jesse was Christ's lineage) in your classroom. Your kids will have a fun and instructional time in learning about how Christ's coming (or Advent) is clearly and repeatedly found throughout the Old Testament.

CMI has a Jesse Tree coloring book ($3.00 each) to help the children remember the Bible Stories that point to Jesus' birth.

3. Advent in Your Home

Why not a "Jesse Tree" tradition in your home. Jesse Tree means the "tree of Christ" out of the Isaiah passage that reads "out of the stem of Jesse" will emerge the Messiah. Each night of Advent add something to your Christmas Tree or other "Jesse Tree" display so that your children truly understand the coming "Incarnation". Make this Christmas something more than simple gift-giving by allowing your family to truly understand the many stories in the Old Testament pointing to Christ.

The Advent materials ($29.00) allow for this along with coloring books ($3.00 each) and crafts to make it even more fun and educational. The Advent family devotions are expanded into 32 lessons to cover the entire Advent season. These colorful lessons are designed to be used for daily family devotions during the advent of Christ; from the last Sunday in November through Christmas Day.

4. Holiday Series - Volume 3

"THE HOLIDAY SERIES" takes the holidays that we now celebrate and looks at them through the "spectacles or glasses of Scripture" to see how we best can honor Christ through them. In II Corinthians 10:21 Paul tells us "that whether you eat, or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God". How often do we simply take the time off on these special holidays or go through symbolic rituals without ever thinking of what the Bible might have to say about what we are doing. There are biblical truths that these days symbolize, and we can edify the days by celebrating them to the Glory of God.

Each lesson is designed to be taught in one 45 minute lesson, but there is enough material to do more if you desire. This can be done in a Sunday School environment or at home. There is a memory verse (with a visualized coloring opportunity of the verse), the background to the holiday...be it secular or sacred, a related Bible story, a craft, lots of application and a song CD with kids singing. All of the hold-up visuals are in color.

All of our Holidays can be celebrated with a Christian response to the theme or person honored. Your kids will love to know why this day is important and how related biblical themes correspond to the meaning of the day.

Volume 3 covers: Columbus Day, Reformation Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  The cost for all this is only $21!

Don't forget, you get 20% off from now until Christmas on all Advent materials!