“..light of the

world, you stepped

down into darkness..

”[photo credits on final slide]

Some themes of Advent & Christmas

[click a link to continue]

[mary]

[john the baptist]

[the magi]

[the incarnation]

[the star]

[expectation]

[joseph]

[the manger]

[gifts]

[back home]

[the star]

“..the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it

came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the

star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy..”

Matt 2:9-10

God put the star in the sky to show the Magi where to find the new

born king…

How can I be sure that I’m heading in the right

direction?

God of Light…

Help me to see the light of your love every day of my life, and help

me to follow it joyfully.

Help me to see you at work in everybody I meet and in every

experience I have.

Help me to be a star that brings light to others.

Amen. [end]

[mary]The teenage girl who said yes to

the angel..

..and allowed God to come into the world.

“..behold, I am the handmaid of the

Lord; let it be done to me according to

your word..”[Luke 1:38]

God of Trust…

Help me to see the chances I have in my life to say yes to you.

Help me to remember that you trust me to make a difference,

even if I don’t always trust myself.

Amen.[back home] [end]

[john the baptist]

“..In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the

wilderness of Judea,

‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand..’”

[Matt 3:1-2]

John’s message was one of repentance…

..because the coming of Christ changes us

John pointed to something greater than himself.

..because he was in awe.

God of Wonder…

Help us this Christmas to listen to those who point

the way to you.

Help us to be ready to welcome you into our

lives.Amen.

John led a simple life.

It was his job to prepare the way for

Christ, and to let people know that

somebody was coming who would change the

world.[back home] [end]

[joseph]

[back home] [end]

If you were Joseph,

there would be

you think

that wanted to…

don’t

a small part of you

…run a mile?

First of all your fiancée gets mysteriously

pregnant.

And then, you learn that you’re going to be step-

father to the Son of God.

You have to wonder if he knew what was to come in the years ahead?

But yet the carpenter from Nazareth decided

to stick with it.

He showed Mary the love of a Husband,

and he showed Jesus the love of a Father!

God of Faithfulness…

Help us this Christmas and throughout our lives, to stick by the

people we love, even when it’s not easy.

Help us to show them the love and faithfulness that Joseph showed to

Jesus and Mary.

Amen.

[gifts]

[back home] [end]

I wonder what I’m getting for Christmaswith a new iPod

Would he like a jumper?When will I finish my shopping?How can I

afford all this?She is so hard to buy for!Why is Christmas so stressful?Shopping. Why?Must buy wrapping paper…Toysgadgetscloths

Giving and receiving gifts is one of the most beautiful parts of

Christmas

It lets us remind ourselves that we

are loved.

And it lets us share our love with other people.

God of Giving…

Help us to be ready to open our treasures to others, by the love that we show and

the way we make them feel.

And may we always remember those who won’t be giving or receiving gifts

this Christmas.

Amen.

[the manger]

[back home] [end]

When God came to earth…

..he could have come as a King

..he could have been the head of a powerful army

..he could been rich or powerful

But instead he chose to be born in a stable, among the animals and the poor.

God of Humility…

When we celebrate the day when you came among us, help us to remember that life isn’t about status or

power or wealth, but about being with the people we

love.

Help us to serve others in humility and generosity.

Amen.

[the incarnation]

I don’t think I’ll ever understand it…

You created the world.

There is nothing you need, and nothing you want.

You have no beginning and no end.

I don’t even have the language to describe you.

…you are God! [back home] [end]

[the incarnation]

And yet you loved us so much that you stepped down into the world you

had made…..to live with us

..to teach us how to love

..to heal us

..to redeem us..to die for us

..to love us

God of Presence…

Help me to be the kind of person who is

ready to enter into the lives of others with the same love

that you showed us.

Amen.

[back home] [end]

[the magi]

[back home] [end]

When the magi started their

journey, they were on a mission from

Herod…

Herod had told them to find the new born king and to let him

know where he was.

But once they had found Jesus, they were warned in a dream not

to return to Herod.

Sometimes…

..the experiences we have..

..will change us!

God of Encounters…

Let our experiences

change us for the better.

Make us always ready to respond in the way we should.

Help us to always chose what is right

and good.

Amen.

[expectation]

[back home] [end]

Waiting for something can

be difficult.. ..especially something we’re really

looking forward to.

Advent is a time to prepare ourselves to celebrate the fact that Christ has come into the

world.

But it’s also a time to

remember that Christ will one

day come again.

God of Hope…

Whenever we have to wait for

something, help us to use the time to make sure we are

properly ready.

Amen.

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE

This PowerPoint presentation was produced by CatholicYouthWork.com, and is intended to be used as a series of short reflections for young people to bring home some of the themes of the seasons of Advent and Christmas.

CREDITS AND LICENSES

Advent Themes by CatholicYouthWork.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License. Produced and written by: Jack Regan. This work may be freely distributed or altered as long as this page remains in tact. Neither this work, nor anything derived from it, may be sold for commercial gain

Photo credits:Background (all slides) - flickr.com user Harald52Slide 3 (star), first image - flickr.com user darkpatator, second image - flickr.com user law kevan, third image - flickr.com user lenchensmamaSlide 4 (mary), first image - flickr.com user emilyvanwormer, second image - flickr.com user lars hammarSlide 5 (john the baptist), first image - flickr.com user kamshots, second image - flickr.com user Ahron de Leeuw, third image - flickr.com user mrhayataSlide 6 (joseph), first image - flickr.com user God’sMoonSlide 7 (gifts), first image - flickr.com user TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³, second image - flickr.com user riot jane, third image - flickr.com user Mr. KrisSlide 8 (the manger), first image - flickr.com user Ferdinand Reus, second image - flickr.com user luis de bethencourtSlide 9+10 (the incarnation), first image - flickr.com user llimllib, second image - flickr.com user kalandrakas, third image - flickr.com user lepiaf.geo, fourth image - flickr.com user seanmcgrathSlide 11 (the magi), first image - flickr.com user Phillie Casablanca, second image - flickr.com user Untitled blue, third image - flickr.com user romainmoSlide 12 (expectation), first image - flickr.com user erik langer, second image - flickr.com user pfv

Other credits:Slide 1 - “light of the world…” quote from the song Here I am to Worship by Tim HughesAll scripture quotations taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV)