Goal
The goal of this edge night is to help the youth learn the purpose of the season of Advent and what they can do to prepare for christ’s coming.
Edge Night at a Glance
Advent is latin for “coming towards” and references the coming of Jesus christ. the season of Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and is a time of expectation and hopefulness of Jesus’ birth, but also a time to think of our lives and if we are ready for Jesus’ return. during the season of Advent, the liturgical colors change to reflect our hearts in preparation through penance (purple) and joy in the coming of Jesus (pink). As with Lent, Advent is that time before a major feast (christmas) that allows us to prepare our hearts – to enter into prayer and focus on how we need god to come into our lives. At mass, we will hear John the baptist proclaim, “prepare away for the lord” and sing expectantly “o come, o come emmanuel” as we watch the candles of the Advent wreath be lit. During Advent we “scale back” so that we can appreciate the feast of christmas.
In preparing for this Edge Night, be cautious of making this session only about modern consumerism. help the youth to understand the importance of the season of Advent and our need to enter into this time of preparation. the edge Night will begin with the youth coming in and be given a “bib” or napkin to wear for the feast. during the opening, the youth will discuss what they do to prepare for a major feast within their home. the proclaim will introduce the youth to the importance of preparing our hearts during Advent. The youth will then break open the night in small group with a discussion and activities. conclude the night with the singing of, “o come, o come emmanuel” to focus the youth on the season and what we must do to be ready for Jesus’ coming.