The countdown to Christmas is on! Focus your children on the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world. Make an Advent Prayer Chain with your family and intercede for unreached peoples living in cultures where the gospel has not yet penetrated.
Teaching Time: 15 minutes, ongoing prayer
Materials: printed Advent Prayer Chain sheets, scissors, glue/glue stick, stapler, 5 sheets colored construction paper (9 x 12-inch/229 × 305 mm suggested)
Family Activity:
Use scissors to cut out the 25 prayer strips. Glue them onto pieces of colored construction paper that are slightly wider than the strips, leaving space above and below each strip for cutting. You should be able to fit six prayer strips per page. Use scissors to cut carefully between each strip. Find the Christmas Day strip. Use a stapler to form this strip into the first link in your chain. Shape the remaining 24 strips into links and add to your chain in any order. Begin using your Advent Prayer Chain on December 1. Carefully tear off the link at the opposite end from the Christmas Day link. With your family, read about and pray for the people group on that link. Pray that they will come to know Jesus. Continue in the same way as you count down to Christmas. On Christmas, use the remaining Christmas Day link to pray one of God’s promises over the unreached peoples.
Download this activity in Spanish.
Note: The T,H,U,M,B on each link represents the religious beliefs of the people group. T=tribal/animistic, H=Hindu, U=unreligious/atheist, M=Muslim, and B=Buddhist.
Discuss:
- Why did God send His son, Jesus, to earth? (see Matthew 1:21, Luke 19:10)
- How is praying for unreached peoples in agreement with God’s plans?
Pray:
Ask God to give your family creative ways to pray for unreached peoples throughout the year.
We enjoyed this last year and plan to use it again this year. My kids 2, 5, 7 are super into chain countdowns and it’s a great way to help them pray for the nations.