An Advent Storybook and Study: Seeking Truth, Goodness, and Beauty
Copyright 2025 by Lūminé Press, Written by Elsie Lungren, Illustrated by Nicoleta Dabija
Day 01
Outside, the moon shone down from a clear, starlit sky and caused the fresh blanket of snow to glitter like diamonds on this cold, wintry night. Inside, with a fire in the fireplace, white lights adorning the Christmas tree that they had just set up that day, and laughter filling the room, it was a warm and cozy place to be. The five children of Mr. and Mrs. Mouse were eagerly awaiting the story that Mormor Mouse, their grandmother, would tell them each year beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. This, they knew, was the first day of the Advent season.
Next to Mormor’s comfy chair was a small table on which lay an evergreen wreath that the children had helped to make that day. Nestled among the evergreen needles were holly berries and small pinecones. Rising up from the wreath were four taper candles placed in the corners of a square. One of the candles was pink, and the rest were purple. In the center was a white pillar candle which would not be lit until Christmas Day. This was their Advent wreath, and the children knew that Mormor would light the first candle before she began the story.
The laughter quickly turned into a hushed and reverent silence as the children watched and waited expectantly.
“Children,” began Mormor with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. “Today is the first day of Advent. From now until Christmas Day, we will light a candle each Sunday to help us think about the true meaning of Christmas. Does anyone remember what that is?”
Five hands shot into the air. Mormor called on Annika, the eldest, who said, “Christmas is the day we celebrate Jesus’s birthday!”
“That’s right!” continued Mormor. “A little over 2000 years ago, God knew that people on Earth needed help, and so He let His own Son, Jesus, come to Earth by being born as a baby. And Christmas is the day that we celebrate that. The birth of Jesus was God’s gift to us, and Jesus brought even more gifts for us. Does anyone remember some of those gifts?”
This time, Mormor called on Linnea, one of the twins, who was wearing a new red and white gingham apron that she had sewn all by herself!
“Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy!” Linnea said.
“That’s right,” said Mormor. “And so each Sunday, when we light a candle, we will remember one of those gifts.
“Today, as we light the first candle, we will remember that because of Jesus, we have Hope.”
“What does that mean, Mormor?” asked Astrid, the youngest.
“I’m glad you asked,” said Mormor. “The world then, just like today, had so much sin in it. We might call that darkness. In darkness, people can stumble around, often going in the wrong direction, and they can feel so alone. They can feel lost. People needed rescuing. They needed to learn about God’s love. So God sent His Son to be that rescuer.
“Today, we know all about what His rescue plan was. We know that as Jesus grew up, He would teach people about God and the importance of love and kindness. We also know that the time would come when, because of His great love for people, He would sacrifice His own life to pay the price for the sins of all people so that people wouldn’t have to. That was all part of the big rescue plan, but it is still hard for us to think about because Jesus died on that day.
“Then came the best part. Because Jesus was God’s Son, death had no power over Him. So on the third day, which we remember every year on Easter Sunday, He rose from the grave to show that He was God’s Son, and to provide all people with the greatest gift ever. For anyone then or now who believes Him to be God’s Son, and who asks Him to be the Lord and Savior of their life, will be forgiven of their sins, and will one day have eternal life with Him in Heaven. What a great gift that was and is for all people both then and now! It was and is freely offered to everyone. No one has to do anything to earn it. It is a gift that only has to be accepted. Simply believe and make a choice to invite Jesus into one’s heart. What an amazing rescue plan! And it all started with Jesus coming to Earth as a little baby! This is why Christmas is such a special day for us to celebrate.
“Today, even when we feel like there is no hope, we can remember that with Jesus, there is always hope. We just need to keep our eyes on Jesus because He is like light in the darkness, and He can show us the way to go. Can anyone think of a way that we can keep our eyes on Jesus even though we can’t see His physical body here on Earth today?”
Theo, the second oldest, chimed in. “We can read in our Bible! The Bible is God’s Word, and so it is like Jesus talking to us!”
“Good thinking, Theo,” said Mormor. “Do you know that John 1:14 tells us that the Word became flesh? ‘Becoming flesh’ refers to when Jesus was born as a human, so you are right that reading God’s Word is a great way of seeing Jesus.”
Annika added, “Psalm 119:105 tells us that God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path! And John chapter 1, verses 5 and 9, tell us that Jesus was born to bring light to every person and to shine in the darkness. I love how it describes Jesus, and God’s Word, as being light that shines in darkness so that we don’t feel so alone, and so that we can see which way to go. When we light the Advent candles, and when I see the lights on the Christmas tree, I am reminded of Jesus being the Light of the World. That makes me so happy.”
“You explained that beautifully, Annika,” said Mormor. “Can anyone else think of ways that we can see Jesus?”
“We can sing songs about Jesus!” added Astrid.
“We can pray and talk to Jesus!” chimed in Lukas, the other twin.
“These are all great ways for us to keep our eyes on Jesus,” said Mormor. “It reminds me of the chorus from the Hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, written by Helen Lemmel in 1918.”
Then Mormor lit the first purple candle, and she said, “We light this candle and remember that baby Jesus was born on Christmas Day to bring us hope. Let’s sing together the first verse of the hymn, Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, written by Charles Wesley in 1744. And then tomorrow we will meet back here by the Christmas Tree and start the story.
Hymns:
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus written by Charles Wesley in 1744
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus written by Helen Lemmel in 1918
