Saturday, October 5, 2013

HS YOUTH: Advent Meditation Through Art & Music

One of the things teenagers don't do a lot is take time to pause and meditate.  Why not take the time to set something up for Advent? Take a Wednesday night or have an event before Christmas where they can come to church and meditate while watching a bunch of slides of paintings of the Bible and Jesus with music playing in the background. The music can be contemporary but should be contemplative as the goal is to give them time to relax and focus on God and not themselves. Be careful of the contemporary music you choose, some of it may have a nice message but is not Biblical and some is focused on how we feel and not what God has done. If you need some help find contemporary songs try this website. You can also try some instrumental versions of hymns if you don't find any recorded hymns that fit the mood.

Provide scriptural quotes and a few questions to help them focus as they meditate.  If you need somewhere to start, I've created a brief meditational experience you can borrow or use to create your own.

There are SO many great songs out there for this time of year but here are a few suggestions that fit with what I wrote:

  • O Come, O Come Emmanuel
  • Come, Lord Jesus (Great is the Darkness) - Noel Richards
  • From the Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee
  • Do I Trust You Lord? - Twila Paris
  • God of Mercy, God of Grace
  • Joseph's Song - Michael Card
  • O Little Town of Bethlehem
  • Mary's Song (Breath of Heaven) - Amy Grant
  • Mary Did You Know? - Kathy Mattea
  • Angels We Have Heard on High
  • We Three Kings
  • Peace Shall Come - Hayley Westenra
  • Silent Night


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