Logo: Advent Unwrapped

Get ready for Christ(mas)! Advent—a holy, four-week countdown to Jesus’ birthday—begins on Sunday, November 28! Get ready to make room for Christ and the radical, countercultural messages that Christ brings.

Throughout the season, videos, prayers, family resources, and reflections on this page will introduce and explore the Christmas story. For more worship resources visit our Advent and Christmas worship pages. Follow our Advent Unwrapped Facebook page and subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates.

Worship Ideas

Advent Candle Lighting (238.08 KB): Candle lighting prayers to use alongside "O Come O Come Emmanuel."
Candle-Lighting Liturgy (26.57 KB): An invitation to consider our world that God so loves beyond the familiar and engage with the non-familiar.
Hidden Gift Sunday (41.61 KB): A service that reflects the trials of 2020 while focusing on the spiritual gift of Joy.
In the Rich Dark of Winter: An Advent Communion Service (235.68 KB): Using expansive scriptural imagery, the theme of this Advent Unwrapped service is anticipating God’s fulfilled promise of the renewal of all things.
Jesse Tree Advent Prayer Service (43.13 KB): An Advent prayer service rooted in the story of the Jesse Tree.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (269.67 KB): A one-rehearsal Advent Unwrapped pageant with the message "God is with us! We are not alone."

Music

Advent Intercultural Hymn Festival (219.55 KB): These songs with accompanying commentary can be combined with seasonal prayers and scripture readings to create an Advent hymn festival. Please credit Bruce Harding for this resource and the music arrangements.
Advent Prayer Song (SAB) (Nancy Chegus) (61.83 KB): Short SAB piece (a cappella, optional piano) suitable for worship during Advent. Please credit the composer.
Stories behind Carols: First Sunday after Christmas (37.2 KB): An Advent Unwrapped service based on the origins of some classic Christmas carols.

Related Material

12 Days of Christmas Activities (31.08 KB): Enjoy these activities throughout the 12 days of Christmas.
Advent Calendar 2021 (160.38 KB): A 2021 Advent calendar with activities to enjoy.
Advent Unwrapped Activity Sheets (675.28 KB): Activity sheets to help you reflect, pray, and prepare for Christ.
Advent Unwrapped Projection Slide (105.44 KB): Show this slide in your online or in-person worship to let your community of faith know about Advent Unwrapped.
Animate the Nativity (54.02 KB): Celebrate the season by imagining the nativity as a living, changing story.
Body Prayers (2.31 MB): An Advent Unwrapped “action prayer” for each week of the Advent/Christmas season.
Buy Less Shopping Guide (108.17 KB): An Advent Unwrapped shopping guide for all ages for a Buy Less Christmas.
Christmas Gift Books (138.12 KB): Books about faith and Christmas to give to children and grandchildren, selected by the Rev. Susan Lukey.
Colouring Storybook (1.15 MB): Actively explore the story of Christmas using this 17-page Advent Unwrapped colouring book.
Epiphany Traditions (27.26 KB): Take part in these traditional activities during advent.
Family Prayers and Blessings (221.67 KB): An Advent Unwrapped resource of traditional prayers and creative blessings.
Household Advent Scavenger Hunt (420.16 KB): See if you can find these symbols and traditions of Christmas in your home or church!
Sharing the News (40.39 KB): This light-hearted Advent Unwrapped Christmas pageant has been updated to reflect some of the major concerns of 2020.
Story and Activity Cards (504.26 KB): Meet the characters of the Christmas story, from Isaiah to the Holy Family, through these Advent Unwrapped cards. Includes activities for all ages.
The Good News of Joy to the World (226.11 KB): A five-session Advent Unwrapped Bible study on the Gospel of Luke by the Rev. Dr. Peggy Mulambya-Kabonde of The United Church of Zambia.
The Good News Story (392.39 KB): Four Advent Unwrapped Sunday school session outlines.
Watching and Waiting: A Daily Vigil Based on the O Antiphons (628.25 KB): Follow the ancient tradition of praying the “O Antiphons,” familiar from the carol “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” using this Advent Unwrapped resource. You can set aside nightly family prayer time for the last week of Advent or adapt this ritual in another way.