As a homeschooling parent, I greatly appreciate the freedom I have to change our homeschool focus during Advent and Christmas. Notice that I listed these two as separate seasons. In our family church tradition, we practice âzakar.â According to Strongâs dictionary, âthe Hebrew verb âzakarâ primarily means âto rememberâ or âto recall.â It is used in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, often implying an active process of recalling or bringing something to mind.â
The Advent season begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas. During this season, our family actively recalls the Israelitesâ 400 year waiting period and how they pined for a savior to set them free. We sing advent hymns such as,
âO Come O Come Emanuel And ransom captive, Israel.â
After four weeks of singing these advent hymns, reading Isaiahâs prophecies about a savior to come, and preparing our home for the Saviorâs arrival, our minds, hearts, and bodies pine to enter Christmas, the twelve-day season that follows Advent. On Christmas Eve, we gather with our local church for a candlelight service now singing Christmas hymns such as,
âO holy night! The stars are brightly shining It is the night of the dear Saviorâs birth! Long lay the world in sin and error pining Till he appearâd and the soul felt its worth.â
By this time, I can feel those last two lines in my bones, âLong lay Krystal, in sin and error pining, till He appeared and her soul felt its worth.â
This Christmas Eve church service happens to be a favorite family tradition, and as I sneak glances of loved oneâs hearts rejoicing, I am again thankful for the freedom homeschooling affords. These sacred seasons of recollection, anticipation, and celebration, help me recognize the necessity and value of educational independence. Advent and Christmas are indeed education for my family, and because we are completely independent of any third-party interests, agendas, and timelines, we can practice âzakarâ and let this knowledge of the Saviorâs arrival settle into our bones.
âA thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn! Fall on your knees Oh hear the angel voices Oh night divine Oh night when Christ was born.â
Krystal Cano is a homeschooling mother of two daughters and two sons who also serves as the Director of Training & Events at Classical ConversationsÂŽ. She and her family live in Texas, where they enjoy nature walks, sports competitions, and feasting on good food with their friends and extended family. She is also a teacher and writer who loves helping people discover Truth and pestering her pastor with deep questions that keep her up at night.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:6-7.
It is that time of year, a blessed time of year, when we celebrate the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christmas season, of course, celebrates His birth, while the Advent season, which precedes Christmas, looks forward to His second coming. He is born, a Son given to us, who will rule and reign in peace and health.
Over what, however, does He rule? Our answers may not always match our actions when we answer this question theologically or philosophically. Coincidentally, the idiom, “Actions speak louder than words,” may reveal more of what we actually believe as an answer to this question.
The Meaning of Christmas and How Homeschoolers Celebrate It Year Round
Christian homeschool families reveal something of this by their choice to homeschool. Keep in mind, of course, that this is not to say others do not. But Christian homeschool families reveal, by their choice to homeschool, their acknowledgment that Christ’s government extends to history, science, math, literature, language, theology, philosophy, and logic.
We choose to educate the way we do, with the content and methodology we use, precisely because we want to understand each of these subjects in light of Christ’s Lordship of them. We can read pagan authors, mathematicians, and scientists precisely because we recognize that Christ is LordâKingâof the subjects they write about. Whatever their opinions, Christ is King, and studying them under His rule helps us, as my pastor would say, “Chew up the hay and spit out the sticks.” We are learning to judge, as our King does, the truth in their words and the falsehood.
Christian homeschool families also recognize that Christ’s rule as King is not a temporary one. He is not the Lord of math today and not tomorrow. He is established on His throne from that time (the time of His birth, Isaiah 9:6) forward and unto ages of ages.
We, therefore, communicate to our children the multigenerational aspect of His Lordship by our choice to homeschool. Mom and Dad lead the learning and pass that on to their children. Their children become learners who will lead others in learning. The task of education and of to know God and to make Him known is not one that begins and ends with me as a homeschool parent but is one that is modeled and passed down to my children and their children and their children’s children. The task of education and of to know God and to make Him known is to bend the knee and confess that Jesus is King from this time forward and unto ages of ages.
As a parent and as a Christian, I love having the opportunity to celebrate the birth of my Lord during this season, as well as the giving of gifts that accompany it. I love the connection between Christmas and what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 25:35-40, “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in.” When asked when they saw Him thirsty and gave Him a drink or hungry and gave Him food, He answered, when they gave these things to the least of them, they gave them to Him. Just as the wise men gave Him gifts, I too am giving Him gifts when I give to those around me.
I love, even more perhaps, having the opportunity to celebrate the Kingship of Jesus year round as my wife and I homeschool our children. As we teach them under the authority of Jesus, the King, and as we teach them, by our own modeling, that this authority is an everlasting authority unto ages of ages.
I love, too, that there are so many othersâall of youâout there on this journey with us. We are not alone in this endeavor, and it is comforting and encouraging to know there are others striving to serve the Lord and raise up a generation of children who will do the same. It is especially comforting to know that we are all praying for one another, as well. I offer my prayers on behalf of you and your families this Christmas season! Merry Christmas, and may God bless you all!
As I write this blog on New Yearâs Day, I canât help but take note of the colliding spheres of meaning in our holidays and in our politics. At this moment, firmly nested in between Advent and Epiphany, the entire focus of this season revolves around celebrating the arrival of the Holy Monarchy. Even people, whose consciences are opposed to recognizing December 25 for historical reasons, still revere the significance of the incarnation of the Eternal King.
Where Did Monarchy Come From?
The word âkingâ first appears in Genesis 14. In this chapter, nine kings are listed in the conflict that transpires. Four kings and their kingdoms wage war on the other five. When Lot and his household are captured, Abram is forced to intervene. At the end of the chapter, we learn about the King of Salem, Melchizedek, who was also a priest of the Most High God. This conflict happened around 1866 BC.
Other historical documents teach us about Namer, the first King in Egypt, who ruled around 3150 BC, and Enmebaragesi, King of Kish, in northern Babylonia, c. 2700 BC.
We have no record of God establishing a monarchy until 1 Samuel 8 (c. 1052 BC).
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, âBehold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.â 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, âGive us a king to judge us.â And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, âObey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.â (1 Samuel 8:4-9 ESV)
According to this passage, the people initiated the conversation and requested a king, and their request was an act of rejection. When God calls himself the peopleâs king, one question was whether he was defining monarchy or leveraging a term already a part of the ancient vocabulary.
Godâs granting of their request was an act of revelation and consequence. In Samuel 12:17, Samuel gives the people a sign.
17 âIs it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.â
And the people responded with confession,
19 And all the people said to Samuel, âPray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.â
God Still Gave a King
But this did not stop God from giving the people what they requested. This would begin the parade of Hebrew kings.
What is important to conclude is that just because God established a human monarchy does not change the fact that the request was an act of rejection and a wicked act. There is a sentiment among some Christians that because a human king ruled Godâs chosen people and God directed the process of establishing the monarchy, this must mean that the Hebrew monarchy was good. However, the text is very clear about how God frames the event. It is essential to distinguish what God allows from what He calls good.
This confusion has continued throughout time. Much of classical liberalism literature was drafted in the 17th century in opposition to the Divine Rights theory. King James I of England (1603â25), who commissioned and was the namesake of the 1611 English translation of the Bible, was the foremost exponent of the divine right of kings.1
Sir Robert Filmer wrote an essential piece of literature on the divine rights theory in the early 17th century (published in 1680). A key aspect of his argument was that he claimed, âGod Governed Always by Monarchy.â
John Locke and his contemporaries spent their lives untangling this mess, drawing on their observations of history and human nature. Do you know what they discovered? To summarize, they unpacked what scripture had always been saying:
10 as it is written: âNone is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.â (Romans 3:10-12 ESV)
Paulâs words in Romans directly echo both Psalm 14 and Psalm 53.
None on Earth is Worthy
What scripture teaches us is that none on Earth is worthy. We have no non-wicked option to set up as a king! Additionally, all humanity is equal in merit. Each individual is an image bearer of Christ and possesses a totally depraved nature. Thus, these two questions must always be asked, âWho among us is worthy to rule someone else?â and âWho among us deserves to be ruled by another fallen human?â
In Thomas Jeffersonâs first Inaugural Address, he deals with this issue: âSometimes it is said that man can not be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the forms of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question.â
These age-old questions were addressed at the inception of our nation after centuries of debate and historical case studies. In our nationâs oldest official document, the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson penned these words: âWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equalââ a direct affront to the divine rights theory!
Disclaimer: Although articulated and directed towards the monarchy, the elephant in the room is that while the young nation could see the injustice of the monarchy, some did not see the obvious egregious direct parallel with the slave trade. (And letâs not join in the hypocrisy by thinking our generation is the first that neither is ruled nor subjugated. There are many mechanisms of control in place based on the false premise that one âknows betterâ or that we ought to protect people from themselves.)
If we are to live in civility with equals, how is that possible? How can we honor the reality that no human is worthy to rule another human?
The answer to that question and a philosophical cornerstone for our constitutional republic is that âGovernments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.â
Our system was one in which we fundamentally confessed humanityâs wickedness and inadequacies and acknowledged the injustice that occurs when one human is subjected to another. With violence, we threw off the shackles and injustice of the British Monarchy, and the United States of America was born.
And here we sit, 247 years later, contemplating and celebrating the advent of the Holy Monarchy, the king born in a stable over 2000 years ago. Is there any chance 21st-century Americans might need to attend to their conflicting thoughts on monarchy?
How Can Christ be King, and Monarchy be Imperfect?
Human monarchies are only imperfect because humans fall short. When God was preparing Adam for Eve, God first paraded all the ânot-Evesâ in front of Adam.
18 Then the Lord God said, âIt is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.â 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. (Genesis 2:18-20 ESV)
Throughout history, a similar event has been unfolding from the ancient Kings, through the Hebrew kings, to the modern kings; a parade of unworthy counterfeits march across the pages of time. Their shortcomings cultivate an awareness and a yearning for what is missing. We realize that we must suffer through chaos, which is humansâ best attempt at justice, while we eagerly await the good, worthy and just King who is to come. The stage has been set for us now, the same as God did for Adam.
How do we rectify this as thankful Americans? The beauty within the American system is wrapped up in the humility and confession that no one here on earth is worthy and that each individual has dignity and deserves justice as an image bearer of Christ. As long as we embrace, manifest, and teach these principles, we are a living confession to the truth of our human condition and our need for the True King, and we live out the mandate in Micah 6:8 (ESV).
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
How Can I Embrace the Monarchy That Is?
The advent of the coming of Christ the King is problematic for our human limitations. We know that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit…
Born of the virgin Mary (First Advent)
On the third day, he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven (Ascension)
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there, he will come to judge the living and the dead (Second Advent)
In all this coming and going and coming again, do we forget that the âKingdom of Christ is at handâ? That our King stands outside of space and time? That his rule is eternal and that we are eternal souls? Consider this reminder from Colossians 3:15 (ESV).
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.”
For in all these things, there is much to celebrate, and we can sing along with this old song with a new appreciation.
Come, Thou long expected Jesus Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us, Let us find our rest in Thee. Israelâs strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art; Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart. Born Thy people to deliver, Born a child and yet a King, Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring. By Thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone; By Thine all sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne. By Thine all sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
-Charles Wesley
Lauren Gideon is the Director of Public Relations for Classical Conversations. She co-leads and teaches through an organization committed to raising citizenship IQ on U.S. founding documents. She and her husband homeschool their seven children on their small acreage, where they are enjoying their new adventures in homesteading.
As the Christmas season approaches and we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior, our calendar quickly fills with events, activities, gatherings with family and friends, shopping, etc., all good things. Still, we can lose sight of the most essential thing in the busyness: focusing on Christ. He quietly fades into the background of our busy schedule.
What could we do differently this year to intentionally focus on Christ, to prepare our hearts and homes to celebrate His birth?
This month is a time of âadventâ to slow down, remember, prepare, and spend moments in dedicated and intentional worship of our Savior, Jesus. We remember His birth on December 25 and prepare for His Second Coming, His Return. Advent is from the Latin word adventus, which means âcoming; arrival.â The early Christians were expectantly looking forward to Jesusâ Second Coming, but today, many put the focus on remembering His first coming as a baby in a manger. His first âadventâ is not the end of the story.
Two sisters in the Bible, Mary and Martha, in Luke 10:38-42, who both love Jesus, remind us not to become so distracted and overwhelmed with the good things that we miss the best thing, Christ Himself. Martha is like many of us as we prepare for Christmas. We attend many wonderful Christmas events and make memories with our families. We are busy rushing around checking off our to-do list. We have many things to do but leave ourselves physically exhausted and spiritually drained. Mary shows us a more excellent way by realigning, resting, and receiving the Living Word that transforms our souls. She sat with others to listen and learn from Jesus Himself.
âFocusing on the list might give us the Christmas we want, but so often at the expense of what we need. Unless we are intentional, all the shopping, decorating, wrapping, and attending can fill up our calendar but leave our soul empty.â
Year after year, I have been like Martha. All good things to plan and do, but neglecting the best, like Mary, worshiping and adoring our Savior and King. My challenge to myself and you this Advent season is to prepare our hearts for the arrival of our long-awaited Savior, to be like Mary and worship Him.
We can prepare our hearts for Jesusâs advent through:
Pray for Godâs wisdom about the activities, events, and gatherings we will participate in this season. Will it draw us closer to the Lord? Are they activities to fill our schedule or moments to fill our hearts in the worship of Jesus?
Set aside intentional time to worship, read Scripture, pray, listen to music, and sing songs that lead us to grow deeper in our relationship with Christ. We should not focus on a checklist to complete but should set aside time for true worship, as He has created us to worship Him in spirit and truth. (John 4:23). Also, to join other believers, worshiping and adoring our Savior at church and home. (Hebrews 10:23-25).
Keep our eyes, hearts, and minds on our hope in Christ as redeemed people bought with a price. (1 Corinthians 7:23) We are His children! We should be longing and looking for His Second Coming, awaiting His arrival, and preparing our hearts for that day.
This season, I will reorient myself to the best thing: worship through His word, prayer, and music that brings me to the throne of grace. I will invite others to do so as well. What about you? What will you do this Advent season to prepare your heart and home for Christâs coming?
Let me leave you with lyrics from Bob Kauflinâs song, âIn the First Light.â
In the first light of a new day No one knew He had arrived Things continued as they had been While a newborn softly cried. But the heavens wrapped in wonder Knew the meaning of His birth In the weakness of a baby They knew God had come to Earth.
As His mother held him closely, It was hard to understand That her baby not yet speaking Was the Word of God to man. He would tell them of His kingdom, But their hearts would not believe They would hate Him and in anger They would nail Him to a tree.
But the sadness would be broken As the song of life arose And the Firstborn of creation Would ascend and take his throne. He had left it to redeem us, But before His life began He knew Heâd come back not as a baby But as The Lord of evâry man.
Hear the angels as theyâre singing On the morning of His birth But how much greater will our song be When He comes again to Earth When He comes again
Hear the angels as theyâre singing On the morning of His birth But how much greater will our song be When He comes again to Earth When He comes to rule the Earth! When He comes back, When He comes back To rule the Earth!
Here are some additional resources to help prepare your heart and home for Christâs coming:
Jennifer Bright is the Communication Manager for Research and Quality Assurance forClassical Conversations. Jenniferâs passions are classical Christian education and discipling the next generation to live for Christ. She supports homeschool families by tutoring their students with the classical tools of learning. Jennifer and her husband began their homeschool journey almost 20 years ago in Russia while serving as missionaries, and currently, they reside in Covington, Louisiana.
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