This is such a great passage for All Age worship, especially for younger children. It is multi-sensory, and helps create a context for praying together.

The altar of incense is in the Temple, right up against the curtain that separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. IT’s right in the midst of the Ark (throne of the Father), the Table of the Bread of the Presence (Christ), and the seven-branched lampstand (Holy Spirit). The Altar itself, and the incense rising from it, represents the Church at prayer (e.g. Rev.8:2-4; Psalm 141:2, hence the comment in Luke 1:10). That in itself is pretty amazing. When the Church is praying we are right at the border between heaven and earth (what the Curtain represents), and is caught up into the midst of the life of the Trinity. We are joining the Fellowship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Both the Son and the Spirit are described as interceding for us (Heb.7:25 ; Rom.8:27).

So, why not lay out the Temple so that everyone can see it (there is a plan below). Or if you are feeling creative, and have time in the midst of getting ready for Christmas (!), why not make an Altar of Incense, and burn some incense so that you can smell and see the smoke. Then just add your prayers. You may want to have written those before hand if you or your children aren’t confident praying out loud. If you can’t think of anything else to pray about, why not pray for some of the Christmas events going on over the next few weeks, or the Alpha Course in January? Here is a plan of the Tabernacle, on which the Temple was modelled:

And this is what the Alter of Incense looked like:

OR:

You might find it helpful to take the opportunity to talk together as a family about what it means to turn the hearts of children to their parents (1:17). What do you think this means? What does it look like? How does it tie in with e.g. the 5th Commandment? Why might parents and children’s hearts not be turned ‘to’ each other? What can you do about it? This gives us a chance to talk with our children about what it means for us to love them and for them to honour us, as we lead our families in the worship of the living God.

Or another angle might be the rebuke that Gabriel gives as Zechariah questions his words, brought as they have been from the ‘presence of God’. How should we respond to such words? What should such words evoke in us? How are such words brought to us today?

And don’t forget to use the Jesse Tree Family Worship for Advent if that works better for you. You can find it on the MIE Website, here.