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Candlemas is one of the less well-known Christian festivals. We remember Mary and Joseph taking the infant Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to be consecrated, as a first-born son (Luke 2: 22-40).

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https://kidzministry.org/2011/01/candlemas-assembly-and-sermon-idea/

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becausegodislove.wordpress.com/2015/01/31/light-in-the-darkness-a-sermon-for-candlemas-all-age-eucharist/

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Candlemas in an envelope
messychurch.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/pdf/Ashburton_Candlemas%20envelope.pdf

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https://www.sunhatsandwellieboots.com/2016/02/celebrating-candlemas-with-homemade.html

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These homemade candles make great little lights for Candlemas, & are a neat way to upcycle any old candles you may have around the house.

As a family, we celebrate Candlemas on 2nd February. On this day (& on the Sunday before) we like to fill our house with light to remind us that we can be lights of welcome, hope & friendship to those we meet throughout the year.

I had intended to use large oranges for this craft but satsumas were a little easier for smaller hands & the candle wax took less time to set.

We started by cutting the fruit in half, & scooping out the segments. To do this we gently ran a teaspoon around the inside of the skin before carefully lifting the fruit out with the spoon. We kept all the fruit to add to a fruit salad.

Once the fruit holders were ready we removed any discoloured wax or burnt wicks from the old candles using a blunt knife. (If you don't have any candles to upcycle you can purchase a range of beeswax pellets on-line.)

We used an old saucepan to melt our wax over a gentle heat, alternatively, you could melt the wax in a glass container over a pan of hot water. Obviously, this part of the activity is just for adults as the wax is very hot.

As the wax melted I carefully removed any wicks or dirt from the pan with a spoon. We added a little colour to one batch of the wax using these & simply stirred in a little of the colourant as the wax was melting.

Once completely melted I carefully transferred the wax to the satsuma halves using an old tablespoon. I added 2 tablespoons of wax to each holder, but you may wish to add more/less.

Next, we quickly added the candle wicks that we had made prior to the activity. To make these we secured a short length of string to a lolly stick using a loom band. (Those mini-bands come in so handy!) This does look bizarre but when the lolly stick is placed over the fruit it holds the wick in place as the wax sets.

Our candles took around an hour to set, but to speed up the process you can always pop them in the fridge. Once set, remove the lollystick & band & you're ready to light your homemade candle.

If you wish you could add decoration by cutting a pattern into the fruit using scissors. We wanted to create a crown effect with this one so cut a simple zig-zag design.

To add a little scent to one of the oranges we inserted a few cloves into the peel, making sure they were away from the flame.

I love the glow & the fragrance of these candles, & there is something really beautiful about their simplicity. (Obviously, these candles are never left lit in an unsupervised area.)

We'll be lighting these tonight & thinking how we can each radiate light & make a difference in our world. How we can show hope, kindness, & friendship to those we meet? We'll also be giving thanks for those people who are lights in our life.

May your day be filled with light today!

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Celebrating Candlemas with homemade Orange Peel Candles

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These homemade candles make great little lights for Candlemas, & are a neat way to upcycle any old candles you may have around the house. As a family, we celebrate Candlemas on 2nd February.

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http://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/2018/01/a-light-to-show-your-way-ideas-for.html

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The story of Jesus being presented in the temple is full of amazing imagery from Simeon and Anna about light and Jesus' power to set people free. If you are covering the story this Sunday (and even if you aren't!) here are some ideas to help you...
Activities

Prayer activities to bring out the theme of Jesus bringing light and rescue

Light to the world
Use print outs of world maps or of the local area and use highlighter pens to mark areas on the map. Pray that Jesus will bring his light and hope to those areas.
Candle Prayers
Give each child their own candle. Ask them to think of a situation in the world or their life where there is worry or sadness or loss. Ask Jesus to bring his light to those situations
Bubble wrap worry prayers
Tell God what you are worried about and pop a bubble on the bubble wrap as a sign of giving that worry to God and asking him to help you.
Exploration basket for younger children

torches, battery operated candles, yellow and black fabrics, yellow and red ribbons on curtain rings, sleep masks, crowns, wax candles, glitter bottles, hearts, foil, globe ball

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A light to show your way: Ideas for Candlemas and the Presentation of Jesus in the temple

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The story of Jesus being presented in the temple is full of amazing imagery from Simeon and Anna about light and Jesus' power to set people free. If you are covering the story this Sunday (and even if you aren't!) here are some ideas to help you...