This week we light the fourth and final purple candle – the candle of Love. After hope, peace, and joy, we arrive at love. It’s the culmination of everything Advent has been preparing us for: the love of God made visible in the Nativity story, announced by angels, and offered to the whole world.

In scouting, we talk a lot about values, skills, and character. But how often do we talk about love?

Not romantic love, obviously, but the deeper kind – the love that makes a young person check if their patrol mate is okay, the love that drives us leaders to give up our Monday evenings or what ever the day(s) of the week we Scout. That’s the love that builds communities and changes lives!

So how does love show up in Scouting?

Love in Action – The Nativity story is about love made real, love that took action. God didn’t just feel loving toward humanity – that love became a person, born in a stable. Similarly, scouting isn’t about talking about good values; it’s about living them. This week, can we challenge our scouts to show love in action? Help someone who’s struggling, include someone who’s left out, do something kind without being asked.

Love in Leadership – Let’s be honest with ourselves: why do we do this? We could have our Monday evenings back. We could avoid the stress of risk assessments and permission slips. But we do it anyway because we love these young people. We see their potential, we believe in them, and we want to help them become the best versions of themselves. That’s love. This week, maybe we take a moment to tell our Scouts why we’re here, what we see in them.

Love in Community – The angels announced Christ’s birth to everyone – shepherds, wise men, the whole world. Love isn’t exclusive; it’s inclusive. How do our Scout Groups reflect that? Are we communities where every young person feels genuinely valued and loved for who they are? Where differences are celebrated? Where everyone belongs?

This Week’s Activity: Handmade Gifts from the Heart

Love is best expressed through thoughtful action, so this week have your Scouts create handmade gifts for people who matter to them – family members, friends, or perhaps their incredibly dedicated Scout Leaders (just saying!). These could be decorated photo frames with a group photo, handmade cards with personal messages, painted plant pots with herbs or bulbs, homemade biscuits in decorated tins, or personalised bookmarks. The gift itself matters less than the thought and care put into it. As they work, talk about why we give gifts, what makes a gift meaningful, and how small acts of love can have a big impact. Encourage them to think about what would bring joy to the specific person they’re making it for – that’s love in action.

Love as the Foundation – Hope, peace, and joy are wonderful, but without love they’re incomplete. You can have hope but still be selfish. You can have peace but still be indifferent. You can have joy but still be unkind. Love is what ties it all together. Love is what makes a scout group more than just a Sunday evening activity – it makes it a family.

Love in Service – As we approach Christmas, our final service projects could focus on love in its most practical forms. Not grand gestures, but genuine care: time with those who are lonely, help for those who are struggling, warmth for those who are cold. The kind of love that shows up, rolls up its sleeves, and gets involved.

The Nativity Lesson

The Nativity story tells us that love arrived in the most unexpected way – not in a palace but in a stable, not announced to kings first but to shepherds. Sometimes the most profound love in our scout groups shows up in unexpected places too: the quiet scout who notices when someone’s upset, the struggling learner who becomes the best encourager, the smallest patrol that pulls together with the biggest heart.

I’d love to hear from other Scout Leaders: How do you cultivate a culture of genuine care in your group? What’s the most powerful example of love in action you’ve seen in scouting? How do you talk about love with your young people without it feeling awkward or preachy?

As we reach the final week of Advent, preparing for Christmas, may we remember that everything we do in scouting – every knot taught, every camp survived, every challenge overcome – is ultimately an act of love. Love for these young people, love for this movement, and love for the kind of world we’re helping to build, one scout at a time.

Merry Christmas

Mark