Note: What follows is, in essence, a re-post of a piece I wrote about Advent in 2018. I've updated it to exclude outdated references and include some newly released resources for both adults and a few for families. Again, the essence of the original post remains. I hoped then, as I do now, that this piece and the resources it contains will be helpful in pointing you towards the coming of Christ this Advent.
I know, at this point you've been to Walmart, or wherever, and lamented the present reality that Christmas is already knocking at our doors. Even before Halloween, you probably noticed pre-lit trees going up along a few scantly staged aisles of decor featuring snowmen and elven-like characters. Yes, my friends, Christmas is right around the corner. So before it's here and you're caught unprepared, deer-in-headlights mode fully engaged... please, hear me: prepare yourself for the season of Advent now.
If you've been in a church long enough, you've probably heard the term “Advent” tossed around more than a few times. There might have even been a wreath with candles and someone reading a piece of scripture as they lit a candle on said wreath. If you're still unsure of what Advent is, it's okay, you're not alone. Let's dig into the meaning of Advent from a high altitude.
Advent is a season that takes place during the month of December on the church liturgical calendar. In Latin, the word means "coming" and so we observe this season of the church calendar as a time to celebrate the first coming of Christ –as a baby in a manger– as well as a time of expectation for his second coming to make all things new. Advent allows us to reflect on the work set before Christ both in days past and in the age to come; it's a season that creates a sense of longing in the life of Christian for Christ's eventual return.
This year, Advent begins on December 1st, which is the first Sunday of December, and each week generally observes a theme: hope, peace, joy and love. At Gateway, we'll be jumping into an Advent series based on the church lectionary in order to help focus our hearts towards Christ.
Even though we have a series planned out at church to help us experience Advent, there are days between Sundays to be accounted for, so I want to encourage you to find an Advent Devotional to help you walk through this season of longing and expectation for Christ. The trick is this: don’t wait, find one now. We all know how busy December gets every year. We have sports, school functions, office parties, family parties, and Schmoops probably needs to hit up the groomer too. Before you know it, it’s December 23rd and you wonder how in the world you wound up in a ridiculous sweater holding a moose head glass filled with eggnog? And you’re pretty sure you haven’t started your Christmas shopping yet either!
The point is this: begin your quest for an Advent guide now, so when December 1st rolls around you’re ready. There are more than a few resources out there, so let me point you towards a few good resources to explore. Most of them are robust, but most are easy to use and follow.
The Village Church
The Village Church is a multi-site church based in Texas. You might have heard of The Village Church before because their pastor, Matt Chandler, is a popular preacher and speaker. Each year for the past few years they've shared a free Advent Devotional online that they create for their church. The Village Church is always gracious with their resources, so they share it publicly for the benefit of other churches. It not only features a personal study, but a family discipleship study as well. I've provided the link to their 2017 Advent Devotional, as that is the most recent devotional available through their resources website, and down below I’ve linked to a family guide they authored in 2018.
Link
The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper
This is a small booklet that Pastor Ben actually gifted each staff member one year and I love it. It really is a small book, and each daily reading is only about 2 pages. It's not going to take up much space in whatever bag you use during your day. It can actually fit in some coat pockets. Despite it's small footprint, each daily reading is wonderfully profound. I really enjoyed reading through this devotional and commend it to you. The best part is... it can be downloaded for free. Of course, you can also purchase it too, but Dr. Piper through his ministry, Desiring God, releases his books for free in digital form. Check it out.
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Love Came Down at Christmas by Sinclair B. Ferguson
I've not read this work, yet, but others have commended to me and since I’ve read other works by Ferguson and I find it hard to believe this wouldn't be helpful. I'm thinking about purchasing a copy to skim through next year or beyond. You can never be too prepared.
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Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp
We’ve utilized some of Tripp’s teachings for special events and our pastors have quoted Tripp in their sermons, so obviously his work is influential and helpful. I used this as my Advent devotional last year and really enjoyed it.
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Joy Upon Joy: An Advent Devotional by Charles Spurgeon
If you're familiar with Charles Spurgeon, you know how powerful his writing (and, more notably, his preaching) is even today. I have his devotional Morning and Evening and it's magnificent. I wasn't aware of this work until just recently, so I'll probably grab a copy to myself.
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Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ by Timothy Keller
I've been working my way through Keller's devotional on Proverbs in 2019, and, like all Keller's works, it's been enormously instructive and edifying. I have no doubt that this work will follow that trend. This is also not a daily devotional, but the content outline and sample presents a work that is no less helpful for Christians during the season as a daily devotional would be. If you're someone who typically does work through a daily/weekly devotional each Advent, perhaps this may be a nice way to break that up a bit for a year.
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Peace: Classic Readings for Christmas by Stephen J. Nichols
This is another book I've been circling for years. It's a collection of scriptures and prayers and reflections for the Advent season.
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All Is Bright: A Devotional Journey to Color Your Way to Christmas by Nancy Guthrie
This is an interesting addition as it's not only an Advent devotional, but it also adds a coloring component as well. Over the last decade, adult coloring books have become a popular item for adults who want to engage in a creative outlet, but would rather it be something a little more age-appropriate than Anna and Elsa or Paw Patrol. The devotionals are thoughtful and engaging, and the coloring pages are intricate and beautiful.
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These following resources are more family-focused
Prepare Him Room by Marty Machowski
This is a family devotional that is more involved as it contains readings and music and crafts as well as family discussion time. If you love Pinterest projects… this is probably your speed. It's not a daily devotional; it breaks the study into a few parts for each week, but it’s still quite robust so you want to make sure your family’s schedule isn’t too hectic this Advent season.
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The Littlest Watchmen by Scott James + Advent Calendar by Alison Mitchell
We own the book and our kids really like it, so I was excited to learn there is an Advent calendar with 25 short devotions now as well. The story uses imagery from Isaiah to follow a little boy named Benjamin as he looks for the arrival of the promised King. The illustrations are fantastic and it's a wonderful way to demonstrate patient waiting for the Lord's return. Here is a link to a bundle that contains both the book and calendar. We’ve used this in our own home in the past and enjoyed it.
Link
The Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Guide
There are more than a few families at Gateway who’ve made good use of the Jesus Storybook Bible through the years; our copy at home is actually beginning to fall apart. The thing I like about the Jesus Storybook Bible is that it helps children see that Jesus isn’t just present in the New Testament, but it teaches them (and adults, if we’re being honest) to see Jesus in the Old Testament, too. So this is a fun little reading guide that lays out an Advent reading plan using parts of the Jesus Storybook Bible. You have to sign up to gain access to a PDF of the guide, but otherwise it’s a free resource. There are instructions for parents, and then printable cards with each day’s reading on them. Even if you don’t print and cut out the cards, you can still make your own document with the selected readings to follow.
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The Christmas Promise by Catalina Echeverri and Alison Mitchell
This book also has a companion Advent calendar and family devotional that you can purchase. There is also a board book version for younger children as well.
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A Very Noisy Christmas by Tim Thornborough, illustration by Jennifer Davison
This fun book attempts to take the idea of a silent night and flip that on its ear a little bit. I mean, we all know there were animals present so clearly there was noise and we know the heavenly hosts were singing praises over the newborn king.
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Keeping Holiday by Starr Meade
This is a book a for older children, much in the spirit of C.S. Lewis' works of fiction. This book helps children to learn how God brings people to faith, and also grasp the meaning of the Incarnation. It's a limited stock title, which means once the seller sells through them, they're no longer available through the link provided below.
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The Christmas Story: The Bible Version by Carine Mackenzie
If you're of the way the Jesus Storybook Bible is written and laid out, I think you'll probably enjoy this work as well. It's by a different author and illustrator, but this book helps lead us through the Christmas story using a biblical narrative.
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Family Advent Guide by The Village Church
I already linked to an older Advent guide offered by The Village Church, but discovered they released another family-centric Advent Guide last year and wanted to include it for 2019.
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So, those are some resources I commend to you to help focus your gaze toward Christ this Advent season. Again, we all know how busy December gets and how easily it is to get distracted from the purpose of this season. An Advent guide helps push out the noise and tune your heart to the goodness of Christ’s coming and his return. Whether you’re looking for something for your own personal study, or something for your whole family, those should get you started. I hope you'll take the opportunity to dig deeper into the meaning and the joy of Advent.
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