Christmas is my favorite holiday for many reasons.
The twinkling lights and Christmas trees.
The music.
The gifts.
The decorations.
The delicious food.
The gathering of friends and family.
These all point to the biggest reason Christmas is my favorite holiday – the birth of our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ!
Advent is the wonderful season of expectant waiting and joyous celebration of the coming of Jesus Christ to earth. It comes from the latin words ‘ad venio’, which means ‘to come’. Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary further defines ‘advent’ this way, “It is intended as a season of devotion, with reference to the coming of Christ in the flesh, and his second coming to judge the world.”
At the root of all the delight, wonder, and celebration of Christmas is the greatest news in all the world! It’s the news that the angel shared with the shepherds in Luke 2:
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
This is the Gospel (which comes from the old English word which means ‘good news’)!
I love to use the weeks leading up to Christmas to meditate on Scripture and focus on my Savior. By doing so, all the other trappings of Christmas become more special and meaningful in light of Christ’s coming.
So, I thought I would compile a list of advent resources for any who are interested! These will hopefully help you bask in the wonder and joy of the Christmas season as you glory in our Savior! And please let us know in the comments about your favorite advent resources and/or Christmas traditions. We’d love to hear!
Advent Resources
Each day has an Old and New Testament reading along with a meditation and prayer. The devotionals are brief yet rich with meaningful truths on which to meditate.
This devotional by Robert J. Morgan provides meditations based on classic hymns and Christmas carols. Perfect for history and music lovers alike!
This devotional by Asheritah Ciuciu is great for use as a family! It provides a devotional, prayer, discussion questions, and meditations that the whole family can enjoy. I also love how this devotional provides a ‘Hope in Action’ section for each week of Advent, where she provides suggestions of family activities as well as service-oriented projects. She also provides weekly family worship devotionals for use with an advent wreath, which can make family worship even more special during this time!
This devotional encourages the reader to slow down and savor the glorious truths of the Gospel. It contains daily Scripture readings, a thought-provoking devotional, prayer, and reflection questions, helping the reader contemplate the meaning of Christmas with a fresh perspective.
This is Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth’s most recent devotional, and it focuses on the six songs recorded in the first two chapters of Luke (i.e. songs from Elizabeth, Mary, Zechariah, etc). It’s divided into 31 days of Scripture readings with accompanying devotional, prayer, reflection questions, and additional Scriptures. You can also sign up for free companion devotionals emailed to your inbox!
Scripture Reading Calendar (Free Printable)
Sometimes it’s nice to just have all your readings for the season on one page! This beautiful Scripture Reading Calendar from The Arc is a great resource to print out and keep in your Bible!
What are your favorite resources for Advent? I’d love to hear!
