Looking Ahead: Five Picks for an Advent Devotional
I know, I know…it’s not yet Thanksgiving and I’m already talking about Christmas?
I get it. I also cringe when I see all the Christmas displays come earlier and earlier. However, I thought I’d post for those of you who like to plan ahead. I hope it gives you time to make a decision and purchase.
Why Add More To A Season That’s Already Busy?
Good question!
My goal is not simply to add more to this season. But I do believe working through an Advent devotional has three benefits:
First, it prepares your soul by connecting it with God. Having something special to read in this season helps to reorient your heart, abide in the vine, and remember Him.
Second, it prepares you to love well. We often get frazzled because we are doing so many things: shopping, cooking, wrapping. Taking time to spend time with God provides a daily reminder to do all these things with love because He first loved us through the Christ of Christmas.
Third, it prepares us for the second Advent. We celebrate the first Advent that has passed as a reminder that there is a second one yet to come. Just like Mary, Elizabeth, Zechariah, the shepherds, Simeon, Anna, we look forward to His coming again.
Though we are to wait for Him all year, this season gives us a concentrated time to meditate on this reality. This is where we are in history! Will He return to find our eyes fixed in watchful expectation? Or will He find us caught up in the consumerism of our culture?
Okay—So Where Do I Start?
If you search for Christmas devotionals, you’ll probably pull up tons. More are being produced every year.
Here are a few that I found this year—some new and some not—that I have worked through myself or previewed.
Some of them begin on the first day of Advent (which is November 27 this year). Some start on December 1. Some span the four weeks of Advent and end on Christmas Day. Others go through the entire month of December.
Whatever you choose, my prayer is that one of these may be just the thing you need in this busy season to slow down, focus and remember the first Advent as we anticipate the second Advent to come.
Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas Time and Always—Ruth Chou Simons
Published: 2022
Start date: Dec. 1
Length: 25 days, ending on Christmas.
For who: This devotional may be better suited for busy mothers, as it often refers to scenarios of home, children, and the bustle of family.
Overview: Each week of this beautiful devotional has a specific focus. The first week focuses on our posture, moving us from worried, isolated, stressed to expectant, grateful and joyful. The second week zeroes in on God’s promises of a coming Messiah that will both save and transform us. The third week concentrates on nurturing our response: faith, repentance, and worship. And lastly, the week before Christmas centers on the many names of our Messiah found in Isaiah 9:6.
Besides her beautiful artwork, I found Ruth’s writing equally beautiful and compelling, with deep insights.
The book is available in hardcover only or you may listen to it as an audiobook, narrated by the author, but you will miss out on the rich illustrations.
The First Songs of Christmas: Meditations on Luke 1 & 2—Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
Published: 2018
Start date: Dec. 1
Length: 31 days, ending on New Year’s Eve
For who: If you’re looking for one that sticks to the Christmas story found in Scripture, this may be a good one for you.
Overview: While we may have traditional carols that we enjoy each year, the first Christmas had a different set of songs—the ones recorded in the first two chapters of Luke. Elizabeth, Mary, Zechariah, the angels, Simeon—they all sing. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth points out that these songs “create an ideal template for experiencing Advent” as we sing along with them. Each devotional will take a single line from each of these songs and develop them. For those of you with some extra time and interest, there are also prayers, additional Scripture, and journaling prompts that will allow you time to link the Scripture to your everyday life.
Unwrapping the Names of Jesus: An Advent Devotional—Asheritah Ciuciu
Published: 2017
Start date: The first Sunday of Advent.
Length: Four weeks leading up to Christmas Day.
For who: Those who desire to focus on the Christ of Christmas in all His many facets. Though this is written for adults, there are alterations you can make to adjust for children.
Overview: Each day in this devotional is a meditation on different names of Jesus as a way to “unwrap” the gift of Christ. The author explains: “Like twirling a brilliant-cut diamond in sunlight, meditating on Jesus’ names led me to admire the many facets of His character, each beautiful on its own, but when put together comprising a breathtaking picture of the Son of God made man for us.” By doing so, we can protect our hearts from “soul amnesia”—forgetting who God is and what He has done for us—and encouraging once again the wonder of Christ amidst all the other things that distract us from the greatest gift we have been given. Each week centers around the traditional themes of the season: Hope, Preparation, Joy, and Love.
While this devotional may be suitable for use with children, I’d recommend previewing the readings beforehand so you can determine whether you need to paraphrase or summarize it. Each weekday focuses on a name of Jesus with a devotional, prayer, and challenges for family worship. For the weekend, there are optional activities. At the end, the author’s desire is that you grow deeper in your worship of Christ. Check out the author’s website for a sample of the devotional as well as supplemental resources for home and church, including printable ornaments to color in, Christmas playlists, and a celebration guide. It even includes a video on how to make your own Advent candle wreath using mason jars and tea-lights.
If I were to use it when my kids were younger, I would probably focus on reading the Scripture, pulling one idea that they might understand from the devotional, and then doing an activity from the end of each week with them. Keep it simple.
If you like something similar for kids that focuses on the Christ of Christmas, you may wish to consider Ann Voskamp’s Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas. Her website (scroll down) also includes ornaments to create a “Jesse Tree” as an alternate to an Advent wreath.
Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room—Nancy Guthrie
Published: 2010
Start date: Dec. 1
Length: 31 days, ending on Dec. 31.
For who: Families with grade-school children
Overview: If you are looking for a simple devotional to read with your children this Christmas. It connects the old prophecies of the Messiah’s coming and connects them with the familiar Christmas story. By looking at how God has already kept his promises with the first Advent, we who are on the other side of the first Christmas can trust that He will keep His promises for the second Advent, the return of the Christ to bring His people to their final home.
The book includes a brief devotional suitable for grade-school children, along with a prayer, discussion starters that allow parents to talk about biblical concepts and why they matter today, additional Scripture to ponder and a place to journal some of the things your family discussed through the season. Interspersed throughout the devotional are familiar Christmas carols to sing, linking it with the ideas in the devotional.
If you prefer to use this for yourself, the text only of this devotional is found also in the adult coloring book All is Bright: A Devotional Journey to Color Your Way to Christmas. From comments in the reviews, the devotional is on the other side of the coloring page, so beware of using markers that bleed through. As with all such detailed work, you probably will not keep pace with the reading, but hopefully, you will not let that stop you from working through the devotional!
Heaven and Nature Sing: 25 Advent Reflections to Bring Joy to the World—Hannah Anderson
Published: 2022
Start date: Dec. 1
Length: 25 days, ending on Christmas Day
For who: For those who enjoy creation, good writing and thoughtful insights.
Overview: From her Virginia home, Hannah Anderson reflects on analogies and pictures from nature and pairs them with biblical truths that are appropriate for the Christmas season. Each day is accompanied by an illustration by her husband, Nathan Anderson. She picks up on some of the details, such as swaddling bands, ceremonial purification, and firstborn sons, that we often overlook. These readings are slightly longer than the ones above, and the author extends grace, saying, “feel free to begin this book with the best of intentions, get busy with holiday preparations, lose it among the gift wrap, find it two weeks later, and binge several readings in one sitting to catch up.” If that describes you, then this devotional may be a great fit!
There are many other options, so if none of these appeal to you, I encourage you to browse around. WTSBooks has a great selection as well as 10ofThose. Happy reading!
