Advent 2024

Advent is the season leading up to Christmas, when the church gives attention to the coming of Jesus and gives reflection to what it means for us. The weeks leading up to Christmas can be a flurry of to-do lists & stress. The season of Advent is a chance to step out of a worldly approach to Christmas and center ourselves on the importance of Jesus’ arrival.

Teaching Series: The Nativity
Matthew's Gospel presents Jesus as the fulfillment of all of God's promises. This account gives special attention to how the arrival of Jesus impacts all people in real and everyday ways. As we follow the story, we hope to see ourselves in it and discover how Jesus still changes everything for those who encounter Him.

Each week of this series, we’ll be posting weekly readings that you can use on your own during the Advent season. So grab some coffee or hot cocoa, cozy up to the Christmas tree and dive deeper into the arrival of Jesus with us this December.

2024 Advent Scripture Guide

3 week Reading Plan

S.O.A.P. Bible Study Method
Use a journal and put the S.O.A.P. method to work through any passage of Scripture. If Scripture reading isn’t a regular rhythm we encourage you to reorder your daily routine to make it a priority.

Silence
Take a moment to be silent, pray and listen to the Spirit before you start.

Observation
Read the text and ask the following questions:
• What sticks out to you? (main point, repeated words, key concepts, etc.)
• What does this reveal about God’s desire to be with His people?
• What does God expect or require for people to be with Him?

Application
Write down how the passage applies to your life
• How should this change the way that I think?
• What does this challenge me to do?

 

Week 1 - Faith in God’s Promises.
Matthew begins his account of the Good News about Jesus with a genealogy. While this seems tedious, it shows that Jesus is the fullfillment of God's promise to bless and save all people through a coming King. All who believe in Jesus find this gift in Him.

  • Day 1: The Beginning of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17)

    • Why do you think it mattered so much for Jews to see Jesus as The Messiah, the one God had promised? 

    • How does the life of Jesus confirm what Matthew claimed within this genealogy? 

    • What promises of God do you feel like you need fulfilled in your life right now? 

    • How can the life of Jesus assure you that God will keep those promises?

  • Day 2: God’s Promise to Abraham (Genesis 12, 22)

  • Day 3: God’s Promise to David (2 Samuel 7; Isaiah 9:6-7)

  • Day 4: The Faithfulness of Rahab (Joshua 1-2)

    • What does Rahab’s story reveal about what it means to have faith in God? 

    • Would you describe your faith in Jesus as strong, struggling, or somewhere in between? What has contributed to this? 

    • Is there any way you can choose to trust God this week as a way to grow in your faith?

  • Day 5: The Faithfulness of Ruth (Ruth 1-4)

  • Day 6: God’s Promise to People in Exile (Jeremiah 29, 31)

Week 2 - Faith in Obedience.
As you read these Scriptures this week, look for the ways that people trusted and obeyed God and consider how you can do the same because of your faith in Jesus.

  • Day 1: Matthew 1:18-25

  • Day 2: Luke 1:1-25, 57-80

  • Day 3: Luke 1:26-56; Luke 2:1-7

  • Day 4: Luke 2:8-40

  • Day 5: Hebrews 11

  • Day 6: James 2:14-26

Week 3 - Worship for God’s Messiah
The birth of Jesus brings two very diffferent responses from Herod and the Wise Men. One is threatened and the other is thrilled by the possibility of a new King. How we respond to Jesus has a lot to do with how willing we are to let Him have what is valuable to us.

  • Day 1: Micah 5

    • What parts of this point to Jesus and how does it portray what Jesus will do when He comes?

  • Day 2: Matthew 2:1-18

    • What stands out to you about Herod’s response to the birth of Jesus?

    • Herod’s paranoia seems unreasonable, but what did he stand to lose with the coming of God’s promised king? And what could he have gained from it? 

    • How do you face a similar experience of losing and gaining much from Jesus becoming your King? 

    • What do you notice about the response of the Magi to the birth of Jesus?

    • What can you learn from them about curiosity, pursuit, and worship toward Jesus?

  • Day 3: Revelation 12

    • What part of this vision resembles the story of Matthew 2?

    • How does this give you insight into the spiritual reality surrounding Jesus' birth?

  • Day 4: Mark 8:27-38

    • What does this reveal about who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him?

  • Day 5: Matthew 13:44-46

    • How do these parables help you understand what Jesus requires from you and offers to you?