Celebrated during the four weeks before Christmas, the season of Advent is an opportunity to draw closer to Jesus as we remember his birth and wait in hopeful anticipation for the day He will return and restore all things. We live in a duality: Jesus offers us hope and restoration, and we get a foretaste of that through the Holy Spirit right now, and yet, we still struggle and feel the pain from the brokenness around us. We long for the day that things will be set right. Even the typical stress and busyness of the Christmas season is a reminder of how quickly we distort good things and lose track of the reason we celebrate.
This year we have not created our own Advent guide for the Christmas season as we have in the past. Instead, we have asked our staff to share some thoughts and suggestions for you to use during the season of Advent to draw closer to Jesus.
There are many online Advent guides available. If you are looking for a guide grounded in Scripture to help you slow down and reflect on Christ’s coming this holiday season, check out these guides from the The Village Church and Hope Fellowship Church.
Read a book and listen to an Advent playlist
“For me, Advent is a season of anticipation that keeps me grounded in what we are celebrating. As my kids get excited by all the gift-giving and receiving, Advent Scripture readings center us and help us keep Jesus in the forefront. What I appreciate about Advent most is that it is a reminder of God’s faithfulness. The traditional readings and reflections paint a bigger picture that views Jesus’s birth in the context of it being part of God’s plan from the very beginning.”
– Rachel
For those looking for a book, Rachel recommends Ann Voskamp’s book The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the full love story of Christmas and Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp.
Advent worship songs can both connect us to past generations declaring the richness of God, and let us hear the new songs the Spirit is giving the church today. Rachel suggests checking out the Gospel Coalition’s Advent playlist available on Spotify and Apple Music . Read this article for links to the playlists and for more 2021 Advent suggestions.
Ideas for Families
“Last year was the first year my family celebrated Advent. We made an Advent wreath that we created from items lying around the house based on an example I found online. We were worshipping from home and we lit candles along with the our church family each Sunday and did the Scripture readings together. It was a blessing to focus on the importance of Jesus’ birth as a family. For families with young kids, I suggest keeping it simple. It does not need to be elaborate or complicated. If you don’t have something on hand, improvise. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It’s about spending time with your kids and focusing on Jesus.”
– Natasha
Here are a few recommendations for families with young children:
The Giving Manger is an interactive book and manger set where you fill the manger with straw by performing kind deeds and acts of service. Together, the family fills the manger and prepares their hearts for the birth of Jesus.
The Wonder of the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp is a book Rachel has used with her family. It is a fun pop-up Advent calendar with 25 family devotions.
BP Kids uses the Orange curriculum and they have a fun printable Advent calendar that you can use with your family. Click on the links below for pdfs you can print and use.
Download and print this Advent booklet from our Orange curriculum
Here is the same thing, but in calendar format. Follow along and alter for what works for your family! Orange curriculum Advent calendar
And for BridgePointe Students, Fred recommends the following four week devotion. Click through and print out the four weeks for you teen to use.
Find ways to be part of the redemption that Jesus brought
I love the Advent season because it encourages us to remember the big picture of God’s love for His people and understand the significance of that very first advent: the coming of a Savior.
We see God’s promise of redemption fulfilled and we know that a new era of God’s restoration has been ushered in. I’ve always felt the tension of what to do while we wait. The answer is simple. God calls us to be a part of His restoration plan while we wait for the day in which we will worship Him in perfect peace for all of eternity.
My family has taken this to heart, to act in the waiting, by looking for ways we can show kindness to others, serve and make a difference right here and now. There are simple actions we can take that make a large impact:
- Invite someone for dinner
- Look for people around you who are lonely and hurting this time of year
- Reconsider people, even those in your family, who need attention and care.
Take time this season to pray and ask God what you can do while you wait.- Keith