#advent devotional

Advent is a strange season.

If you’re trying to sort it out, don’t look to pop culture for help. Society doesn’t know what to do with it. Even as Christians, we’re not so sure what to do with Advent either.

Is Advent the pre-game show for Christmas? I guess. Kind of.

But that’s not all it is. Advent has its own color for a reason. Advent is also its own thing, its own season.

One of the classic things that churches do for Advent is hold penance services. And a lot of people will pick up extra devotions during Advent. Like daily Mass or the Rosary.

Which can make Advent seem like the second coming of Lent. Most of the same stuff. But without Stations of the Cross or fish on Friday.

But that’s not it. Advent isn’t a low-budget version of Lent.

Advent is the season of hope. And of preparation.

Which means there’s a different feel, even for the penance services.

Because in Advent, there’s just no getting away from the anticipation, from that strong undercurrent of joy. Because we know Who’s coming.

Which means that the penances and devotions of Advent don’t feel like sack cloth and ashes and fasting. The penances and devotions of Advent feel more like getting our place ready for company.

It’s more like straightening up and taking the trash out. Because Someone we can’t wait to see is coming over.

Not because we’re trying to make everything perfect. Or pretend that we’ve got it all together. But because we’re so excited that He’s coming.

We want Him to feel welcome. To know that He’s wanted.

And the place that we’re getting ready? It’s right here, in our hearts.

One great way to start? With an Advent daily devotional.

You’ll be surprised how much there is to Advent. And how much more Christmas will mean to you. With just a minute or two each day on the way there.

If you’ve never tried an Advent daily devotional, today is the perfect time.

There are a lot of good ones out there. This year, I’m re-reading Pope Benedict XVI’s “The Blessings of Christmas.” It’s a very accessible yet profound set of meditations on the blessings of Advent and Christmas, one that speaks to both the mind and the heart.

But whatever you do, take advantage of Advent. Take the moment, in hope, in joyful anticipation, to prepare for the One who can’t wait to be you this Christmas. 

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:15‭-‬23‬ (‭ESV‬‬). “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

“Waiting with Joy” Devotional 16th December:

“Be Thankful for Someone” By Words of Hope:

“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” (v. 16)

“Over the years I’ve tried to cultivate the habit of starting each day by thinking of someone to be thankful for. I’ll be brushing my teeth, or shaving, and I’ll think: Who should I be thankful for today? Once I even put a sticky note on the bathroom mirror: Be Thankful for Someone. God has sprinkled so many wonderful people into my life, and being grateful for them only seems right and proper. Beyond that, gratitude has a way of making me feel peaceful and calm. What a pleasant way to begin the day.

Again and again in his epistles Paul thanks God for friends and fellow believers: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,” he says to believers in Philippi (Phil. 1:3). Here in Ephesians, Paul says, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Paul is generous with gratitude.

If you’re anything like me, you have a lot of people to be grateful for. Some people we can name—parents, teachers, mentors. But many are anonymous—the fellow who held the door open for you, the driver who allowed you to merge into traffic, the hospice nurse who was so loving to your grandfather in his last days.

Your Advent activity for today may seem profoundly simple, but its effect can be simply profound: Be thankful for someone.”

My friend Enrique Cintrón (a super cool person, you can listen to / read the conversation we had like a year ago on my podcast here) has a devotional out for Advent!

Day 10: The Angels

During the very first Christmas, angels kept appearing out of nowhere. The angel Gabriel, appeared to Mary proclaiming the good news that she would be the mother of the Messiah. Another angel appeared to Joseph, telling him that they shall name the Messiah, Jesus. Then, the night of Jesus’ birth, an entire army of angels delivered the announcement of Jesus’ birth to shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem. Angels were messengers from God. They came to announce important news to others.

Exodus 23:20 says, “I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.”

Jesus is the most special gift that we can give or receive this Christmas. That’s why we are called to share Jesus with others.

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭46:1‭-‬11‬ ‭(ESV‬‬). “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”

“Be Still” Advent Devotional 17th December ” - By Words of Hope:

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (‭‭Ps‬ ‭46:10)

“When I asked one of my Bible study friends what he most wanted for Christmas, he gave a wistful sigh and said: “Some stillness and silence would be nice.” How about you? Our Bible reading today suggests that God wants that for us even more than we want it ourselves. Psalm 46 begins with a promise that God will protect us in the hardest times, and it ends with a forceful command to be still.

I worry, sometimes, that I’m not cultivating that stillness. I’m not listening, not paying attention to God, not cultivating a quiet place on my insides where the voice of God can find resonance. I go skipping from one diversion to the next, skimming along on the surface of life and not going deep. Noise, hurry, and confusion seep into my life. Perhaps if I relied on God more as my refuge, he wouldn’t need to command me to be still and accept his help.

When I catch myself in a blur of worry and hurry I stop what I am doing, take a deep breath, and say to myself: “Be quiet. Be still. God is in control.” To be still doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means to stop acting like everything depends on you. It means to cease striving. The hymn writer Kathrina von Schlegel said it best: “Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know / His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.”

Today’ s Activity: Find a quiet place, by yourself. Turn off your phone and other distractions, and take five minutes to sit in the stillness.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:6‭-‬7‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

“Give Christmas Presence” Advent Devotional - December 24th - By Words of Hope:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.” (v. 6)

“In 1615, Anthony van Dyck finished painting Adoration of the Shepherds. One version shows the shepherds kneeling in the stable, all straining forward to see the infant Jesus, snug in his mother’s arms. And the shepherds’ wives are present—a nice touch! One of the women is stretching out her hand to offer the holy child an egg. The wise men, we are told, gave fantastic, opulent gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But this woman gives a simple, practical, and very useful gift.

There are gifts we can give at Christmas that cost little or nothing, yet they can be very useful, and profoundly meaningful. I’m thinking about things like the gift of encouragement (1 Thess. 5:11). And then there’s the gift of prayer. In my last church, there was a group of people who met early on Sunday mornings to pray for me, their pastor. That meant the world to me.

Perhaps most important, we can give the gift of ourselves, our presence. The irony of the Christmas season is that we get so busy that we have little time for the people in our lives. This Christmas, don’t just give presents, give presence. That’s what Christmas is all about: God giving the gift of himself. God gives us his presence, in the form of a child, born in a manger. “To us a child is born, to us a son is given.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:41‭-‬51‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬. “Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished.

And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.”

“Treasure Up All These Things” Advent Devotional 19th December - By Words of Hope:

“And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.” (v. 51)

“Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress” (v. 48).

“Believe me, that’s a lot more polite than I would have been if my adolescent child had left me for three days without telling me where he was going.

Jesus’ teenage response almost makes it sound like his parents were at fault: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (v. 49).

Mary didn’t understand her son’s meaning, but she kept an open mind and “treasured up all these things in her heart” (v. 50).

There are only a few snippets of Scripture in which we see Mary’s interactions with her son, but she and Joseph showed an enlightened parenting. Mary seemed to realize that you don’t have to understand your child completely to love your child completely.

She gave her child the last word in an argument and was able to open a discussion without closing it by saying something like, “Because I said so, that’s why!” Instead, Mary chose to live with what she didn’t understand. She had raised an adolescent son who felt secure enough to voice his expectations for his parents as readily as they voiced their expectations for him, which is rare. Mary allowed her child to think his own thoughts, even make his own decisions. Blessed are you when you have a parent like Mary.