It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The overly cheerful music blasting over the store speakers won’t let us forget that, though all we came in for was a bar of soap.
Our schedules fill up with school concerts, church events, and parties at work. The press of decorating, cooking, finding the ugliest sweater, and looking for meaningful gifts gets to all of us—even those who most strongly dislike the commercialized rush of the Christmas season.
How do we keep our focus on the incarnation? How do we use this season to teach our children the truths of the faith amid a flood of commercialism? How do we resist the pressures of the season?
One way is to set aside time for individual or family worship that’s structured around the traditional Advent calendar. Here are several resources to help keep your focus on the Savior who came so long ago and has promised he’s coming again.
1. The Weary World Rejoices edited by Melissa Kruger (TGC)
Many churches and families use Advent wreaths to help prepare for celebrating the Lord’s birth at Christmas. The evergreen wreath symbolizes eternal life and includes four candles—typically three purple and one pink, with a white candle in the middle that symbolizes the purity of Christ.
The Gospel Coalition’s editorial team wrote 25 devotional readings using the Advent wreath to focus hearts and minds on Christ during the Christmas season. These reflections are brief but encouraging, suitable for a busy family or individual. They’re structured around traditional Advent themes—hope, peace, joy, love, and faith. Each reading will help in celebrating Christ’s first coming while longing for his second. (Read sample devotionals from Melissa Kruger, Brett McCracken, and others.)
2. Journey to Bethlehem: A Treasury of Classic Christmas Devotionals edited by Leland Ryken (Crossway)
What did Isaac Watts, John Donne, and Augustine of Hippo have to say about Christmas?
In Journey to Bethlehem, noted literary scholar Leland Ryken collects readings from classic Advent hymns, sermons, and poems. Each of the 30 readings is accompanied by an explanation from Ryken, a devotional summary, and a Scripture reading that illuminates the theme of the reading.
Each of the readings in this volume stands alone, as Ryken reminds readers in the introduction. So it doesn’t matter if you miss a day, use it intermittently in a group setting, or follow a regular daily plan in the home. The quality of the readings feeds the soul, connecting contemporary readers to earlier generations’ celebrations of Christ’s incarnation. This resource is best suited for individuals or for families with older children.
3. Wonders of His Love: Finding Jesus in Isaiah by Champ Thornton (New Growth Press)
Champ Thornton, author of The Radical Book for Kids, wrote an Advent devotional geared for families with lower elementary children. With four weeks of brief devotionals for five days a week and one specifically for Christmas Day, this is an ideal resource for families on the go.
The daily readings make connections between Isaiah’s predictions of the Messiah and the fulfillment of those promises found in the Gospels. Each week has an easy craft to create a paper ornament and several other simple activities like cookie baking, a ring toss, scavenger hunts, or suggested opportunities to serve others.
4. O Come, O Come Emmanuel by Jonathan Gibson (Crossway)
For those seeking to add a stronger liturgical focus to their Advent season, Jonathan Gibson’s book O Come, O Come Emmanuel offers a full-service resource. The book has 40 readings, scheduled to begin on November 28 and conclude on January 6, which is the date of Epiphany on the church calendar.
Each day has a meditation from a figure from church history, a call to worship, hymns, multiple Scripture readings and prayers, a creedal focus, and a catechism question. This resource is ideal for those who want to slow down and focus on spiritual formation during the Advent season. The plentiful elements could also be used selectively based on available time.
5. The Advent Jesse Tree by Dean Lambert Smith (Abingdon)
There are a number of useful books for incorporating the Jesse Tree into family devotions. The tradition stems from the messianic prediction in Isaiah 11:1: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” The daily reading of a selected passage of Scripture along with the visual reminder of an ornament with a symbol on it move from creation to Christ. This tradition is a great way to rehearse the grand narrative of Scripture every year, especially for families with children.
Lambert’s book offers suggestions for how to create or find ornaments to represent each day of the Advent celebration. It also has illustrations that can be used by those who haven’t had time to make or buy their own ornaments. Each day includes a Scripture reading, suggested hymns, two versions of the daily devotional (one for adults and one for children), and a prayer. The Advent Jesse Tree is a trusted resource that can become a part of the Christmas season for generations.
Bonus Recommendation: The King of Christmas by Todd Hains (Lexham Press)
This isn’t a devotional book, but for families with young children, this picture book is bound to be a favorite for the Advent season. The colorful illustrations leap off the page. The simple text follows the wise men on their journey to find the King of Christmas. He’s not found in the sky, the water, the palace, the throne, or the market. Instead, the King of Christmas is found in the manger.
A connection to the usual Christmas story, with Jesus being found in an unlikely place, would have been enough for some. However, this book also reminds children that the same King of Christmas was once found on the cross. He can now be found in God’s Word and among God’s people. This brings home the message that the baby in the manger is the same as the man who left the tomb empty, connecting the incarnation to the atonement for the little ones among us.
The Gospel Coalition