ADVENT DEVOTIONAL & RESOURCES

The weeks of Advent are meant to be a time where we as Christians prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth through prayer and reflection. We contemplate the First Coming of Jesus as our Savior, reflect on what that means for our lives now, and anticipate His promised Second Coming.

Amid the flurry of Christmas preparations, we look for practical ways to observe the holiness of the season in our everyday lives. We’ve compiled this short collection of Advent resources to help you and your family prioritize the real reason for this season – the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

What Was Written

A Family Advent Devotional

This Advent season, we encourage you to make new memories and traditions to keep the true meaning of Christmas front and center throughout the holiday season.

What Was Written is a family devotional written exclusively for Journey by Pastor Garrett Lahey. With content for two different audiences—adults/older kids and kids ages preschool and younger—this Advent devotional will bring your family and friends together and build anticipation for the coming celebration of Christ’s birth.

Advent Reading Plan

Daily Advent Scripture Reading

Advent is a season of anticipation, joy, and mystery. Our Advent reading guide brings together the story of Jesus’ birth as told by Matthew and Luke with the Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled by these events. As you read, you‘ll see how Jesus was God’s plan from the beginning!

This reading plan bookmark can be downloaded below or are available in print at the church. You can also follow this plan in our JCI mobile app. Find and download our app in the Apple Store or Google Play Store.

Advent Candles & Wreaths

5 Tips for Celebrating Advent with Kids

PRAY DAILY AS A FAMILY. Prayers can be as simple as thanking Jesus for being our Lord and Savior. Consider praying before a meal, in the car on the way to school or practice, during bath time, or before bed.

READ AN ADVENT DEVOTIONAL. Incorporate daily reading from an Advent devotional. After dinner or before bedtime are both excellent times to read with your kids, regardless of their age.

ADD ADVENT ORNAMENTS TO YOUR TREE. Add one Advent ornament to your Christmas tree each day of the Advent season. As you do this, take a few minutes to discuss the prompt on the ornament and how it points to Jesus.

READ AND CREATE TOGETHER. Take some time each Sunday to start the next week of Advent by reading part of the Christmas story while you do a simple craft together. Even a simple Christmas coloring page will do!

INCLUDE YOUNG CHILDREN. Kids as young as two or three can begin to recognize and understand basic parts of the Christmas story. Use tools like picture cards or storybooks to introduce little ones to the characters of the Christmas story.

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