advent devotionals
Memorize: Psalm 139:14
I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.
Read: Psalm 139:1-14, Psalm 104
Reflect:
Advent calls us to prepare for the arrival of our Savior Jesus Christ, yet often times our preparation is filled with the stress of planning and busyness. We don’t even take a full day to give thanks, as many race off Thanksgiving evening to find the deals. We race into December facing a to-do list of shopping, cooking, wrapping, and working...so that we can enjoy the birth of God's son?
Let’s think about this – Does our preparation have the wrong focus and the wrong feeling. Psalms 104 & 139 encourages us to pause in the midst of our preparation and consider the question, "Who am I preparing for?" Are we preparing for the arrival of Our Savior, or for the world's expectations of Christmas?
I hope today we choose to prepare for Jesus! When we do, our preparations are less about doing and more about being. We begin to prepare with praise to God for the intimacy that He has with each of us. We wake up each day with less attention on what needs done during Advent and more attention on what's been done through God's power.
Apply:
How does your thinking & planning change when you reflect on the power of your creator…your All-knowing, Ever-present God, who made you and wants an active, personal relationship with you?
Pray:
Father God, today I offer my praise for all that you have done, will do, and continue to do in my life. Help me to prepare for the things that matter and ignore the demands of this Adventseason that pull me away from you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
November 27
November 28
November 29
November 30
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5
December 6
December 7
December 8
December 9
December 10
December 11
December 12
making preparations
Read Luke 3:1-6
It was the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar. These men were under Caesar: Pontius Pilate, the ruler of Judea; Herod, the ruler of Galilee; Philip, Herod’s brother, the ruler of Iturea and Traconitis; and Lysanias, the ruler of Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3 He went all over the area around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of changed hearts and lives for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet:
“This is a voice of one who calls out in the desert:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord. Make the road straight for him.
5 Every valley should be filled in, and every mountain and hill should be made flat.
Roads with turns should be made straight,
 and rough roads should be made smooth.
6 And all people will know about the salvation of God!’”
Isaiah 40:3–5 [NCV]
Reflect:
I asked our Ignite Durham group, “What song ushers in Christmas?” Many answered, “Joy To the World.” I’ve been humming and reflecting on that song ever since.
During Thanksgiving, much of our conversation centered around Christmas preparations, especially regarding family who would soon be arriving. Several of us indicated the need to remove clutter from the guest rooms and finish all the shopping.
Advent is about preparation too, but a different sort than that of buying stocking stuffers and preparing guests rooms. John the Baptist calls us to prepare for a new sort of world order, one in which Jesus and love, not consumerism and self-interest, rules forever.
Apply:
So what sort of preparation do we need to do this Advent? How is John the Baptist calling us to prepare for Christ’s birth and eventual return?
One way we can prepare is in a personal way, preparing for Christ to speak to us individually this Advent season and beyond. Look at your life, what can you do to prepare? Some of us can probably add something — add prayer time each day, add more caring for those less fortunate (or even those in our family), but others of us would best prepare by taking things away. Maybe turning off that TV and spending more time with loved ones will help you prepare your heart.
Isaac Watts famous hymn, “Joy to the World,” has the line: “Let every heart prepare him room.” I guess even in Watts’ time, a few hundred years ago, hearts had to be opened to make room for the good news of Jesus. A lot of times making room in our hearts calls for clearing out the clutter and debris that separate us from God.
Pray:
Dear Jesus, help me to prepare my heart this Advent and make more room for you. Help me to let go of sin and anything else in my heart that holds me back from having space for You.