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
o come o come emmanuel
Read Revelation 22:20
Jesus, the One who says these things are true, says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! [NCV]
Reflect:
O Come O Come Emmanuel is a hauntingly sad Christmas song. It is definitely out of synch with other Christmas carols like “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.” It doesn’t seem to fit in with all of the other songs and hymns that exude hope…or does it?
I’m going to challenge your thinking. Maybe, the purpose of Advent is to get us in touch with our neediness. Perhaps Advent is intended to make us aware of our sinfulness, our tendency to get off course, our inability to get ourselves out of the messes we create, our failure to prevent senseless tragedies. If we bypass the sad and mournful journey of Advent, and go directly to the manger, all we may experience is nostalgia instead of finding that we truly need a Savior to forgive us, a Redeemer to deliver us.
So, Advent reminds us how much we need redeeming. No matter how hard we try, we can’t undo the darkness and discord on our own. Advent also promises that despite the sad shape of our souls and our world, God has already made the first move, coming into the world in Jesus Christ. God is with us even now and will ultimately bring us and our world to a glorious conclusion.
Verse 4
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Apply:
We meet this past-present-future Emmanuel today at the Communion Table. There we remember what God has done in the death and resurrection of Jesus. There we commune with the Christ who is present with us. There we look forward to the time when he comes again in glory. Worship with us at 9:00am or 11:00am and meet Emmanuel today.
Pray:
Dear Lord,
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,

as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 [NLT]
The church has been praying, “Come, Lord Jesus” since its beginning. And one day, that Advent prayer will be answered.