Mom and dad, this is not just another thing to put on your holiday to-do list—this is the real deal. If you do nothing else to mark the coming of Christmas this year, do not skip the ritual of an Advent celebration.
Advent refers to the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. It comes from the Latin word Adventus, which translates to arrival or to come. How exciting to look forward and celebrate the birth of our Savior this month.
So in the context of Christmas, what is Advent? How does it work? Does it take a lot of time and preparation? Our own Family Ministries Pastor Dave Carl has a video for you and your family to help explain everything:
This year, we have written an Advent guide to help you and your family intentionally move toward Christmas. It is written as a supplement to Sinclair B. Ferguson’s devotional book, Love Came Down at Christmas. This book is a beautiful look at the love story of Christmas, and it digs into what love is, and is not, according to 1 Corinthians 13. This is not your typical Scripture passage for Christmas devotionals, but it helps us reframe the Christmas story to fully see God’s love for us. Love did come down at Christmas, and this season, your family is invited to focus on love more than ever before.
How to Use This Guide
To go with the devotionals in this family guide, we recommend setting up an Advent wreath or any arrangement of five candles. Each week, a new candle is lit in anticipation of Christmas. The last candle, called the Christ Candle, is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to represent Jesus’ first arrival. This guide includes a family devotional for each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, as well as a devotional for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
On Sunday, November 28 (the start of the traditional Advent season), we encourage you to gather your family to read the first devotional and light the first candle. As you progress through the season, we encourage you to light the weekly candles on Sundays or whenever you and your family spend time together to read the devotional, then light the final candle on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
This guide also includes daily Scripture readings and family discussion questions for the four weeks of Advent. You could read the passages and discuss them at the table over dinner, before bed time, or even on-the-go in the car. And if you want to go deeper into the love story of Christmas, take a few minutes to read the daily devotionals from the book Love Came Down at Christmas. We encourage you to use this guide in whatever way is best for your family.
