Advent Resources

We will be taking a break from the book of Exodus this December to celebrate Advent. Advent means 'coming' and we want to use this month to remember the beautiful mystery of the coming of Jesus, the long awaited Messiah. 

Below, you will find a selection of resources that I hope you will find helpful as you personally seek to treasure the gift of Jesus during this season. 



An Album: Behold the Lamb of God.

Andrew Peterson has a wonderful album telling the story of the coming of Jesus from Abraham and the promise of a Messiah, to Moses and the Passover, through the genealogy of Jesus and his birth in Bethlehem. This album is the soundtrack to all things Christmas every year at my house! You can purchase the album on iTunes or from Andrew Peterson's website here:
Behold the Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson

Advent Devotional Readings:
Come, Let Us Adore Him by Paul Tripp - This is the advent reading I have chosen for myself this year. The readings are designed to recapture our wonder at the glorious birth of Jesus.

The Village Church Advent Guide - The Village Church in Flowermound, TX has published several wonderful Advent guides. This year's guide can be downloaded from the link.
The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper - I have read through this guide several years in a row. It's full of short readings on the deep grace of the coming of Jesus. 

Resources For Families:
You may have noticed that the first two resources above have some great ideas, discussion questions, and readings to be shared with your family. Here is one additional resource that our family has found helpful.
Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Readings - Sally Lloyd Jones's book is one of our favorite kids' resources because each story points to the Gospel. There just happen to be 24 stories in the Storybook Bible leading up to the birth of Jesus. We read one per day beginning December 1 at our house. We also have a felt Christmas tree and an ornament for each story that we hang in the kids' bedroom.  In this blog post, Sally Lloyd Jones has shared some links to printables and other resources (including the felt ornaments** and paper ones) that we hope you will find helpful.
**I made my own felt ornaments using some of the ideas in these posts. I used hot glue, felt and glitter glue. No needles or thread.

May you find joy an peace to be fresh and tangible this December as we celebrate the beautiful, glorious coming of Jesus.

Yours,
Karmen