December is only a few days away, and with it, the beginning of the season some call Advent. This is the time of the year leading up to Christmas, in which we remember the longing that people experienced leading up to the birth of Jesus, our Savior and Messiah. This year, a few Christian groups have published free devotional guides for families to use together to prepare your hearts for the longing and celebration of Christmas, so I wanted to share those with you.
Lifeway’s Weekly Devotional includes four weekly readings leading up to Christmas, and a fifth reading for Christmas Day. Along with each week’s readings, they offer suggestions for activities to do as a family to help reinforce the theme of that week’s reading. This plan can be used electronically or in printed form.
Crossway’s Biggest Story Daily Devotional has daily readings and is designed to be paired with The Biggest Story Bible Storybook, but it can also be used on its own. Each day includes suggested Bible readings, the partner chapter in The Biggest Story Bible Storybook, a short devotional based on the Bible reading, a printable ornament to color and cut out, and a QR code linking to a video for each lesson. This devotional guide can be used electronically, but is best used in printed form.
Every Moment Holy is a collection of liturgies and prayers for seemingly ordinary parts of life, and they have also released a free Advent guide this year with weekly readings. This one is not necessarily for younger kids, but could be used together as a family with older kids/teens, or by you as parents. It includes a suggested Scripture reference, a written prayer to go along with the theme, reflection questions, and artwork intended to aid in memorizing a verse.
I pray that these resources may be helpful to your family as we approach the Christmas season, as we remember together the greatest love that God showed toward us in sending his Son to become like us and the great humility that Jesus modeled in taking on the helpless form of a baby.
— Pastor Matt
