In the Christmas rush it is easy to let gift-buying, event planning and all the end-of-year catch-ups crowd out the real meaning of Christmas – the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into this world.
An Advent Devotional is a great way to keep your mind on Christ in the lead up to Christmas. Each of the ten options outlined below will help you spend a few minutes each day focussing your mind on the incarnation of Jesus so you don’t forget what Christmas is all about!
We’ve selected several different types of Advent devotional. Some work through a nativity story, some look at a theme, some pick up on the writings of a particular author and some are designed to work through with your family.
The Short Version
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If you want sound Bible teaching in short daily readings that covers the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation then get a copy of Let Earth Receive Her King by Alistair Begg.
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If you’d love to hear from the Prince of Preachers – CH Spurgeon – then grab Jeff Medders’ new compilation of Spurgeon sermons: The Newborn King.
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If you are a lover of Christmas music, then Hallelujah: Journeying Through Advent with Handel’s Messiah or Sing in Exultation: A Christmas Devotional Exploring our Favourite Carols would work well for you.
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If you’d like a stunning devotional that doubles as a coffee-table piece, then pick up Ruth Chou Simons’ Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room At Christmas and Always.
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For a full liturgy running past Christmas to Epiphany, Jonathan Gibson’s O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is the place to go.
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For something the whole family can enjoy, purchase Kevin DeYoung’s The Biggest Story Advent: 25 Lift-the-Flap Devotions for Families.
Scripture-Based Advent Meditations
The simplest Advent devotionals work through selections of the Bible with meditations for each day. Here are our top selections of these devotionals.
Let Earth Receive Her King by Alistair Begg. Paperback, 176 pages, $24.99.
Begg walks through the whole Bible, Genesis to Revelation, to show how God prepared the world for Christ’s first coming and how we should look forward to his return. Each day gives you Begg’s devotion, a question to think over, and a carol or hymn to read.
This will show you how the coming of Christ fits into the story of the whole Bible.
The Dawn of Redeeming Grace by Sinclair Ferguson. Paperback, $24.99.
Sinclair Ferguson applies his warm, pastoral wisdom to the first two chapters of Matthew, giving a fresh look at the dawn of the life of Christ.
The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper. Paperback, $17.99.
Looking at a range of scriptures and pulling on decades of meditation and teaching, John Piper walks you through the joy that comes with Christ’s arrival.
Everyday Gospel Christmas Devotional by Paul David Tripp. Paperback, $14.99.
Adapted from the Everyday Gospel Devotional, Paul Tripp celebrates the salvation brought to us in Christ from Genesis to Revelation with a strong focus on pressing the gospel into ordinary life.
Not quite right? Try Good News of Great Joy (John Piper, $34.99) for more Piper, Repeat the Sounding Joy (Christopher Ash, $24.99) if you’d rather stay in Luke 1–2, or Fixated (Tim Chester, $14.99) for Advent through the book of Hebrews.
Hear from the Past
The Newborn King, compiled by Jeff Medders from Spurgeon’s sermons. Paperback, 128 pages, $22.99.
Jeff Medders has done us a favour in compiling these twenty-five short readings, each with a theme verse, an excerpt from Spurgeon’s writings, a prayer, and reflection questions. Spurgeon’s language has had a light edit so it reads easily today, but the vivid, heart-warming Spurgeon voice is intact. Lovers of Spurgeon will find this a delight, but this would also be an excellent introduction to the Prince of Preachers.
Want a second Spurgeon option? A Wondrous Mystery pairs Spurgeon with Geoff Chang’s editing in a hardback ($32.99).
Meditate through Advent with Music
Hallelujah: Journeying Through Advent with Handel’s Messiah by Dave and Sally Gobbett. Paperback, 64 pages, $14.99.
Handel’s Messiah is one of the most glorious pieces of Christmas music ever written. As it is entirely based on scripture, it lends itself to a meditative approach. In this Advent devotional, the scripture in Handel’s Messiah becomes the daily reading, so you read the text and hear the music in the same sitting. Marinate in scripture and Handel’s classic composition and draw nearer to Christ.
With Heart and Soul and Voice by Tim Chester. $21.99.
The first Christmas was marked by music. Mary, Zechariah, the angels and Simeon all burst into song when Christ was born. This Advent devotional walks through these songs to fix your mind on Jesus.
Two more song-based options: Sing in Exultation considers the classic Christmas carols ($17.99), and The First Songs of Christmas by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth meditates on the songs in Luke that were sung at the birth of Christ ($24.99).
Slow and Beautiful Options
Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always by Ruth Chou Simons. Illustrated hardback, 240 pages, $39.99.
Simons is an artist as well as an author. The theme is Emmanuel, God with us, and the book is written to carry on past Christmas Day. This beautiful book pulls together warm, gospel meditations and Ruth Chou Simons’ stunning art in a coffee-table worthy production. This devotional will look good and do your heart good.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: A Liturgy for Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany by Jonathan Gibson. Hardback, 432 pages, $42.99.
This is the biggest commitment on the list. Forty days, running from late November to 6 January. Every day has scripture, a hymn, prayers, a creed, and room for confession and petition, with the scripture, hymns and creeds repeating so they stick. Choose this if you are comfortable with a liturgy, want a richer devotional experience, or want to keep the church calendar well past 25 December.
If those two are more than you want, try Prepare Him Room (Susie Larson, $27.99), Consider Jesus (Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, 31 days, $24.99), Advent and Christmas Wisdom from Henri Nouwen ($24.99), or Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, a collection of voices from Augustine to Keller ($29.99).
Advent for Families
The Biggest Story Advent by Kevin DeYoung, illustrated by Don Clark. Board book, 60 pages, $44.99.
Doing Advent as a family is a wonderful opportunity to look to Christ together. This family devotional by the trusted pastor and author, Kevin DeYoung, has twenty-five days of devotions with an interactive lift-the-flap design. Under the flap the child finds a Bible verse and a picture. On the facing page DeYoung retells a story or prophecy that pointed to Jesus, then adds a short prayer. The readings start in Genesis and arrive at Matthew, so kids see Christmas as the answer to a promise God made long before. Each one is about 250 words, aimed at ages 6 to 12. Perfect for a family that wants a daily surprise and the full Bible story in one book.
Other family options: The 25 Days of Christmas (James Merritt, $34.99), Unwrapping the Names of Jesus (Asheritah Ciuciu, $24.99), The Advent Storybook (25 Bible stories, $29.99), and The Jesus Storybook Bible Christmas Collection ($29.99). For teenagers, Longing for Christmas ($22.99).
Still Undecided?
Browse the full Advent collection to see our selected Advent devotionals.
