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Celebrating Advent: Looking Back and Looking Forward & A List of Resources for the Whole Family

by Marci Ferrell
Christian Living Christmas Gift Guides Holidays

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Advent can be looked at as a season to look back and one to look forward—preparing for Jesus' second coming. Sharing a list of resources to help your family to celebrate together the coming of Christ. #advent #celebratingadvent #adventseason #adventresources @thankfulhomemaker

Advent is the season leading up to Christmas and it begins with the four Sundays before December 25th. 1 Peter 1:10-12 gives a picture of what it means to look back during Advent:

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

1 Peter1:12 stands out to me because it says these saints of the past were serving us. We are on the other side now of Christ’s birth – the waiting for his arrival is over, but the reality is we are still waiting for His second coming. We are still waiting for redemption. Advent can be looked at as a season to look back and one to look forward—preparing for Jesus’ second coming.

Advent can be looked at as a season to look back and one to look forward—preparing for Jesus second coming. Click to Tweet

Our family doesn’t do a traditional advent wreath, as we have in years past, but we take this time to focus our reading on the birth of Jesus and the Old Testament prophecies of His coming. For us, it usually happens around the dinner table because we’re already gathered.

You have so many options on how to celebrate the Advent season. I know many of us are not in churches where advent is celebrated, but my hope is we would still take time to celebrate the wonder of Christmas and again ponder as Mary a bit deeper these truths.

Setting aside time to read a good devotional book together with the scriptures is a great way to do this. There are so many resources out there now for advent readings for families with children of all ages, so choose one that works with your family or make your own by using the scriptures and songs.

Families with young children may benefit from using an advent calendar. Try to find one that has a Christ-focused theme to use. There are some cute ones with nativity scenes, so as you count down the days with your readings share maybe just bits of the Christmas story with your littles each day.

Noel Piper shared in her Treasuring God in Our Traditions book a good reminder as we continue on in the 1 Peter 1 verses. In verse 13, it says, “Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

She reminds us that Advent is a season for introspection – or pondering as Mary did. She shared some questions that I keep in my journal to ask myself this time of year:

  1. Am I clear-thinking and sober-minded, or are my thoughts mainly trivial?
  2. Is my hope set fully on the grace I will receive from Jesus at His Second Coming, or do I cringe at the thought of leaving behind the life I love?
  3. Am I an obedient child of my Father, or am I still shaped by the passions that drove me before I became a Christian?

Advent Resources:

(Some of the resources below are affiliate links – see my full disclosure here)

Family Devotional Readings:

The Dawn of Redeeming Grace: Daily Devotions for Advent by Sinclair Ferguson

 

Repeat the Sounding Joy: A Daily Advent Devotional on Luke 1-2 by Christopher Ash

 

The Christmas We Didn’t Expect: Daily Devotions for Advent by David Mathis

 

Love Came Down at Christmas: Daily Readings for Advent by Sinclair Ferguson

 

Come Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional by Paul Tripp

 

A Jesus Christmas by Barbara Reaoch

 

Good News of Great Joy at Desiring God (free PDF) or on Kindle or Paperback at Amazon

 

The Dawning of Indestructible Joy at Desiring God (free PDF) at Amazon in Paperback too.

 

Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional by Marty Machowski

 

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room: Daily Family Devotions for Advent by Nancy Guthrie

 

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas by Nancy Guthrie

 

Personal Devotional Readings:

Consider Jesus  by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

 

My Soul Magnifies the Lord: Meditations on the Meaning of Christmas by Martyn Lloyd-Jones

 

To Listen:

Good News of Great Joy: 25 Advent Meditations by John Piper at Desiring God

The Incomparable Christ at Revive Our Hearts

Three Wise Men Walk into a Barn at Knowing Faith Podcast

Celebrating Advent with Little Ones at Risen Motherhood

Longings Fulfilled Through Advent by Sally Clarkson

Solid Joys Podcast by John Piper

Miscellaneous:

Have Yourself a Merry Little Advent @Michelle Lesley

Advent Devotional for Kids at Crew & Co. 

The Family Tree of Christ Advent Cards from Tiny Theologians

The Giving Manger

Knowing Him by Name – Advent Calendar from Focus on the Family (free download)

The Messiah at The Bible Project

The Innkeeper Video by John Piper

A Visual Theology Advent Reading Calendar for Your Family from Tim Challies

Closing Thoughts:

My prayer always is that we desire to have a Christ-centered celebration for ourselves and our families but the greater hope during this season is that our faith and hope in Jesus would be deepened and strengthened and that we would look with anticipation and joy in His coming again.

The Christian message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity – hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory – because at the Father’s will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.

~ J.I. Packer

Related Resources:

Christ-Focused Christmas Gift Guide

Podcast Ep 9: Christ-Focused Christmas Celebration Ideas

Our Simple Family Christmas Traditions 

14 Simple Outreach Ideas with an Eternal Focus

*Please note: I don’t affirm every aspect of every resource, and inclusion on this page doesn’t equate to a full endorsement of all an author’s works. Please always hold to the Bible as your primary source of truth.

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Related posts:

  1. Christmas & Advent Devotionals for the Whole Family
  2. Our Simple Family Christmas Traditions
  3. Resources to Help Your Family Celebrate a Christ-Focused Easter
  4. Learning from Elisabeth Elliot: A List of Resources


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« EP 90: Hungering and Thirsting After Righteousness (Matthew 5:6 – Sermon on the Mount Series)
2020 Christ-Focused Christmas Gift Guide for the Whole Family »
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Marci Ferrell
Whether you're running errands, doing household ch Whether you're running errands, doing household chores, or sipping your coffee, you can do it in style, reminding yourself and others you are a Thankful Homemaker 🥰⁣
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Shop TH Gear at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
What do you think of when you hear the word discer What do you think of when you hear the word discernment? The dictionary defines it as making a distinction between good and evil and truth and falsehood. As believers, we all desire to be discerning and wise in our choices. As we mature and grow in our knowledge of the scriptures, the hope is we will use that information to make choices in line with God's will.⁣
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We become discerning people by not just knowing what to think but how to think. Being spiritually discerning is an ability to see the world the way God does. This comes about as we grow and mature spiritually into the likeness of Christ. It is about seeing “All That's Good.”⁣
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Read Seeking Whatever is Good at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
“Waiting exposes our idols and throws a wrench i “Waiting exposes our idols and throws a wrench into our coping mechanisms. It brings us to the end of what we can control and forces us to cry out to God. God doesn’t waste our waiting. He uses it to conform us to the image of his Son.”⁣
~ Betsy Childs Howard⁣
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Listen in to EP 23: Seasons of Waiting at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
As I’m sharing this episode, I’m finding mysel As I’m sharing this episode, I’m finding myself in a waiting room on the Lord, and it’s been a long one, and I don’t see an end near.  It has reminded me that when I gave myself to Him, I gave up my “right” to be in charge. The reality is we never were in charge anyway; we just came to that understanding when the Lord opened our eyes to His sovereign control over our lives.⁣
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Even though it is a truth I know or we know, how many times do we want to think that somehow we can effect change in our life situations?⁣
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Waiting is hard because there is no guarantee that my waiting will end in this lifetime. One thing I have learned – my waiting has deepened my trust in the Lord and has helped me to develop patience, perseverance, and endurance.⁣
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It’s also given me different eyes to see with compassion others who are in a season of waiting.⁣
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Listen in to EP 23 Seasons of Waiting at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
Six questions I have written in my Bible that have Six questions I have written in my Bible that have been a help to me over the years may be a help to you, too, to be prayerful and slow to speak. These are helpful questions not just in our friendships but in our marriages and with our children, and truly any of our relationships:⁣
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1. Is this the time to say this?⁣
2. Am I the person to say this?⁣
3. Is it necessary?⁣
4. Is it true?⁣
5. Is it kind?⁣
6. Do I need to say this?⁣
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Listen in to EP 140: Threats to Biblical Friendship at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
We all know that fostering true biblical friendshi We all know that fostering true biblical friendship isn’t easy – it takes work. Jesus told us in John 16:33 that we’re going to have trouble in this world, and trouble does touch all our lives in various areas, but this includes our friendships too.⁣
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We’ll be hurt; we’ll be the ones hurting others; selfishness is a battle; jealousy and envy raise their ugly heads; we have our fears and insecurities, failed expectations, the damage our tongues do to one another, not appropriating the gospel and these all come from hearts that are still battling sin. ⁣
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So when these threats to our friendship with one another in Christ come up, it shouldn’t surprise us that we have these issues, but what we need to keep at the forefront of our minds is how we respond and deal with them when they do come up. ⁣
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I want to walk us through some of these threats, and this list I’m working with isn’t exhaustive – there are many more threats than what I am addressing today – but these are areas that stood out to me that have been a battle within some of my friendships over the years. Sadly, it is often the sin I’m battling in my heart, and I need to get my thinking, attitudes, and actions lined up with God’s Word.⁣
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Listen to EP 140 Threats to Biblical Friendship at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
May we be women who are willing to return to the a May we be women who are willing to return to the authority of God’s Word, embrace God’s priorities for our lives and homes, and live out the beauty and wonder of womanhood as God created it to be.⁣
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Read more at The History of Modern Feminism at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
Women will never find fulfillment and satisfaction Women will never find fulfillment and satisfaction by trying to be "like" men and shedding their uniqueness as a female.  They will only find satisfaction in Christ.⁣
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Come read The History of Modern Feminism at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
“Complaining will seem increasingly ugly when yo “Complaining will seem increasingly ugly when you let the beauty of God’s Word transform your words.” ⁣
~ Ronnie Martin⁣
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Listen in to EP 24: Dealing with Our Grumbling & Complaining at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
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