Use this devo as you are able, in whole or in part. Don’t feel compelled to read it all. Simply read and meditate upon whatever catches your attention. The goal is enjoying time with God through His Word and in prayer. Questions about the devotional elements?
Using the Advent Devo
The Advent Devo walks through the narrative of Jesus’ birth. It begins in the Garden with God’s promise of a Savior and ends with an eager anticipation of Jesus’ promised return. In the middle, God shows His unmistakable faithfulness in sending the promised Rescuer. We see His love for the lowly and outcast as He proclaims the news of His Son to the shepherds. We marvel at His heart to see all nations come and worship His Son through the Magi’s journey.
Even if you know the Advent narrative well, don’t rush past what God has for you in this season. For many, this may be the first time to consider all that God is saying through the birth of His Son. For others, it will be an opportunity to rediscover the way God intimately works in the details of life for His glory and the good of man. For all of us, may this season be one marked by hope, expectation, remembrance, and worship. The King has come and is coming! There is much to celebrate.
Call to Prayer
“Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.” (Psalm 80:3)
Scripture Reading
Readings: Ephesians 2:11-17 + Psalm+85:1-2,8-13 + Micah+5:2-4
Read the passages above.
Then spend a moment in quiet stillness before God.
(Click on the link to read each of the passages, or turn there in your Bible)
The Promise for All Peoples, Part 2…
This scene [the Magi] in the Advent narrative whispers of an incredible mercy: God reveals His Son and extends salvation to the nations. Men and women from every people, tribe, and tongue will taste the honey-like sweetness of Jesus’ name upon their lips, confessing Him as Lord and worshiping Him as King. Jesus is worthy. Only He deserves the glory, honor, and praise of the nations.
In the same way God set a star in the sky to lead the Magi to Jesus, He places His children
in their neighborhoods, workplaces, PTA meetings, and lecture halls to do the same. You don’t have to go overseas to impact the nations. God brings them to our doorstep—refugees, international students, those in search of greater opportunities and freedom. The nations may very well live next door. Being part of God’s global purposes may be as simple as reaching out to people He has placed in your everyday life. Or you may indeed go to the ends of the earth and happily herald the good news to those who have never heard because God is worthy of their worship.
The world is big, and the gospel is not an American idea. The gospel has been proclaimed to us too; the mercy of God extended to the Gentiles means that mercy has been extended to us. The story of the Magi stirs our hearts to look beyond our familiar comforts and remember that it is our joyful duty to bring that gospel to all nations for the glory of God. We want to be a part of what God is doing as He continues to draw men, women, and children from all nations to come and worship His Son.
Dwelling…
Look up Ephesians 2:11-17. In this passage, who are “those who were far off”? Are people in foreign countries farther off from the gospel than you were when you first heard it? Explain.
What is the primary means God uses to make disciples of all nations? How can you take an active role in taking the gospel to all nations in the upcoming year? List some specific ideas.
Prayer
God of place and time, you chose the little town of Bethlehem to be the birthplace of David and of David’s greater Son. Make us aware of your active purpose in our towns and neighborhoods, so that we see them as places of promise in our time. Amen. (prayer based on the Heidelberg Catechism, Question 19).
*Prayer borrowed from Philip Reinders’ Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year
Wonder
Advent begins in the dark. Literally. It is the darkest time of the year. Advent, which begins our church calendar, begins facing this darkness. Advent comes to us as a gift of darkness, emptiness, and says – will you enter this period of waiting with me?
Will you pause to remember and recognize your own emptiness and darkness – and practice longing for the light? These works of art invite us to enter into the wonder and waiting for the Light of the World to dawn on Christmas morn.
MUSIC
(if accessing via email, CLICK these links: Advent Playlist 1 + Advent Playlist 2)
Benediction
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.” ()
