The season of Advent is drawing close! 2020 has been a difficult year for the majority of our world. Loss of jobs, loved ones, routine, normalcy. The longing for the world to be made right feels palpable. Everyone seems to be searching for healing, belonging, community, and hope.
What an amazing privilege we have as believers to use this season to tell the world that the hope they are looking for has already come!
We put together a list of recommendations for you and for your families this season. There are so many excellent Advent resources out there, and it can be difficult trying to decide which to choose. If you’re like us, you end up getting so overwhelmed by the options that you wait too long to decide what to do and Advent has already begun.
To make it easier for you, here are some of our top picks for Advent this year.
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FOR THE FAMILY
The Littlest Watchman by Scott James is an Advent story about a boy who, despite knowing that God is good and God is in control, can’t help but feel a little frustrated with what’s going on in the world around him. How appropriate is this for the year 2020? It also has an Advent Calendar that coincides with the book- it is great for kids of all ages!
Advent Blocks are a great newer resource that are perfect for families with young kids. It comes with 25 blocks that have numbers on one side and a picture on the other- and each day you turn a number over to reveal the picture and then read the story that corresponds with that day. This is a gospel-centered resource that is themed around God’s presence with each story.
Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp is a great resource if you have elementary school age kiddos. It comes with daily readings, scripture, and you can even download ornaments that go with each day to add to your tree. The imagery she paints is beautiful and vivid and the ornaments add such a fun element for the whole family to enjoy.
FOR ADULTS
O Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul Tripp is an excellent day-by-day devotional reading for the Advent season. The readings are short but thought-provoking and can help redirect your mind to slow down and focus on Christ during the busyness of the holiday season.
The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper is a 25-day devotional with brief but meaningful readings that are meant to deepen your love for Jesus and keep Him at the center of your Christmas season.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel was released this year by Lifeway women and is a collaborative Bible Study with over 20 different contributors. It is a beautiful resource that includes a Bible study that will help deepen your understanding of the significance of Christ’s coming and help you worship and adore Him even more. It also includes different crafts and activities to do for each day in December and would be a great study to do with friends!
Watch for the Light is a compilation of Ecumenical Advent readings from a variety of authors. It includes 40 essays and devotionals from C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, Annie Dillard, Dorothy Day and more. This resource is full of deep and meaningful reflections that will be thought-provoking and awe-inspiring. If you are looking for something a little heavier and more philosophical, this is the resource for you.
NEW ADVENT MUSIC
Sandra McCracken’s Christmas album includes a compilation of familiar Christmas tunes and some originals. The album is done in her typical folksy style and is bound to be a favorite for you this year.
Lastly is Caroline Cobb’s new album A Seed, A Sunrise: Advent to Christmas Songs. This album is a beautiful mix of hopeful longing for the promised Christ. It is a great album to have on repeat for this season.
We hope this list is helpful for you and is encouraging for you during this Advent season!
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