Happy Thanksgiving! It’s always good to recognize and reflect on what we are thankful for. I believe it is fitting that Thanksgiving falls directly before the Advent season. For what could we be more thankful than the God of all creation leaving Heaven’s splendor to come to earth and live among his people? What’s worth celebrating more than Jesus entering his own creation with the purpose of bearing the sins of humanity, so that we might have a restored relationship with God? That is most definitely something worth being thankful for, thankful in a way words can’t even express.
And yet, despite the focus of the season our eyes can easily be taken off the incarnate King and placed elsewhere. Which is why it’s incredibly important for us to set aside time regularly throughout this season to ponder the glorious incarnation of Christ. Thankfully, there are some excellent gospel-centered resources available to aid us in just that. Below are a few recommended resources to help guide your advent meditation during this wonderful season.
Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional
“The wonder and awe of the Christmas season can easily get overshadowed by lights, tinsel, bows, and paper—not to mention last-minute trips to the mall and visits to the in-laws. In all the hustle and bustle, we often lose sight of what’s most important. This book of daily readings for the month of December by best-selling author Paul David Tripp will help you slow down, prepare your heart, and focus on what matters most: adoring our Savior, Jesus.”
The Dawning of Indestructible Joy (Free Option Available)
“Advent is for adoring Jesus.
The Christmas season is one of the busiest times of the year. But it is also a seasonof reflection and preparation for that special day when we mark Immanuel’s coming
—the arrival of our eternal God in our own frail humanity.
This is the greatest of history’s many wonders, something too stupendous to celebrate just on one day. Advent is a way of lengthening and intensifying the joy of Christmas.
These 25 brief devotional readings from John Piper begin on December 1 and carry us to Christmas Day. Our hope is that God would use these meditations to deepen and sweeten your adoration of Jesus and help you keep him at the center of your Christmas season.”
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas
“An anthology of Advent readings collected from the writings and sermons of 22 classic and contemporary theologians and Bible teachers.
With its high view of Scripture and its focus on the gift of Jesus, this lovely book is sure to ready your heart and mind for a fresh experience of “Immanuel, God with us” this and every Advent season. Open the cover and discover what Christmas was meant to be…”
Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ
“Even people who are not practicing Christians think they are familiar with the story of the nativity. Every Christmas displays of Baby Jesus resting in a manger decorate lawns and churchyards, and songs about shepherds and angels fill the air. Yet despite the abundance of these Christian references in popular culture, how many of us have examined the hard edges of this biblical story?
In his new book Timothy Keller takes readers on an illuminating journey into the surprising background of the nativity. By understanding the message of hope and salvation within the Bible’s account of Jesus’ birth, readers will experience the redeeming power of God’s grace in a deeper and more meaningful way.”