Advent Resources
With Advent, we begin the journey to the Incarnation and the amazing mystery of God with Us. In the four weeks given to us to prepare our hearts and minds, we can remind ourselves to step back from the busyness of our days, into a place of calm and reflection, and get ready to welcome anew Christ Our Lord into our lives. Use this page to explore resources and let us know if you have others you would like to recommend or share.
Resources for All Ages
All Creation Waits by Gayle Boss
Contains short, daily reflections on the amazing ways familiar animals prepare for winter. Each day’s reading is paired with an original woodcut illustration. This is a wonderful book to help you slow down and find joy in the truth and beauty revealed by the natural world. Learn more >
Advent Calendars
Building Faith has compiled an extensive list of Advent calendars for 2023, some traditional, some new, including AdventWord, Praying in Color, a scripture calendar, a Way of Love calendar, a BIPOC calendar, and more.
Salt Advent & Christmas Roundup
SALT has a number of creative offerings for Advent and Christmas, including devotionals based on the poetry of Mary Oliver, Pádraig Ó Tuama, Maya Angelou, and E.E. Cummings. These and other SALT resources could provide material for an inspiring Advent small-group offering. Check out resources here >
How Does a Weary World Rejoice? An Advent Series in Luke's Gospel
How does a weary world rejoice? The latest Advent offering from A Sanctified Art invites us to acknowledge our weariness, find joy in connection, allow ourselves to be amazed, sing stories of hope, make room, root ourselves in ritual, and trust our belovedness. Here you will find a wealth of beautiful and inspiring resources that can be purchased individually or as a bundle. Some items included in the bundle are:
- A weekly devotional booklet
- Advent calendars for children and adults
- Words for worship
- Liturgy for the weary
- Skit-based children’s curriculum
- A sermon planning guide
- A pageant
Caring for Creation with a Green Advent and Christmas
Caring for Creation with a Green Advent and Christmas
The creation care team invites you to come alongside us as we add to our preparations green practices that will allow us to live more gently, gratefully, and sustainably on the earth. What might you do differently this season? We recommend you take a few minutes to read through the list and make a plan. Setting our intentions can help motivate us to follow through with our actions. Commit to starting one new practice each week during the season of Advent, and go from there! We welcome additional ideas. View resource now >
Advent in 2 Minutes
What is the meaning of Advent in 2 minutes? This short video from Busted Halo shows how Advent and expectant waiting is different from secular ideas of getting ready for Christmas. Share via Zoom or in-person.
Episcopal Relief & Development Resources for Advent
Explore Episcopal Relief and Development’s Advent Toolkit. The toolkit includes DIY wreath ideas with prayers and reflections, DIY creche ideas, and information about St. Nicholas. You also will find a guide to hosting an alternative gift market and ERD’s annual Gifts for Life Catalog.
Resources for the Home
Shadow and Light: A Journey into Advent
Each day of Advent includes Scripture, a reflection, a question, and a simple activity to engage the senses, such as lighting candles, listening to music, and viewing artwork both old and new. Learn more >
Christmas. It's a Season.
Check out this new poster from Forward Movement. You may already be familiar with their annual Slow Down. Quite It’s Advent poster. The Christmas poster offers ways to celebrate the full 12-day season of Christmas, running from Christmas Day, December 25, through January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany.
Resources for Adults
Episcopal Church Resources
The Episcopal Church website has curated extensive resources for 2023. Here is some of what you find:
- A downloadable Advent video message, customizable for your congregation or for inviting people to your church this season
- The Way of Love Advent Curriculum
- Sign-up for AdventWord
- A video for making an eco-friendly Advent wreath
Walking Backward to Christmas by Stephen Cottrell
This small book offers an intriguing perspective of the Christmas narrative, beginning with the presentation of Jesus to Anna and Simeon in the temple and ending with the hopes and dreams of Isaiah and Moses. Short, compelling chapters offer much for reflection. Learn more >
Celtic Advent Calendar
This Celtic Advent calendar begins November 15 and extends through the Feast of the Epiphany (Calendar creator the Rev. Susan Forshey (contemplativecottage.com) says that “in the 6th century, the Celtic Christians celebrated Advent during the 40 days before Christmas, as a mirror to the period of Lent before Easter.”) The calendar is intended to help you slow down and find joy in preparing for Christmas. View and download calendar >
Watch for the Light
Inspiring collection of daily readings for Advent and Christmastide: “Ecumenical in scope, these fifty devotions invite the reader to contemplate the great themes of Christmas and the significance that the coming of Jesus has for each of us – not only during Advent, but every day.” Learn more and order >
Light of the World: A Beginner's Guide to Advent
In Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent, author, professor, and biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine explores the biblical texts surrounding the story of the birth of Jesus. She traces the Christmas narrative through the stories of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary, the journey to Bethlehem, and the visit from the Magi. These stories open conversations around connections of the Gospel stories to the Old Testament, the role of women in first-century Jewish culture, the importance of Mary’s visitation and the revolutionary implications of Mary’s Magnificat, the census and the stable, and the star of Bethlehem and the flight to Egypt.
Good for small group study and individual readers. As part of a larger four-week study for Advent, a DVD and a comprehensive leader guide are also available.
Resources for Children
All Creation Waits (Children's Edition) by Gayle Boss
Each day of Advent a different animal shows children its own amazing way to meet the dark and cold. With each creature, children hear the refrain: The dark is not an end. It’s a door. It’s the way a new beginning comes. Here is the ancient truth of Advent enacted in the lives of 24 common woodland animals and culminating in the birth of the Human One who perfectly lived that truth. From Paraclete Press. Learn more >
Las Posadas
This free, downloadable resources helps families and congregations celebrate Las Posadas (Spanish for “inns,” “lodging,” or “shelter”), an Advent candlelight procession and celebration originating in Mexico. It is traditional to hold Posadas in many neighborhoods on the days preceding Christmas. The Posadas reenact Mary and Joseph’s search for a place where Jesus could be born, reminding us that by welcoming the poor and the needy, we are welcoming Jesus in our midst. Available in both English and in Spanish. The guide includes ideas for engaging neighbors and children, as well as suggestions for Latino-Anglo engagement. Music sheets provided. The accompanying webpage www.VenAdelante.org has multimedia resources. Learn more >
Coloring Pages
Crafts & More
Visit our Pinterest page for Jesse tree ornaments, Advent calendars, coloring pages, crafts, and activities to engage children during this time of getting ready. Go to page >
Resources for Youth Ministry
d365 Daily Devotions
d365 provides daily devotions for youth, available by email subscription or downloadable app. Each devotion follows the pattern Pause, Listen, Think, Pray, Go.
pray
God of wonderful love, when I face hardship give me the wisdom to know how to respond. Help me to bring my challenges to you. Protect me with your mighty arm. Amen.