Advent is a season of waiting; we wait for the coming of God. Our world is messed up and we are messed up. We lament our condition and long for God to set things right, to heal us and heal our world. So we pray and watch for signs of God’s presence. We do all we know to do so that we are open and ready. In the midst of hardship and disappointment, we continue to wait. We wait in hope. We believe something is happening in our world, something is taking shape in our lives, something light-filled and life-giving. Even in December’s lengthening darkness, this seed of joyful hope grows within us.
As we wait, we may benefit from resources that guide our meditations. Here are some popular devotionals that you may like to use:
- Advent for Everyone: A Journey Through Luke – N. T. Wright
- Advent for Everyone: A Journey Through Matthew – N. T. Wright
- Advent for Everyone: A Journey with the Apostles – N. T. Wright
- Celebrate Abundance: Devotions for Advent – Walter Brueggemann
- Names for the Messiah: An Advent Study – Walter Brueggemann
- God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Advent in Narnia: Reflections for the Season – Heidi Haverkamp
- The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: A Countdown to Christmas – Ace Collins
- Lighted Windows: Advent Reflections for a World in Waiting – Margaret Silf