Advent and Christmas.
The Advent season is four weeks before Christmas, ending on Christmas Eve. The word advent comes from the Latin term adventus, meaning "arrival" or "coming," particularly the coming of something important. It’s an anticipatory celebration of the arrival of Jesus Christ. It’s a time to “prepare the way for the Lord” (Isaiah 40)! Although this season is not biblically required, Protestant churches celebrate this time with various traditions. Most traditions include lighting a candle each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas while Scriptures are read with themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.
Christmas at The Museum of the Bible - if you’re near the Washington DC area, visit the 2023 exhibition, Gloria: The Wonders of Noel. Listen to daily readings of the Christmas story, special exhibits, choral performances, Christmas crafts, and more! Museum of the Bible is also hosting special musical performances—including Sing! An Irish Christmas with the Gettys.
Advent Activities for Families: Finding a Meaningful Christmas Countdown from Not Consumed (webpage)
The Songs of Christmas by White Horse Inn - have you ever considered the integral role of songs in the birth narrative of Christ? In this new White Horse Inn series, the biblical songs of Christmas are unpacked, reflecting on how they instruct us in Christmas's true meaning and message.
Spurgeon’s Guidance on Celebrating Christmas (article)
Christmas is Not Pagan by Marcia Montenegro, prior New Age guru (article) - many websites offer false beliefs about Christmas as being pagan or of pagan origins. Still, if one looks for valid historical sources for these beliefs, one will not find any. Such assumptions cannot be supported historically or factually. Cults promote such false beliefs, as do many non-Christians. This invalid information is taken to be accurate by misinformed Christians and non-Christians.
Should We Celebrate Advent and Christmas? by Kevin Bauder (article)
Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday? by Scott Aniol (article)
10 Questions to Ask for More Christ-centered Christmas Parties by Donald Whitley (article)
Liturgical Advent Readings from the Anglican Church in North America (calendar)
Christmas sermons by Martyn Lloyd Jones (audio)
The Clothing of the King by 1517.org (webpage) - new Advent resources for churches and individuals that walk through the divine wardrobe God provides for his people.
Mamma Bear Apologetics (webpage + podcasts) - tune into the Mamma Bear’s Advent series.
Is Jesus just a rehashed pagan deity? Is December 25th the birthday of pagan gods? Christmas trees are pagan? Where did Santa come from? Is there anything wrong with celebrating Christmas? What is the REAL threat to Christmas today?
Family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas can sometimes be the setting for difficult dinner conversations. In this episode, Kim and Shelbi turn to Ephesians 4 and other vital passages to explore how to handle holiday-season dynamics in a God-honoring manner.
Who doesn't love Christmas!! In this episode, Chris and Rose look at some of their favorite Christmas songs and explain their history and meaning.
Join Alisa as she debunks Christmas myths and answers all your burning questions!
How did we go from the birth of Jesus to Santa, stockings, reindeer, the North Pole, Christmas trees, and Kris Kringle? Does any of this come from Christianity or real-world historical events? The surprising answer is "YES" (much of it anyway)! Join Frank as he welcomes historian Bill Federer to share the fascinating story of how many Christmas traditions originated and have been passed down to us today.
A Free Online Study of A Christmas Carol!
The best authors open our eyes to truths that we would otherwise miss. They teach us to see the world anew and catch the importance of things lost in our daily routine. Charles Dickens had this gift, and A Christmas Carol is one of his best expressions of it.
This Christmas, Hillsdale College invites you to join them as they enter into the mysterious world of Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Jacob Marley, the Ghosts of Christmas, and Tiny Tim in their newest online course, “Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.”
The course includes six lectures, each approximately 30 minutes long. You can also access supplementary Q and A videos, study guides, and a discussion board at your own pace and schedule.
By taking this course, you’ll learn profound lessons from the Ghosts of Christmas, explore the true meaning of Christmas through Scrooge’s surprising encounters, and discover how to open yourself to life’s many joys and blessings.
Hillsdale College is a Christian-based school whose courses always center on a Biblical worldview.
A Christmas Carol Audiobook
You know the story of A Christmas Carol, but you’ve never heard it like this. Get drawn into the powerful story of forgiveness and redemption in this all-new audio experience starring Hollywood pros like Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, and Juliet Mills. This 4-part, fully dramatized, and all-new adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens will get the entire family in the Christmas spirit.
Resources in God Bless Us Every One: Lessons of Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude from A Christmas Carol by White Horse Inn (audio) - Guilt and the Ghost of Christmas Past, Grace and the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Gratitude and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
Advent and Christmas Books
These straightforward, short, and profound Advent readings have been edited from talks given by Dr. R.C. Sproul, helping readers to benefit from his enduring insight and wisdom. They describe the details of the Christmas story and reflect on how they impact our lives now, combining scholarly detail with heartwarming application.
Each day also includes a prayer written by a well-known Bible teacher of our day.
Holidays and the Feasts looks at three major subjects: The Old Testament feasts, Christmas, and Easter. Within this book, the author examines the alleged pagan roots of Christmas and Easter, provides a biblical case for celebrating Christmas, and answers the question, "Are Christians obligated to observe Old Testament feasts?"
This Advent devotional from Sinclair Ferguson invites you back in time to experience the first Christmas as described in the opening chapters of Matthew's Gospel. Sinclair dives deep into the details to unpack the unfamiliar from within the familiar. Through twenty-four daily readings, you'll explore Christ's birth from the perspective of Joseph, question who the wise men were and what compelled them to journey to Bethlehem and discover new insights from the genealogy of Jesus.
This book is a tool to help your family focus their minds and hearts on the person of Jesus Christ. Reading this devotional will point you to Biblical truth regarding the pre-incarnate Christ, the prophecies of Christ, the purposes of Christ’s coming, and the particulars surrounding Christ’s birth. Each day is meant to help you as a family read about these things, discuss them together, and then unite your voices in singing a great Christmas hymn.
Free Download Devotionals
The Clothing of the King Advent Devotional is a free ebook that walks you through every day of the Advent season. This devotional booklet reflects on the divine wardrobe God provides for his people.
Women in Apologetics has a beautiful eBook to use as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. This resource includes apologetics-focused devotionals complimented with art, poetry, and song lyrics.
This 10-day Advent Guide was explicitly made with busy families in mind. Amid extra church activities, Christmas parties, recitals, rehearsals, and travel, finishing a 4-week or 25-day advent guide is tricky. Enter this guide, which focuses mainly on worship—instead of paper crafts and busywork.
Was Jesus really born on December 25th? And what do we do with the claims that Christmas started out as a pagan holiday? Or that Christian parents shouldn’t do Santa Claus? You’re in luck! We address all these and more in our new Mama Bear Apologetics Guide to Christmas!
Resources for Children
The Little Way Family Advent Guide is a companion for your family’s Advent journey. It is both a calendar and guidebook, featuring one practice per day to prepare your heart and home for the birth of Christ.
Instead of just celebrating Christmas, let’s teach our kids the truth about its meaning. Let’s get deeper and talk about why we do what we do. Let’s turn our eyes toward the beauty of what Jesus did for us!
This set of ABC cards helps your children understand what the season is all about, Jesus! They include simple definitions and gospel-centered conversation prompts.
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