Christmas and Advent Plans

When was the last time you did a really deep dive into the Christmas story? From King Herod to the shepherds, Mary and Joseph, to the wise men and Zechariah, there is much to learn from the events surrounding the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Over the next 10 days, we’ll look at truths from the Christmas story we should live all year long. 

10 Days of Christmas Truths to Live All Year

Is it really possible to experience peace when life is painful? The short answer: yes, but not in our own power. In a year that has left us feeling overwhelmed, many of us are left with questions. In this 7-day Bible Plan, accompanying Pastor Craig Groeschel’s message series, we’ll discover how to find the Missing Peace we all crave.

Missing Peace

In a brand new devotional series titled, The Reason for the Season, Pastor Jim Cymbala provides fresh insight into the Christmas story. As he addresses the unspoken sadness that many carry at this time of the year, Pastor Jim Cymbala challenges us to think about what would mean the most to Jesus this holiday season.

The Reason for the Season

The celebration of Jesus' birth during Christmas time is about much more than a single event. Long before the Son of God took His first breath here on earth, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit determined a plan that would provide the greatest gift to all humanity: Jesus, the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God. Join us in this 5-day devotional as we celebrate the Gift That’s Freely Given.

The Gift That's Freely Given

One Baby For The World takes you on an unforgettable Advent journey seen through the eyes of missions. Author Shari Tvrdik offers a unique perspective through Advent. She connects the powerful story of the nativity to her experiences with life among the suffering poor of Mongolia's ger district. Adapted from the book, One Baby For The World.


One Baby for the World: 24 Days of Advent From a Missions Perspective 

The Greatest Gift will take you through the Christmas story in ten days, reminding you of the reason why you can have hope, joy, and peace in a world filled with turmoil and despair. 

The Greatest Gift

One of the things that is vital for us during the Christmas season is to make sure we really understand the impact of Jesus' coming, His advent in our lives. This devotional will help you to focus on God’s greatest gift of all, Jesus, and the true meaning of His birth for our present lives and for all eternity. Walk with us through this 14-Day Christmas Devotional and experience your best Christmas yet!

14 Days Christmas Devotional

This year and last year have felt chaotic, stressful, uncertain, but God (I love those two words!) is unchanging, faithful, and our source of peace. Christmas is a time of remembrance, to reflect on what our God really did when Jesus was born in a manger. Follow along as we meditate on Christmas, joy, peace, love, and hope this Advent season. -Matthew West

We Need Christmas With Matthew West 

What if this Christmas, we were to remember the miracles that Jesus performed in the lives of those who came to Him? This Advent season, I pray you enjoy these 25 compelling stories based on the New Testament characters from The Chosen series. May their diverse, powerful testimonies inspire you to experience and become a miracle of God for others! Are you ready? You are a Miracle! Christian Misch

Chosen to Be a Miracle! Advent Plan Based on “The Chosen"

In all the holiday hustle and bustle, it can be easy to lose sight of why we’re celebrating. In this 5-day advent plan, we’ll dive into the promises fulfilled by the birth of Jesus and the hope we have for the future. As we learn more about who God is, we’ll discover how to live through the holiday season with hope, faith, joy, and peace.

Living Changed: At Christmas

In Isaiah 9:6, we see that Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. In this 5-Day Plan, we'll celebrate the arrival of Jesus by learning about His different names, and how they apply to our lives today.

Unto Us: Celebrating the Arrival of Jesus

In this eye-opening three-day devotional, you will learn that the goodness of God explains EVERYTHING. And His goodness is looking for YOU. You don’t have to chase it down. God designed “goodness” to follow you ALL the days of your life! This devotional will shape your expectations and free you from negative emotions caused by a misconception of God’s truly good and loving nature.

The Ten Miracles of God's Goodness

Heaven had a plan from the very beginning. Heaven’s plan was to bring us a Savior; this Savior, though human, was God Himself. Hay held the Savior who would save our hearts. Heaven’s plan began to be unfolded in the Old Testament, centuries before the birth of Christ. 


[From Heaven to the Hay in the Heart] Part 1

Christmas is a time of great joy, signaling the birth of Jesus, our Savior. There are many prophecies throughout the Bible of the coming of Jesus, and through this devotional, we’ll take a look at seven of the names God uses in Scripture to announce His coming. We’ll explore how Jesus embodies each of these names and is just as relevant for us today as when He walked the earth.

God With Us

It was the most significant birth in the history of the world. The longed-for Messiah, the Savior, had come. And He was wrapped in cloths lying in a manger. Helping you reflect on these glorious truths is the goal of this Advent reading plan. Each day offers a Scripture reading, a brief reflection and summary of the passage, and a suggestion for prayer.

To Us a Son Is Given

Emmanuel – God with us! The promise of a child born to save the world rings out to our spirits today with comfort and reassurance that we are not alone. God is with us! If you’re feeling lonely or dealing with depression at Christmas, this 5-day devotional by Laura Woodworth will help you explore Jesus as Emmanuel: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Emmanuel - God With Us: Christmas Comfort for a Lonely World

April Snook gives a special glance at the holiday season with Inside Christmas: Life With Emmanuel, God With Us. The 7-day devotional reading plan shares 7 inside (spirit, soul and body) applications from inside the Christmas story. From no room at the inn to making room within and becoming the INKeeper of your own heart, learn to do life with God, Emmanuel, God with us. 

Inside Christmas: Life With Emmanuel, God With Us

This 13-day devotion series is focused on the 12 days of Christmas. Rev. Joel Gaertner, Vice President of Ministry, shares the Christian message behind each verse in the rather well-known Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” We hope the following devotional thoughts will help you to keep focusing on God’s gift of his Son as our Savior and all that he means for us and does for us.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

During the Christmas season, many Christians sing the hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," which depicts the longing of the people of God for their Savior. This hope for the Savior is grounded in the Old Testament and its revelation of the Messiah. In this plan, we will look closely at the Old Testament promises about the Messiah and see how Christ perfectly fills that role.

The Coming of the Messiah

The celebration of Christmas is less about Jesus being born in a manger and more about Him being born because we matter. God came to be with us because He didn’t want our world to be without Him. He intentionally chose the name Immanuel because He was no longer simply watching us, warning us, and waiting for us to get it right. He was with us. In this devotional, you will be challenged with a fresh perspective as you prepare for the Christmas season.

400 Years of Silent Nights

When the Magi found Jesus, they honored Him with gifts:  Gold for the everlasting King,  Frankincense for the Wonderful Counsellor, Myrrh for the Mighty Warrior, and Worship for the Prince of Peace. How will you honor Him today?

Four Gifts of Christmas

Christmas is truly the greatest story ever told: one of God’s perfect faithfulness, power, salvation, and unfailing love. Let’s take a journey over the next 25 days to discover God’s intricate plan to save the world from sin and the promises fulfilled in the birth of His Son.

Advent: The Journey to Christmas

Jesus is our only true Resting Place. During different seasons of our lives, we can become overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, sad, or even depressed. This is particularly upsetting when we want to love the Lord, enjoy Him, and bless those around us. This plan is designed to be a very practical help to reclaim our joy, peace, and witness during these difficult times.

Jesus: My Resting Place

There is Hope! In this 5 day plan we don’t ask the question, "Is there hope?" We point to Jesus as the statement of Hope. Join us to be faith-filled during this Christmas season. 

There Is Hope

Does the Christmas story ever feel stale to you? Try taking a closer look. Go deeper. Encounter the God who came to be with us. Through essays, fiction, and even some poetry, this 13-day devotional plan explores how Jesus’s birth impacts our world—and our lives. Geared toward high schoolers.

Unlocked Devotional: Christmas Devotions

Christmas Plans

Since the Fall, humanity’s story has been saddled with sorrow. Yet at the end of the Book, we’re told that love will triumph.

Fall and Redemption

Advent Study going through: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

Advent Study

This Advent, spend time in the opening verses of John’s Gospel reflecting on what these verses reveal to us about who Jesus is. 

Who Is Jesus?

Finding Freedom: At Christmas

This Advent reading plan guides you through the key themes of hope, love, joy, and peace, helping them connect God’s promises to their everyday lives. Each day includes a scripture passage, a brief reflection, and practical application, encouraging deeper faith and meaningful moments of reflection. As you prepare for Christmas, you will grow in understanding and experience the Advent season in a personal and impactful way.

Radiant YTH Advent

No trips on donkeys. No angels singing. Not even a baby in a manger. Yet, there are still 25 gifts God wants to give you for Christmas. We can find them in a little, six-chapter book halfway through the New Testament. These are The Greatest Gifts, as revealed in Ephesians. Along the way, you'll find the gift of love, the gift of salvation, the gift of unity, and many more. Prepare your heart in a special way this Christmas season by receiving, and giving, God's greatest gifts.

The Greatest Gifts

This Christmas season, let the Advent candles remind you of the hope, love, joy, and peace that are ours in Christ. Join author Lynn Austin as she reflects on the season of Advent in these devotionals and invites you to pray for those who need to come home to Him. 

Praying and Waiting for Christmas: A 7 Day Advent Devotional

Advent is a church tradition to help believers across the globe prepare their hearts for the arrival of Jesus. Over four weeks, we’ll look at themes of hope, peace, joy, and love in the biblical narrative leading up to Jesus’ birth, and how these themes can be applied to our Christmas season this year.

Advent: A 25-Day Countdown to Christmas

The music we sing at Christmas helps us to remember the story of Jesus and fills our hearts with hope, peace, love, and joy. This 5-day plan will encourage your heart as you learn inspiring stories behind some of our most beloved Christmas songs, including O Holy Night, Joy to the World, and Silent Night.


Songs of Advent

Spark awe and recapture the wonder of Christ’s birth in this 4-day Plan. Join Bible teacher Jen Weaver and explore Isaiah’s ancient prophecies, revealing the beauty and majesty of Jesus nearly 700 years before His arrival. Let these timeless truths inspire worship in your heart and draw you closer to Christ.

In Awe of Jesus: Christmas Foretold in Isaiah

All is Calm, All is Bright focuses on the Prince of Peace and celebrates the Light of the World.  Short devotionals take you from the Old Testament longing for the Messiah through the fulfillment of God's promise in the story of Jesus' birth found in the gospels. Each day's reading brings you one step nearer the heart of Christmas: Immanuel, God with us. 

All Is Calm All Is Bright

Forgiveness is a big word, but what exactly does forgiveness mean? And what are the consequences if we don't forgive? And what is the difference between forgiving, pardoning and reconciling? This reading plan is structured like an Advent calendar: 24 “doors” and behind each one a little treasure awaits you about the incredible gift that Jesus gave you for Christmas.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Discover the wonder and purpose behind Jesus' miraculous birth as told in Matthew 1. From Joseph’s courage to the fulfillment of ancient prophecies, these devotionals invite you to embrace the depth of God’s love, the reality of Emmanuel (God with us), and the ultimate gift of salvation. Rediscover Christ’s story and its life-changing significance.

Born to Save: The Christmas Story of Jesus

Seven hundred years before Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would be called a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Only in the divine foreknowledge of God could all of these titles be perfectly fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This Advent, be awed and amazed at the Wonderful Counselor who’s a wonder of a counselor. Oh, come, let us adore him! 


He Shall Be Called

With all that noise telling us what Christmas should be about, it can be difficult to get to the point—to the heart of Christmas. That’s why, in this devotional, we’ll work to cut through the noise and discover the real meaning behind the season. We’ll look at what brings real joy and purpose in this holiday. We’ll unpack the incredible story behind the birth of Jesus Himself to understand what the purpose of Christmas really is.

The Purpose of Christmas

Do you feel like you're sitting in a waiting room waiting for a door to open? All of us are going to end up in a waiting room at some point. The problem is very few of us wait well. After all, waiting can make us feel powerless or even hopeless. However, the Advent season reminds us that God does some of His best work in the waiting room. Learn how to wait with God today!

The Waiting Room

Exploring the four angelic appearances found in the Christmas story and what they can teach us about our own call this Advent season.

Angels We Have Heard on High

Biola University's Center for Christianity, Culture & the Arts is pleased to share the 2024 Advent Project, a daily devotional series celebrating the beauty and meaning of the Advent season through art, music, poetry, prayer, Scripture, and written devotions. The project starts on the first day of Advent and continues through Epiphany. Our goal is to help individuals quiet their hearts and enter into a daily routine of worship and reflection during this meaningful but often hectic season. Our prayer is that the project will help ground you in the unsurpassable beauty, mystery and miracle of the Word made flesh.

The Advent Project: Week 4

Immanuel, Prince of Peace, The Humble Servant, Promised Messiah, Our Coming King – Jesus!

Join us in this 7-day series as we explore the uniqueness of Jesus’s character as revealed through the Christmas narrative. Let us give Him glory and praise this Christmas!

The Uniqueness of Jesus

Advent

The names of God throughout scripture are essential in understanding His character and revealing the needs of His people. This seven-day devotional will take an in-depth look at each name and description the prophet Isaiah used for the coming Messiah, and why those names are just as important for us today as they were for the original audience. May it awaken our hearts to discover that God is everything we need and more! 

His Name Shall Be Called

This five-day devotional, "God With Us," reflects on the miracle of Jesus’ birth as Emmanuel—God with us. Each day focuses on a different theme: the gift of God’s presence, Jesus’ humanity and divinity, his love for us, his understanding of our struggles, and the joy of belonging to God’s family. Celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and the promise of Christ’s enduring presence with us.