Advent

To help prepare our hearts for the Christmas season, you can start December 1st and spend the next twenty-four days journeying through the Gospel of Luke together. Each day, you will read a chapter, reflect on devotional materials written by members of the Beijing International Christian community, answer questions relevant to your life, and spend time in prayer.

We hope this devotional reminds you of the true reason we celebrate Christmas and becomes something you can share with family, friends, or co-workers as you gather to study God’s Word together.

Advent Devotional: The Gospel of Luke

The shame of barrenness. Diviners. Village obscurity. A child’s naming ceremony. A king’s shocking bloodline. Supernatural dreams. This advent season, fresh African insights illuminate the Bible’s timeless tale. Learn from the continent’s cultures, early theologians, and today’s Christian leaders. Journey through the whole Christmas story, from prophecies about Christ through Matthew, John, and Luke’s nativities. You won’t see the Christmas story the same way again. 

The Christmas Story Through African Eyes

Let the songs of the first Christmas turn your heart toward God’s glory. Reflecting her own love for the season, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth offers meditations on the first two chapters of Luke’s gospel.  This reading plan shines new light on the ancient yet inspiring songs of Elizabeth and Mary. May they lead you to contemplate the loveliness and essence of Christmas. 

The First Songs of Christmas

Designed to make your heart sing, these Advent devotions by Tim Chester dwell on the song Mary sang at the first Christmas. They will help you to pause and marvel at Jesus’ birth and to praise him with all your heart, soul, and voice.

5 Reflections on Mary's Song for Advent

The Christ Tree contains countless sprigs of fir, representing each of us.  
No two sprigs are the same and they come together to form a magnificent sight. Each one is unique, yet an essential part of the whole, just as we are described in 1 Corinthians 12.  
We hope you will join us as we read The One Advent plan and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.

The One: Advent

God prepared the world for Jesus the Messiah right from the very beginning.  He made sure His world knew ahead of time that the Messiah was coming.  This is the first of three devotionals that give the prophetic pronouncements of the Messiah – and how they were fulfilled.  This devotional shows the prophecies of the lineage of Jesus starting from the garden of Eden right to Mary.

Jesus' Lineage - Preparing For Christmas Series #1

The story of Christmas offers a great promise. It speaks into the hopelessness and restlessness of our day by revealing a God who has been on mission to save us. From the beginning of our human story, God promised a Rescuer. When he made good on that promise, he did so in an unexpected way: by sending his Son! Come experience this story and unwrap the promises it offers you.

The 10 Promises of Christmas

My soul glorifies the Lord!” begins Mary's song-- traditionally known as the Magnificat.  It is a magnificent song about God, His Glorious Mercy, and His Deliverance. Mary’s song points us to answer the question, “What is my purpose in life?”

Mary's Song: My Soul Glorifies the Lord

Waiting is uncomfortable. At best, it can be painfully boring, and at worst it can be full of uncertainty and fear. But this year, we invite you to think about waiting in a new way. The season of Advent is a season when we wait, not just for Christmas, but for Christ Himself, and as we wait for Christ, we are invited to participate in God’s work. 