Practicing Advent 2019
A Devotional for Families this Advent.
There is a “time-bending nature” to the season of Advent. As Christians, we live in an in-between time: the now and the not yet between Jesus Christ’s first and last coming. The first Advent began in a manger in Bethlehem and led to Jerusalem and the cross; the second will bring judgment and all things made new. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote that to live with Christ between these two Advents is to sleep between the arms of God with his left hand under our head and his right hand embracing us.
Our location in this in-between time places us in the midst of much darkness and the constant signals that all is not well in our sin-soaked world. Yet, for those who are in Christ there is the unwavering assurance that all shall be made well when justice and mercy meet. We wait “for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
Of course we’re not idle as we wait! The Anglican tradition has given us a tremendous gift for prayer called “Collects.” These ‘waiting prayers’ collect our hearts and minds and redirect them away from the tinsel and traffic of commercial Christmas towards the beauty of Jesus who satisfies our deepest longings. But however beautiful these prayers might be, their rich language can make them difficult to understand and internalize. Therefore we have provided a bible reading plan to deepen the value of these prayers by offering daily readings from the Scriptures which inspired each Collect.
This booklet is designed to be very flexible. You can use it once a week or every day. It’s useful for family discipleship at the dinner table or personal devotions. The prayers are adapted from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. May these prayers and readings strengthen and equip you to love and serve the Lord in your busy everyday life this Advent season. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!