“Tell the story. The story is good.”
One Advent, as my church’s worship planning team struggled to find a fresh way to share the message with our congregation, a colleague interrupted our overthinking with these words: “Tell the story.” Every year, as we share the poignant and powerful story of Jesus’ birth, I am reminded that our job is simply to tell the story. New resources are available to help us do so, so the Outlook offers short reviews and suggestions for when you might select one or the other.
For a church-wide approach to worship and small groups…
Season’s Greetings: Christmas Letters from Those Who Were There
Ruth L. Boling
Upper Room Books, 144 pages
Published September 1, 2024
It’s a fruitful spiritual practice to situate yourself in a Bible story, imagining yourself as one of the characters, experiencing the story viscerally. Season’s Greetings is a nativity set come to life as each character tells their story, describing the sights, sounds and smells of that night in Bethlehem.
Ruth Boling’s imagination breathes life into “invisible” characters as well — such as Mary’s midwife, the innkeeper, and others not pictured in our nativities. Their letters are warm and humorous, and each one could stand alone as a monologue for a Christmas pageant, Advent congregational celebration, or sermon. Boling offers implementation suggestions for churches to use her work in this way, although she also provides discussion questions for individuals or small groups. Season’s Greetings concludes with an invitation to write your own letter, imagining how you will carry forward the good tidings of Christmas.
Calling All Angels: An Advent Study of Fearlessness and Strength
Erin Wathen
Westminster John Knox, 154 pages
Published September 2, 2024
“How will we spend these days of waiting for Christ to be born among us?” Erin Wathen asks. We will follow the angels’ call to “fear not,” she responds, and we will live into hope instead. Calling All Angels is a classic Advent devotional that both leans into the warmth and coziness of the season and offers fresh insights to startle us into the “holy disruption of ‘God with us.’”
When we revisit familiar characters through the lens of fearlessness, we are invited to let their strength become ours and to take hope in their stories. We experience silence with Zechariah, power from Mary, Joseph’s courage and the “holy disruption” of the shepherds.
Wathen writes with gentle humor, peppering interpretation of Scripture with relatable stories, but she is not afraid of getting real. “Escape to Egypt,” her Christmas message, reminds us that hope and fear coexist, in a weary world where Bethlehem was bombed (Christmas morning, 2023) just hours after U.S. churches “lit candles and sang ‘Silent Night.’”
Calling All Angels is a gift for busy pastors and small group leaders. In addition to reflection questions and suggested activities, Wathen offers weekly worship resources and brief videos that are perfect for kicking off a weekly session. Individual readers will appreciate the short daily devotions, as well as the rich content that affords a weekly deep dive.
For individuals or groups seeking a different way into the story…
The Christmas Letters: Celebrating Advent with Those Who Told the Story First
Magrey deVega
Abingdon Press, 144 pages
Published September 3, 2024
Methodist Pastor Magrey deVega offers a more theological take on the season, starting not with the traditional infancy narratives, but with the epistles. The Christmas Letters looks to early witnesses such as John (to tell the story of Jesus from his beginning as the Word) and Paul (to explain the incarnation and the context for how Jesus’ birth shook the world).
With solid content, questions for reflection, and optional leader guides and videos that do much of the heavy lifting at the busiest time of year, deVega covers the basics; it’s his imagined letters from God to us that offer warm encouragement and draw readers more personally into the study.
On the Way to Bethlehem
Rob Fuquay
Abingdon Press, 144 pages
Published September 3, 2024
On the Way to Bethlehem journeys through biblical locations to wonder what the world was really like: Was it a “silent” night in Bethlehem or was it loud with the energy of bustling soldiers? How did Nazareth – a city of 100-400 people with only a well for water – help to form Jesus? And by asking these questions, might we better enter the world of Jesus’ birth?
Methodist pastor Rob Fuquay uses Mary and Joseph’s physical journey as a metaphor for our Advent journeys, traveling through stages of longing, waiting, simplicity and humility over four weeks, with a brief “epilogue” for Christmastide. He peppers his reflections with relevant stories of his own explorations of these cities. With optional leader guides and videos, On the Way to Bethlehem is a rich resource for busy pastors and small group leaders; on its own, it allows for personal devotional reading.
For families…
The Joy of Advent: Family Celebrations for Advent & the Twelve Days of Christmas
Rebecca and Stephen Grabill
Paraclete Press, 208 pages
Published October 1, 2024
Parents eager to share the entire biblical story with their children will find a welcome companion in The Joy of Advent, as it starts with Adam and Eve and incorporates key stories of the Hebrew Bible before leading us to the baby in the manger. Rebecca and Stephen Grabill share stories and celebrations (including the occasional craft or recipe) for Advent and Christmastide, with suggestions for sharing with little ones and teenagers.
While The Joy of Advent may be too prescriptive for some families (each reflection concludes with questions that “quiz” children of the facts of the story), it could still be a jumping-off point for dinner table or bedtime conversation.
For Advent and beyond…
Midwinter Light: Meditations for the Long Season
Marilyn McEntyre
Broadleaf Books, 175 pages
Published October 8, 2024
Midwinter Light invites us to look inward, waiting and watching, as we enter the fallow season of winter. Marilyn McEntyre strikes an often melancholy tone, reflecting on the barren landscape of winter as she invites us to consider the quiet growth just below the surface. Brief devotions open with a poem and her thoughts on loneliness, simplicity, attentiveness, and more. This is an excellent choice for those seeking a contemplative take on Advent and Christmas, as well as wisdom they can carry with them into a new year.
Resources from past years
2023 Advent devotional and group study recommendations
Holy Disruption: Discovering Advent in the Gospel of Mark by Tracy S. Daub
