If you can believe it, Advent 2014 begins tomorrow!
If the term Advent may is unfamiliar to you, it is this time of anticipation and preparation that begins the Christian liturgical calendar and includes the four Sundays before Christmas. The name comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming.” During the Advent season Christians prepare for the different “comings” of Christ—first as a baby born to take away the sins of the world, and second as the victorious king come again to put the world to rights.
If your particular Christian tradition celebrates Advent then you are already familiar with the Advent wreath and four candles, which help the Church celebrate Christ’s first coming: hope, peace, joy, and love. Each Sunday a new candle is lit and a new theme is unpacked to help Christians reflect upon Christ’s birth.
It is this vintage spiritual practice that inspired a new Advent devotional I’ve been working on.
For the past few months, I’ve been crafting twenty-one, 500 word inspiring devotionals for the Advent season using a faithful and fresh, reliable and relevant new translation of the Bible, The Passion Translation.
I am super-excited about this new version of the Bible! Not only because I am helping theologically review it and write for it, but because The Passion Translation is a groundbreaking attempt to re-introduce the passion and fire of the Bible to the English reader. It doesn’t merely convey the original, literal meaning of words. It expresses God’s passion for people and His world by translating the original, life-changing message of God’s Word for modern readers.
Here’s the 411 on the Advent Devo:
This devotional book is organized around the four weeks of Advent and its themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. Each week begins with a Psalm reading and section of the Christmas narrative from either Luke or Matthew, which coincides with the Advent readings of the liturgical calendar. You’ll find a short devotional for five days of the week, Monday through Friday, which are based on those Scripture readings. Christmas Eve (or Christmas Day, depending how you want to use it) has it’s own special reading and devotional.
We trust this version of God’s Word will kindle in you a burning, passionate desire for Him and His heart, while impacting the Church for years to come. We also pray this Advent devotional will encourage and inspire your faith in the One who came to rescue us and the One who will come again to re-create us anew!
Here is the description and ways you can get it!
Prepare yourself this Christmas to celebrate the real reason for the season—Celebrate Jesus!
Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent, Celebrate Jesus! An Advent Devotional takes the reader through the entire Christmas season with twenty-one devotionals organized around the four weekly themes of Advent.
Through short, engaging reflections on hope, peace, joy, and love, combined with the beauty and relevance of The Passion Translation—a fresh, faithful translation of the Bible—you will find the inspiration you need to celebrate the true reason for the season throughout your week.
Each devotional follows the inspiring journey of the main characters of the Christmas story and offers an Advent prayer, making them perfect for your own personal, family, or small-group use. And Scripture readings from The Passion Translation will give you greater insights this season in your journey toward Bethlehem.
We trust this devotional and fresh version of God’s Word will kindle and inspire your faith in the One who came to rescue us and will come again to re-create us anew!
