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I hope my rundown of some of the best Advent Bible studies around has been useful to you as you prepare to keep Christ central to all your activities and busyness this Advent and Christmas. At a time which increasingly feels dark and challenging these stories offer light and hope reflecting on the lived experience of faith, its inspiring nature and the love of neighbour and of God which underpins each of these stories. From the founder of Save the Children through to the saint who became Santa, the daily reflections are ideal for individuals, churches and groups who are seeking comfort and hope in times of challenge and worry.
THE spiritual gifts of the season are summed up in the “O” antiphons recited on the last seven days of Advent. In these invocations, the Church has Christians pray for wisdom, deliverance, redemption, divine intervention, freedom, enlightenment, and salvation, because Emmanuel — God with us — “is the hope of the nations and their Saviour”. This list makes a good starting point from which to evaluate the special demands of Advent 2020 and to assess the extent to which they are met in this year’s selection of preparatory material. Never has hope been in such short supply, and yet Advent, when Christians open their eyes and hearts to their core beliefs, surely offers it in spades. If you’re looking for an Advent guide which will widen your experience beyond the gospel retellings, here it is. Like a grown-up version of the Jesse Tree, The Whole Christmas Story does just that: it ponders the whole Christmas story, starting with creation in Genesis and ending with the new heaven and new earth described in Revelation. The format is traditional: Bible passage (helpfully included in full), followed by articulate and warm commentary. Jo Swinney expounds Scripture deeply and wisely, with nuance which stems from a recent tragedy. A worthy companion to your Advent. The Promise and the Light (Katy Morgan, 2021) Here are 25 “conversations with Jesus” – enticingly written, drawing you into the story, drawing Jesus into our world today with all its ups and downs. I found this a fascinating and incredibly powerful way to explore Scripture – which, by the way, begins each day’s reading, and covers both Old and New Testaments. It’s not for you if you’re looking for exegesis – but if you’re at risk of going through the motions this Advent, after years of “same old same old”, then this is definitely one to try. Powerful, challenging, comforting and wildly welcoming. Lean Towards the Light this Advent and Christmas (Compiled by Christine Aroney-Sine and Lisa DeRosa, 2020) Again, if you’ve come to this post looking specifically for ideas for your small group, here’s an “at-a-glance” list (with more info when you scroll down) of the best books to read during Advent in a small group:
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Nicholas Holtam was Bishop of Salisbury from 2011 to 2021 and the Church of England's lead bishop for the environment, chairing the Environmental Working Group from 2014 to 2021. A Durham geographer before training for ordination, he lives in Brighton and is married to Helen with 4 adult children. Nicholas is the author of The Art of Worship: Paintings, Prayers, and Readings for Meditation and A Room with a View: Ministry with the World at Your Door. Sleepers Wake! is his first Advent book.
Looking for a book advent calendar that is made up exclusively of books? If so, then these Wrapped Book Advent Calendars are a great choice! The 24 Days of Bookish Gifts Advent Calendar Box is another option that will bring bookish Christmas cheer to you this year! From a book of cheer to the downright jokey comes The Glorious Journey. Liam Kelly has produced an Advent book based on the Netflix film The Two Popes. He works at Ampleforth Abbey in the abbot’s office and offers a nicely balanced secular commentary on seasonal themes such as listening, change, mercy, and loneliness. And last, if you didn’t see an option you loved on the list above, you can always create your own book advent calendar! This is an extremely readable, humorous, down-to-earth Advent devotional. I love Wilson’s style, as she connects with our humanity, and lifts our eyes to the supernatural. Each day is based around a title or lyric from a carol, with a Scripture reading to start, and a readable, helpful commentary to follow. Days 1-25 help guide you towards celebrating the Christ-child, whilst days 26-31 help you look ahead to the coming year. Highly recommended. Celebrating Christmas (Amy Boucher Pye & Leo Boucher, 2021)In one of the obligatory encomia that books now include, “Reading this was like spending an afternoon with Bishop Arun at the pub.” The notion of a bishop’s spending an afternoon in a pub — even a suffragan bishop — is beyond the scope of this review.
In a phrase: Imagined storytellings and Bible studies based on Sarah, Isaiah, John the Baptist and Mary Each day, it gives us “stories of individuals from across the world, whose lives speak of a divine love and the triumph of hope”, with questions for reflection. The author gathers inspiring figures from the calendar, the news, and especially around the globe, in a heady mix of the familiar, the overlooked, and the surprising, including, among others, St Nicholas and Stormzy, Eglantyne Jebb and George Floyd, C. F. Andrews and Asia Bibi.Buy the 12 Day Bookish Advent Calendar now! (or buy it on Etsy here!) 2. 25 Days Book Christmas Advent Calendar If you’re struggling this Advent, Contemplating Christmas is the devotional for you. Full of hope, it makes space for all the disappointments, bereavements and difficult situations we may find ourselves in as the year draws to a close. Each day includes the Bible passage in full, a reflection from Abby, questions to ponder and a breath prayer. I’ve long enjoyed Abby’s beautiful and sensitive writing style: nuanced with all the experience of one who has lived through difficult times, but never cynical, always hopeful that one day Jesus will come to redeem us and our fallen world. A gorgeous yet manageable devotional to guide you through Advent. Creation to Crib (David Sims, 2021) As Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, writes in his foreword to the book, Advent is not only a time for anticipating the moment Jesus Christ came into the world but also reflecting on the ‘last things’ foretold in the Book of Revelation where people of every tribe, tongue and nation rejoice before the throne of God. On the staff at the 2008 Lambeth Conference, he describes the Anglican Communion, touchingly, as “a vast and diverse family which points to that picture of heaven in the book of Revelation”. By the time he attends the 2022 Conference as a new bishop, he finds that “provinces, mainly from Africa, were offered financial inducements by church organisations in wealthier parts of the world if they agreed to boycott the conference.” I was amazed, in my research, to find such a huge variety of different styles: some imaginative, some traditional, some for families, some for groups, some long, some brief, some with illustrations, some with activities. There really is something for everyone in this list. May you find a resource which will draw you into God’s heart this Advent!
The New Daylight series of daily Bible readings, gathered in a booklet, Journeying through Advent, are written this year by David Winter, Steve Aisthorpe, Amy Boucher Pye, Andy John, and Margaret Cundiff (who died in 2011).The ideal Advent companion! Rooted in both the Bible and the current environmental crisis, Bishop Holtam’s meditations help us to face the challenge of the Saviour who will finally come in judgement of what we have done to God’s world, while we are preparing to offer all we have to the Babe of Bethlehem. Read it yourself daily, study it in weekly groups – but, most importantly, wake from sleep and act now before it is too late.’ David Sims, a church leader and adoptive and additional needs dad of 3, has struggled to find resources to lead his family in faith. This is his solution! And it’s wonderful: a gloriously-illustrated A4 book of fun and creative ways to engage with God’s Word within the home this Advent. Each day comprises a Bible passage (written out in full for ease), short devotional to read, then options to pray, think and do! There are beautifully-lettered phrases, plus plenty of space for journaling or doodling your own thoughts. A wonderful Advent devotion for families! The God of Amazing Gifts (Lizzie Laferton, 2022) To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth is integral to being a Christian today… Advent calls us to wake up, pay attention, stay sober and be alert to God and to what is happening in the world around us. The behaviour of human beings is the major current cause of climate change, and has the potential to become the 6th major event to result in the mass extinction of life on planet earth. We know this, yet we are still in danger of sleepwalking towards catastrophe… we are being called to live as citizens of God’s kingdom in the here and now… we are sensing an opportunity to do things differently, and an Advent-like urgency is needed in making our response… we can run headlong into disaster or we can sleepwalk into it, but we can no longer say that we do not know the impact of the way we are living. It is only in facing the reality that we can find the way forward.’ Stories of exclusion and coupled with stories of divine connection and hope including those of Jemima Prasadam, one of the first women to be ordained priest in the Church of England whose ministry in inner city Birmingham led to her inclusion at the National Portrait Gallery and the impact of the ministry of Billy Graham whose preaching has been foundational to the faith journey of minority ethnic bishops in the Church of England. St Paul famously wrote that these three things remain faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.
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