Are you prepared for Christmas?
I don't mean by that:
have you bought all the presents you are going to give
have you ordered your turkey
have you organised which family members you're going to see
have you started writing your cards
have you booked your annual leave from work
Nope.
What I mean is: have you started preparing your heart for celebrating the birth of the most amazing, earth-shattering, life-changing person ever born: Jesus.
I have a confession to make. We are totally ready for Christmas in our house.
I have a super organised wife, who likes to start thinking about Christmas while we're still on summer holiday. (Picture it: ice-cream in one hand, Christmas card list in the other.)
It's a source of personal distress to her if we're not all sorted by the beginning of November.
So... all our presents are bought, the turkey (crown) is in the freezer, our holidays with family are booked, and our cards are ready to be written (cards are my job, which is why they're not actually written yet).
Christmas is a crazy busy time in a pastor's house. Add into the mix the fact that both our children have birthdays in the run up to Christmas (worst family planning ever for a pastor), and that my birthday is just after Christmas (sorry wifey), and you can tell why it's a real blessing to have a super organised Better Half.
But as pastor to my family (this is where you listen up guys), the responsibility falls squarely on my shoulders to prepare the family for the whole point of Christmas: celebrating 'God with us'.
Fortunately for crazy busy people like me (and you?) there are some really fantastic resources available this year to help families and individuals prepare for CHRIST-mas.
Here are five of the best Advent resources I've come across - some of them completely FREE! (If you're not interested in the family/kid-friendly ones skip to resource no.5)
1. The Expected One App:
This is a brilliant app that has been produced by LifeWay Christian Resources and is available for iphone, ipad, ipod and Android. It's designed to be used by families. Starting on December 1st, every day up to Christmas contains a Bible reading and a short explanation and then three or four questions to prompt discussion. For younger ones, it also contains colouring sheets and some Christmas games, as well as some suggested songs for the family to sing together. If you're not sure about family devotions, there's even a 'guide to family worship' page. And what's more - it only costs 50p! You can get it HERE
2. The Christmas Journey Advent Book 2013: This is an absolutely brilliant family advent resource produced by Verge Network. It's FREE to download as pdf. Like all the other advent resources, there are suggested Bible readings for every day in December. However what's brilliant about this one is that it starts in Genesis 3 and works it's way through the whole Bible, picking out passages that anticipate the coming of Jesus. To help show how every story points to him, each reading is linked to pages in the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones (probably the best children's 'Bible' around). Each day also has it's own picture to colour in and decorate. These are intentionally 'bauble' sized: they are designed to be cut out and hung on your Christmas tree (or 'Jesse tree'). It's a brilliant interactive idea for kids. Get the pdf HERE
Good Book Advent Calendar Packs:
The Good Book Company have been producing these for a few years now. We've used a few of them as a family and they're really excellent. Each pack comes with an advent calendar, complete with doors to open each day. Most reveal a Christmas-themed Bible verse which links to a reading in a booklet, which comes in the pack. This booklet includes questions for each day in December, to help children understand the main point of the Bible passage, and how it points to Jesus. I can't recommend these superb resources highly enough. You can get the one I think is the best HERE
Beginning with God at Christmas: If your child is younger (pre-school) you might not have started a regular pattern of family worship yet. Christmas is a great time to start and the Beginning with God series by The Good Book Company is unsurpassed. They produced a Christmas edition, which is even more engaging than the usual version, including stickers - always a hit with toddlers. If you have a pre-schooler, this is worth a go. If you order it today you'll only have missed a few days. You can get it HERE
Good News of Great Joy: If you're slightly older and have perhaps moved out of the child phase, this is the resource for you. John Piper is known for his engaging speaking ministry, but he has been writing really helpful Bible-based, Christ-centred daily devotionals for some time. Desiring God have just produced a new book of Advent Daily Devotionals written by Piper that is well worth getting hold of. You can order a paper version from Amazon HERE for £3.21 or you can download it for FREE now as an ebook HERE
So there you go - five different ways to get properly prepared for Christmas. Advent starts on December 1st - so what are you waiting for!?
