Nurture a meaningful Advent at church and home. There is no shortage of excellent (and easy to use) resources, like the favorites below…
- The diocesan Christian Formation webpage has links for use in the home and within the congregation.
- Journeying the Way of Love: Advent Curriculum from the Office of the Presiding Bishop. Four sessions moving through the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke provide a pattern for understanding how we can live the Way of Love as individuals, as families and friends, as a community, and out in the world.
- St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Goochland, Virginia, and the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire have both done an excellent job of consolidating wonderful Advent resources on their websites.
- As always, Church Publishing and Forward Movement both have a host of good books for read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest more of the season in small groups, church-wide, or at home. Just enter Advent in the search bar.
- Living Compass offers several tried and true ways to support us throughout the Advent Season, such as their annual Advent Devotional or daily email. Order early!
- And primarily for children and families, Now in Flesh Appearing is an Illustrated Ministries Advent devotional exploring how the Advent story is about God taking on a physical body like ours. As you wait with anticipation and prepare for baby Jesus to be born this Advent season, they invite us to discover the awesomeness of incarnation and what it means for God to move, act, and live with us. Check out the range of Illustrated Ministry devotionals and activities that are digital and easily reproduced.
Keep watch for more Advent resources coming your way. And also, be sure to have someone from your congregation stop by the Christian Spiritual Formation display during Diocesan Convention to pick up your free copy of Slow Down. Quiet. It’s Advent. calendar poster with Illustrations by Jay Sidebotham for your congregation. The calendar offers ideas for prayer, helping others, and being thoughtful about the true meaning of Christmas.
Once you’ve had a chance to explore these options, please reach out to Kim at formation@diowestmo.org for assistance in personalizing PDFs, documents, directions, or activities to meet your needs.