Welcome to Advent! The calendar says 2019, but for most of us it’s easy to look back and wonder what happened to the past year. Is it really Christmas Already?!?
But Advent is a time to look FORWARD. Memories abound and our rear view mirrors are filled with thoughts of years past. But this season calls us to look forward.
During this Advent Season, what are you looking forward to? All of the “jobs” that need to be done like putting up the Christmas Tree, doing the shopping, sending out cards? Or is there something deeper? Something that calls us every year but which constantly eludes us?
This page gives you access to 27 days of devotionals which are intended to help you discover what to look forward to. Just what is the “Real Reason for the Season”? Who is this Jesus? What does He mean for my life? Use these devotionals and this year’s Advent season to explore those questions.
Daily Devotions for Advent 2019
The devotional is presented in PDF format. Instead of presenting the entire booklet in one file (and forcing you to scroll through the whole thing to find the current date’s article), the booklet is broken up into separate week-by-week files.
To read the article for any given date, scroll down to the week you want and click on the button. This year is a bit unusual in that the first Sunday in Advent happens to be the first DAY of December. The devotional begins on Saturday November 30 (we’ll call that “Week 0”). After that, all of the files begin with Sunday and run through Saturday of the indicated week (except for week 4, which ends on Thursday- the day after Christmas).
Regardless of the calendar details, Advent is a time to look forward. During these next 27 days, use this devotional to look forward to Jesus; to grow in the joy of an ever deepening relationship with our Lord and Savior.
“Week 0”
(Saturday November 30)
Week 0
First Week in Advent
(Sunday December 1 through Saturday December 7)
Week 1
Second Week in Advent
(Sunday December 8 through Saturday December 14)
Week 2
Third Week in Advent
(Sunday December 15 through Saturday December 21)
Week 3
Fourth Week in Advent
(Sunday December 22 through Thursday December 26)
Week 4
Members from several local churches joined together to produce this Daily Devotional. The booklets were published in hardcopy form and distributed within the participating churches. But electronic copies of the devotions are presented here so that you can use the devotionals “on the go” and so that you can easily share them with others who don’t have access to the printed booklets.
If you want a printed copy, visit or contact one of the participating churches (“UMC” stands for “United Methodist Church”):
- Trinity UMC (Mullica Hill, NJ)
- Zion Community Church (Clarksboro, NJ)
- Pitman UMC (Pitman, NJ)
Contributions were also made by members from:
- Evangelical UMC (Clarksboro, NJ)
- Bethlehem Lutheran Church (Delmar, NY)
- Raleigh UMC (North Raleigh, NC)
Why Read these Devotionals???
Christmas is Coming!
What does that mean? It could mean that the number of shopping days is quickly dwindling and you can’t wait for it all to be over. It could mean that the calendar is highlighted with parties, family gatherings, and days off; fun things to look forward to (or dreadful things to get over with).
But is there something deeper? Is there something about “Christmas is Coming” which can leave you with a more hopeful and peaceful life after Christmas leaves? Consider the following (which appears as the forward to the booklet)…
Pastor Ron Smith (Trinity UMC) calls these “homegrown devotions,” an appropriate term to explain that they are written by members of several local churches (and friends from two out-of-state churches). They are also heartfelt, joy-filled, love-directed, lesson-giving, Spirit-filled, life-relating, and even humor-tinged. As you read through these homegrown devotions, keep in mind that more than 1,200 people in our faith communities will be reading the same pages on the same days. What do you have to look forward to? You will read about Joseph as you glimpse his humanity more clearly. You will read about anticipation, presents and being present, gift wrapping, dancing and singing, family, adoption, angels, childbirth, surprises, fathers, protection, light, faith, hope, joy, peace, and love. Perhaps you will learn something new. Perhaps you will identify with the struggle or victory of one of the authors. Perhaps you will mull over some topic and delve into it more deeply. Perhaps you will be motivated to write one yourself next time. Our hope is that you will go through the next 27 days more calmly as you focus more clearly on the real Reason for the Season, Jesus Christ. We thank the authors who risked sharing their thoughts with us. We thank you, the readers, for your participation, as you read, pray, and share these books and stories with others. The Editors
+ + + + + + +
Advent Season
For a summary of the events happening at PUMC during this Advent Season, check out the below post:
For other daily devotionals , visit our Devotionals Page: Daily Devotionals
