Advent Calendar

Read
“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.”
- Genesis 1.1-2

Think and Do
Our world is so full of beauty, but the Bible reminds us that before God’s creation the earth was blank, formless and empty.

Spend a bit of time in silence and in darkness, or make the room darker than it normally is. Before this month gets very busy, start together by thinking about what ‘nothing’ is like and be still and quiet for a moment.

Read
“So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ ”
- Genesis 1.27-28

Think and Do
God created light but also things which need light – including people and plants – and things which reflect light – like the moon.

Read
“Noah waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; and the dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth … ”
- Genesis 8.10-12; 9.12-19

Think and Do
Today is day three of December and of our Advent countdown. Noah and his three sons went onto the ark as a way of God saving the good in the world from a flood.

Read
“For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
- Isaiah 9.6

Think and Do
A prophet is someone who received messages from God and wrote down or told others what God said – often about things which were going to happen in the future.

Read
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ ”
- Luke 1.26-28

Think and Do
We know that the angel here must be an important part of the story because he has a name – Gabriel, which means ‘man of God’.

Read
“The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ ”
- Luke 1.30-33

Think and Do
Mary said ‘yes’ to doing God’s will. But she must have worried about how her life was going to be turned upside-down.

Read
“Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.”
- Matthew 2.7

Think and Do
Sometimes we might feel like each day is the same, but God is always doing something new.

Look around on your day today and see if you can spot something new in your local area. Perhaps something which has suddenly appeared – a new bench or some yarn bombing for Christmas.

Read
“Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ ”
- Matthew 1.18-21