This is the season of Advent, the time we get ready to celebrate the mystery of Christmas and the coming of Jesus, the Light of the world. This devotional resource uses themes connected to the Children and Worship Advent program at Neland.

Suggested daily practice

• Light a candle to remember that the light of Christ shines in this dark world.
• Read a Bible passage.
• Read the devotional for the week.
• Look at the image and reflect on its meaning.
• Wonder about the mystery of Christ and light shining in darkness.
• Pray.
• Sing an advent song.

Fourth Week of Advent
In Children and Worship the week, they hear the story of the Magi. They saw a special star in the sky. They followed the star to Bethlehem, bringing gifts for the newborn king.
And the Light of Christ shines in the darkness.

Photo by Doug Daining

Matthew 2:1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Devotional, by Brynn Van Drie
When Jesus was born, a star pointed the way and the Magi followed it to him, just as it had been prophesied in Isaiah 60:1-3: 

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, 
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth 
and thick darkness is over the peoples, 
but the Lord rises upon you 
and his glory appears over you. 
Nations will come to your light, 
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” 

The star illuminated the way to Jesus. It gave light to the path ahead so that the Magi knew where to find him. 
As we walk along our own paths, sometimes other people light the way to Jesus just as the star pointed the way to Jesus. Neland Church has always been a place full of people who have guided me and shown me Jesus. 
Flo Koster always greets me by name when I walk into church; she has shown me how to welcome people with love.
Beka and Beau McDowell have taught me what it means to show love to everyone around me no matter who they are or what their background is like.  
Sheryl Baker knows exactly how to make me smile and brings light and laughter to my life. 
Sara Webb has taught me how important it is to belong to a community and how to love everyone around me even if they might not think or act the same way as me. 
Steve Tuit has taught me how to create a safe place for those around me. 
And lastly, the teenagers at Neland teach me every day how to be a better person and to show inclusion and create a safe place at church. 
All of these people, and so many more, are placed in our lives to be like that star in the sky to lead the Magi to Jesus. They lead us to be more like Jesus and to love more fully.

Prayer: Lord, we thank You for the gift of Christ, our Savior and King. May his light guide us and his love fill our hearts. And help us to be the light on someone else's path. Let us shine as lights in other people's lives. Amen

Additional Bible Verses
During the fourth week of Advent and Christmas , you may want to read other passages that are about stars, kings, and gifts.  The Light shining in the darkness and we respond with joy as we learn to walk in the Light.

Genesis 1:1-5 – Let there be light
Isaiah 40:26-31 – he brings out the starry host ... those who hope in the Lord
John 1:1-14 -  The Word Became Flesh
Psalm 98 – Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth
Psalm 72 – Endow the king with your justice .. then all nations will be blessed
James 1:17-18 – Every good and perfect gift is from above
Colossians 1:15-20 – The Supremacy of the Son
Revelation 21:22-27 – The nations will walk by its light

Song Suggestions
Away in a Manger
Joy to the World
I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light
...and any other Christmas songs!

Third Week of Advent
This week in Children and Worship, they continue on the Road to Bethlehem and hear about an angel who visited shepherds. The angel says, “Do not be afraid. Be joyful! Today a Savior, God’s special Son, is born in Bethlehem.” Then the Shepherds go to Bethlehem to see the special Child, and they spread the good news.
The Light of Christ keeps shining in the darkness.

Photo by Lindsey Lautenbach

Scripture
Luke 2:8-20 The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Devotional, by Addie McDowell
Luke 2:8-11
No matter how afraid the shepherds were, they took time to listen to the angel and what the angel had to say. Once the angel told them about Jesus, they traveled to see the new baby Jesus because they wanted to see the gift of God. The angels led them to God and to Jesus, spreading the word of the Lord. 

As I get older and older, I begin to need more people to push me and lead me in the right direction. Sometimes I need someone to push me to spread kindness, sometimes I need someone to remind me to follow God, and sometimes I just need someone to help me keep going. Sometimes I need my parents to just keep pushing me to be nice to people even when they’re not being nice to me. Sometimes I need Brian and Kara Vandrie and Sheryl Baker to remind me that everything is going to be okay. Sometimes I need my friends from both church and from school to give me a shoulder to lean on. Sometimes I need my older sisters to hug me and give me advice from when they’ve experienced the same problems. Sometimes I need God to remind me to do the right thing, and sometimes I need to pray to take my mind off of things.

It’s important to be led in the right direction and to be reminded of the truth. It’s important to be led by your friends and family, but most importantly, by God. 

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for always leading us in the right direction. Thank you for always reminding me that everything will be okay and that I don’t always have to be afraid. Thank you, Lord, for everything that you’ve done for us. Thank you for the gift of Jesus, and thank you for always listening to my prayers. Thank you, God. Amen.

Additional Bible Verses
During the third week of Advent, you may want to read other passages that include shepherds, angels, and the good news of a Savior and of God’s peace.
In it all, the Light of God shines in the darkness.

Isaiah 40:1-11 – Comfort for God’s People  
Isaiah 6:1-4 - I saw the Lord … above him were the seraphim … “Holy, holy, holy”
Exodus 25:17-22 – cherubim over the ark of the covenant
Psalm 23 – The Lord is my Shepherd
Psalm 85 – Surely his salvation is near those who fear him
Psalm 148 – Praise him all his angels
Romans 5:1-6 – Peace and Hope
Ephesians 2:14-18 – He himself is our peace
Hebrews 1:6-12 – Let all God’s angels worship him
Revelation 5:11-13 – Many angels … encircled the throne

Song Suggestions:
Angels We Have Heard on High
Go Tell It on the Mountain

Second Week of Advent
This week in Children and Worship, they hear the story about the angel visits to Mary and to Joseph with news about a baby.  The angel says, “Do not be afraid.  Be joyful!” Then Mary and Joseph will be on the way to Bethlehem, where Jesus will be born.
The Light of Christ keeps shining in the darkness.

Image by Flo Koster

Scriptures
Luke 1:26-38 The Birth of Jesus Foretold
²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[a] the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”
³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
²⁰ But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”
²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[d] (which means “God with us”).
²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Devotional, by Elias De Jong
Luke 1:38: “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

In the first chapter of Luke, the angel Gabriel makes his visit to Mary, a girl in the small town of Nazareth. The angel brings to her the same good news that hosts of angels soon will sing: that a savior will be born to her. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High,” Gabriel proclaims. It’s life-changing and completely unexpected news to Mary – both a miraculous conception and the coming of the Messiah himself as a baby! Mary is shocked, but she accepts Gabriel’s words.

Not long after, Joseph receives the good news in a dream.

The good news disrupted Mary and Joseph’s plans. They were not yet married, and probably did not think that they were ready to have a child already – much less the Son of God. But Mary and Joseph accepted the joyful good news with faith. Even though they did not fully understand God’s plan, they put their trust in God.

In Children and Worship at Neland, we used to tell the story of the nativity, and many other stories, through carved wooden figurines. We followed the shapes of Mary and Joseph down the road to Bethlehem with our eyes, used the figurines to reenact the story with our hands, and wondered with our minds and hearts about what it must have been like.

During the time of Advent, we have an opportunity to focus on and wonder about the “mystery of Christmas,” and to see ourselves in the story through reading the scripture. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine yourself in Mary’s shoes more than two thousand years ago, but it’s not hard to remember the feelings of surprise and confusion. This week, when we face the unexpected in big ways or small, good ways or bad, let us trust in God with joy and faith, and remember Mary’s words: “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Additional Bible Verses
During the second week of Advent, you may want to read other passages that include Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, Mary’s song of praise, psalms and prophecies that resonate with Mary’s Song, reminders to “fear not,”  joy, and the way to Bethlehem. In it all, the Light of God shines in the darkness.

Luke 1:39-45 – Mary’s visit to Elizabeth  
Luke 1:46-56 – Mary’s Song
Joshua 1:7-9 – Be strong and courageous. ... Do not be afraid.
Isaiah 12:1-6  - Songs of Praise … God is my salvation.
Isaiah 35 – Joy of the Redeemed
Micah 5:2-5a – A Promised Ruler from Bethlehem
Psalm 126 – The Lord has done great things … we are filled with joy
Psalm 146 – I will sing praise … he gives food to the hungry
Galatians 4:4-7 – God sent his Son … you are God’s child
Philippians 4:4-7 – Rejoice in the Lord always!

Songs
If you’d also like to sing during your devotion time, here are a couple suggestions:
O Come, O Come Immanuel
Magnify the Lord  (Mary’s Magnificat)

First Week of Advent
This week we hear the voices of prophets, like Isaiah, who listened to God and showed us the way.
We remember that the Light of Christ shines in the darkness.

“Out of the Dark,” by Robert Bosscher (quilt)
Photo by Otto Selles

Scriptures
Isaiah 9:2-7
² The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.
³ You have enlarged the nation
    and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.
⁴ For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
    you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor.
⁵ Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
    will be fuel for the fire.
⁶ For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

John 1:5
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

Devotional, by Janine DeMoor
One song that I’ve always liked is the song “Here I am, Lord,” which we often sing in church when we appoint new elders and deacons. In the verses, the song describes God, the Lord of all, hearing the cries of His people in darkness and making plans to redeem them. At the end of each verse, God asks “Whom shall I send?” calling ordinary, unqualified people like Abraham, Moses, and the prophets to carry out the work of bringing light to the darkness. God uses their stories to point towards the ultimate calling, when He sends His son Jesus to descend into the darkness of this world and finally bring light to His people lost in the darkness.

And He’s still calling people today. Who shall I send, to bring my light to my people in darkness? Who shall I send to bring hope to those who despair, to walk with those facing trials, to care for my creation and show my transforming love through their lives?

God doesn’t call the qualified people. He qualifies the people that He called.

Another thing I love about “Here I am, Lord,” is that the chorus is our response.
       Here I am, Lord, is it I, Lord?
       I have heard you calling in the night.
       I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
       I will hold Your people in my heart.

The prophets followed this example to the point where many had to flee for their lives. Despite the struggle, they pointed forward to a Savior, a Messiah that would come down into the darkness of this world and bring light. And until He comes again and does just that, we are called to do the same – bring light in this dark world wherever God has placed you. Listen to God’s call, and He will lead you. And hold His people - His Kingdom - in your heart.

Whatever God has called you to do – you’ve got this!

"For there is always light,
if only we are brave enough to see it,
if only we are brave enough to be it.”
-Amanda Gorman

Additional Bible Verses
During the first week of Advent, you may want to read other passages with prophetic voices about the coming Messiah, our journey to Bethlehem, and the Light of God shining in the darkness:
Isaiah 2:1-5 - The Mountain of the Lord...let us walk in the light of the Lord
Isaiah 11:1-10 - The Branch from Jesse
Isaiah 42:1-7,16 - Here is my servant...I will make you a light for the Gentiles
Jeremiah 23:5-8 - The days are coming...The Lord Our Righteous Savior
Zephaniah 3:14-20 - The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you.
Psalm 25 - Show me your ways... my hope, Lord is in you.
Psalm 27 - Th eLord is my light...Wait for the Lord.
Revelation 22:1-7, 12-13, 16-17 - The throne of God...I am coming soon!

Songs
If you’d also like to sing during your devotion time, here are a couple of suggestions:
“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
“Here I Am, Lord”