Advent Resources for 2020

Waiting. Waiting etches itself into the experience of every son and daughter of God through the pains of bondage, plague, drought, and storm. Sarah and Abraham waited for Isaac. Joseph waited for his brothers and God’s grace to make evil into good. The descendants of Jacob waited through centuries of slavery in Egypt. Moses waited to enter the land of promise. David waited for the throne. Jeremiah waited for exile. Ezra waited for the restoration of the remnant. All the while, humanity waited for redemption and creation groaned for restoration. 

As much as it might seem that 2020 has been a global challenge for the Church’s worship services, community meetings, and program plans, I believe the Spirit has been patiently calling the Church into the hope-laced posture of waiting. Advent, I pray, might become the moment waiting shifts from an exercise of discipline into a posture of the heart as we tune our lives to the rhythm of redemption. 

Waiting is an exercise when it’s something we do as an activity. We exercise all the discipline we can muster to conceive of our future hope. Metaphorically, it’s like when we place our grocery orders on Instacart. We click the button and now we wait, looking, watching, fixated on when it will come and how it will arrive. We track it’s progress, all the while.

Waiting is a posture when it’s a discipline of presence. In this, we live today within an expectation of hope’s gentle existence in our life. Waiting as posture happens in the womb as a woman carries a child through her daily life. In each moment, she’s aware of not only what’s happening outside her, but also what’s within her. As she manages teams at work, talks with friends, commutes, and exercises, she is waiting with her child. 

I wonder what kind of remarkable reality the Spirit wants to wrestle us into, if we could wait on the Lord. Advent in any year, but especially this year, is about awakening our wonder in waiting for God to birth something in our lives. Waiting as posture is a quiet resistance to the anxious toe-tapping, waiting for a delivery to arrive. 

At Saturate, we’ve created several resources to help disciples, families, and communities walk in Advent this way. You’re invited to wait on the Lord.

PREPARING ROOM

This 25-day devotional is a guide into the glorious reality of God Himself coming to us and our world. We hope this guide helps you engage the themes of Advent while inspiring you towards worship, community, and mission.

ADVENT COMMUNITY GUIDE

We designed this devotional as a way to help you think about the themes of Advent and Christmas. There is one devotional reading for each week of Advent, and one for Christmas Day. This resource can be used as a devotion for families or in gospel communities on mission. This resource coincides with the incarnation stories in The Jesus Story-Book Bible. Coloring sheets for each week are available.

HOW TO MAKE A PLAN FOR THE HOLIDAYS

THE HOLIDAYS IN MC LIFE

In this episode of the Saturate Podcast, Brad Watson talks about the challenges and opportunities missional communities face during Christmas to make intentional plans to grow together in their enjoyment of the gospel, as a community, and on mission.