Family Advent Devotional List

Do you have a favorite family Advent tradition? Perhaps your family does a Jesse Tree together. Or maybe you have an Advent wreath on your dining room table. Do you wait until the day after Thanksgiving before turning on Christmas music?

We have a great lineup of recommended family Advent devotional guides for you, no matter what ages your kids are. If you’ve never read an Advent family devotional together before, this is a good year to start! If you have, perhaps you’ll find a new resource below that can expand on an existing tradition. If you are a classroom or Sunday school teacher, you can adapt several of these for classroom use.

 

Family Advent Devotional List

Titles are listed in order of age appropriateness; titles are linked to Redeemed Reader reviews so you can read more about them!

Titles are also linked to amazon (affiliate links*) or another venue if you decide you’d like to purchase the book or read other reviews. You can shop (most of) the list at Exodus Books. You can also find most of these in our Bookshop store; when you buy from Bookshop, you support local independent booksellers! We are affiliates with Exodus Books, amazon, and Bookshop. Read our full disclosure.

For families with younger children:

For families with elementary school kids and up:

For families with middle school kids and up:

  • For those who love poetry: *Wild Bells by Missy Andrews. Each day’s reading features a classic literature text (primarily poetry) followed by a reflection on that work and its connections to Advent. A lovely collection of the some of the best Christmas-related literature from authors such as Christina Rossetti, George Herbert, John Milton, G. K. Chesterton, and more. This one also makes a lovely, private-devotional aid. Buy from Center for Lit
  • Reflections on 1 Corinthians 13: Love Came Down at Christmas by Sinclair Ferguson. Rich, pastoral meditations on Jesus through the lens of 1 Corinthians 13. Each daily reading is followed by a short reflection for personal application and a prayer or poem from a historic Christian. Buy from amazon.
  • For Christmas and Easter: The Expected One and The Risen One by Scott James. There is much to anticipate in both Christmas and Easter, but the Story is much bigger than the significant events, as Scott James demonstrates in a pair of devotional books.

For families with teens:

  • Delight in God’s Creation: Heaven and Nature Sing by Hannah Anderson. Heaven and Nature Sing creates a bridge between the curse that sin brought on nature and the grace that allows us to enjoy God’s glory in creation while we anticipate our Redeemer’s return. Buy from amazon.
  • Meditate on Matthew 1-2: The Dawn of Redeeming Grace by Sinclair Ferguson. Winsome and pastoral, The Dawn of Redeeming Grace is a thoughtful Advent meditation on Matthew 1-2 for teens and up. Buy from amazon.
  • Grapple with Big Ideas: God Rest Ye Merry by Douglas Wilson. Wilson’s signature energetic, meaty rhetoric tackles the celebration of Christmas (good and bad), the historical and political implications of the Incarnation, and more in several chapters of analysis followed by daily readings for the Advent season, reflecting on the same themes. Buy from amazon.
  • Look at the Big Picture: Behold the Lamb by Russ Ramsey. This devotional picks up the echoes of Jesus and the Incarnation through the millennia, reminding us how God’s purposes unfold and overlap. Bonus: if you like Andrew Peterson’s music, check out his CD by the same title. Buy from amazon.
  • Theology Rich: Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp. This can be adapted to younger readers, but teens and up will get the most out of this daily devotional that looks at the full ramifications of Christ’s Incarnation. Buy from amazon.
  • Reclaim Your Joy: The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper. Daily, short readings that focus on our joy in Christ are meant more for private devotions, but work well as a way to focus the family together, too! Buy from amazon.
  • Short Daily Readings: Good News of Great Joy by John Piper. John Piper examines why the new is really and eternally good, in the attractive volume of short advent readings. Recommended for older teens. Buy from amazon.
  • A Fresh Look at the Christmas Story: Preparing for Jesus by Walter Wangerin, Jr. Wangerin’s imaginative reflections on the different characters of the Christmas story prompt readers to reflect anew on the wonder of this amazing event. Buy from amazon (the kindle option is inexpensive, and it works fine for this book). Recommended for older teens.
  • Echoes of Jesus in the Old Testament: Awaiting the Manger by Ocieanna Fleiss. Ocieanna Fleiss is a novelist, and she brings to bear her considerable storytelling skills in this new Advent devotional. Each chapter retells an Old Testament story, biblical fiction style, inviting readers to enter into the story afresh. Buy from amazon.
  • Focus on the Advent Wreath: The Weary World Rejoices, edited by Melissa Kruger. The 25 days’ readings are grouped thematically around the Advent wreath candles: Hope, Peace, Joy, Love, Faith. (Not all Advent wreath traditions use the same format.) Each candle’s theme includes 5 readings written by different members of The Gospel Coalition. Buy from amazon.

*We are members of the Amazon LLC Affiliate program which means we may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links (at no additional cost to you).

What is YOUR family’s favorite Advent devotional?

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Betsy Farquhar

Betsy is the Managing Editor at Redeemed Reader. When she reads ahead for you, she uses sticky notes instead of book darts and willfully dog ears pages even in library books. Betsy is a fan of George MacDonald, robust book discussions, and the Oxford comma. She lives with her husband and their three children in the beautiful Southeast.

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8 Comments

  1. A on November 12, 2018 at 2:10 pm

    Thank you for this comprehensive list. We also love “The Coming of the Saviour King” by Rob Slane!

  2. Sheri D Cornett on November 13, 2018 at 6:44 pm

    Though not an Advent Devotional, we have read the Jesus Storybook Bible, which has 24 readings before the Christmas story. I like that it keeps shows how all of the Old Testament points to his arrival.

  3. Debbie on November 13, 2018 at 7:12 pm

    It’s not an Advent devotional, but our family has enjoyed reading Jostein Gaarder’s Christmas Mystery during December.

  4. 4 Ways To Celebrate Advent With Kids | God TV on December 8, 2020 at 3:49 am

    […] You can find free advent devotional print outs on Pinterest, or even purchase a book on Amazon. Here is also a pretty comprehensive list of resources. If you want to make your own advent wreath at […]

  5. Candace on November 5, 2021 at 7:16 am

    We love reading Arnold Ytreide’s series of Advent stories! https://www.jothamsjourney.com Thank you for this list Betsy!

  6. Kristin Tanner on November 5, 2021 at 10:17 am

    Recommend “A Better Than Anything Christmas” and “A Jesus Christmas” by Barbara Reaoch.

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