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! Read our full disclosure.

For families with younger children:

• The Jesse Tree: Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas by Ann Voskamp. Bold, symbolic illustrations accompany Voskamp’s meditation on the Jesse tree. Jesus is not just the “reason for the season,” he is the greatest gift that’s ever been given! Buy from amazon.
• A Crafts-Oriented Devotional: Truth in the Tinsel is all about Jesus–and making an ornament every day from easy-to-find supplies. Kids of all ages will get into the crafty spirit while they learn more about Jesus and his birth.

For families with elementary school kids and up:

• Traditional Family Devotional: *Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus by Marty Machowski. A family devotional with Scripture, reflections, an original story, music, and activities, this is indeed a celebration of the birth of Christ. This is one our favorite resources! Buy from amazon.
• Isaiah’s Prophecies: *Wonders of His Love by Champ Thornton. Child-friendly family devotional that breaks down Isaiah’s rich prophecies into language children can understand. Buy from amazon.
• Short, Two-Week Devotional: Promises Made Promises Kept by Marty Machowski. Invites families to look at God’s promises in the Old Testament which are fulfilled in Jesus in the New Testament. Buy from amazon.
• Unique Focus: *Unwrapping the Names of Jesus by Asheritah Ciuciu. A family devotional that follows a traditional 4-week Advent schedule with daily readings that focus on a particular name for Jesus. Activities, Scripture readings, and more round out the selections. Buy from amazon.
• Handel’s Messiah: *Hallelujah: A Journey Through Advent with Handel’s Messiah by Cindy Rollins. This succinct listening guide walks readers through Messiah with “what to listen for” weekly reflections and daily scripture + music tracks to enjoy. Easy to adapt and use, even if you are traveling over the holidays. Buy from amazon. See also: The Handel’s Messiah Family Advent Reader and Every Valley for other Messiah-related Advent guides
• Christmas Carol Devotional: Hosanna in Excelsis by David and Barbara Leeman. Brand new for 2020, this lovely volume has a different Christmas carol or hymn for each day of Advent through Epiphany. Background on the song as well as a short devotional accompany each hymn. Buy from amazon.
• Advent Wreath: Focusing on light as both metaphor and sign of Christ’s presence, The Light Before Christmas by Marty Machowski is a family devotional with Scripture, reflections, an original story, hymns, and simple object lessons. Buy from amazon or NewGrowthPress.
• Little Hearts Prepare Him Room by Holly Mackle. A theologically rich devotional for young children that you can use with or without Jesse Tree ornaments. Another option would be ornaments that were designed specifically to use with the book. Buy from the PCA Bookstore
• Great Art + Music: He Came Down from Heaven by Laurel Sauder. He Came Down from Heaven is a guide to celebrating Advent leveraging the rich sacred artistic legacy of Western culture. Each of the 25 days contains a suggested Scripture passage accompanied by a full-color reproduction of a famous work of art relating to the Scripture passage and a short paragraph to guide the viewer; suggested musical selections; and a brief prayer.  Buy from amazon.

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.
• For those who enjoy classic poetry, hymns, and devotionals: *Journey to Bethlehem, edited by Leland Ryken. A lovely anthology of historic Christmas poetry, hymns, and devotionals coupled with Ryken’s insights. Buy from Amazon.
• Robust Theology: A Wondrous Mystery by Charles Spurgeon. 30 devotional readings drawn from Charles Spurgeon’s sermons that make for a joyful, thoughtful Christmas devotional. Buy from Amazon.

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What is YOUR family’s favorite Advent devotional?