s

JOY
OF EVERY

longing
HEART

ADVENT GUIDE 2015

Illustrations by Mallory Castaneda

All Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

Table of Contents
Introduction and How to Use This Book2
Week One - Waiting5
Week Two - Hope and Joy9
Week Three - Suffering13
Week Four - Good News.17
Christmas - Glory.21
Build an Advent Wreath..25

What is Advent?
If you look in the Bible, you wont find Gods people getting together to
celebrate Advent. For that matter, you wont see them getting together for
Christmas or Easter! So what does Advent have to do with the church of
God? Here are a few reasons we observe it.

Remember
The word Advent comes from a Latin word that means coming. The
season of Advent takes up the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Eve,
and during these Sundays the church remembers the long-awaited first
coming of the Messiah, the Savior of Israel. In other words, we remember
the fact that Jesus came to rescue the people of God. He came as a baby,
grew to be a man, died on a cross, was resurrected and now sits at the right
hand of the Father in heaven.

Look Forward
The second reason for celebrating Advent is to look forward to the second
coming of Christ. The Bible teaches us that Jesus will return one day to
ultimately destroy the works of the devil and live among the people of God
in paradise.

Live Intentionally
The third reason is to think deeply about the significance of Gods big plan
of salvation, Jesus incarnation and how we fit into this story. As Christians,
it is easy to embrace too much of the culture or to reject all of the culture.
God has called us to be salt and light in a flavorless and dark world.
While the atmosphere around us may be summed up with words like
consumerism or decadence, Advent can serve as a worthwhile remedy to our
hearts and minds during the Christmas season. Advent doesnt mean we
reject Christmas or condemn the world for how they celebrate it. Advent

enriches our understanding of why we celebrate Christmas and how we

live intentionally for Christ.

How to use this book

In your hands are five short devotions to read over the next four weeks of
Advent. Each of these devotions are built around the theme of Advent.
Along with the devotion is a song that connects to that theme. At the
end of each devotion is a section to think about what you read. Or if you
are using the devotion as a family (which we highly recommend!), you
can discuss together.
Our desire is for this book to be a helpful tool for you and your family during
this season. Decide on a time to sit down once a week for four weeks and
read the devotional. The fifth devotional is for Christmas Eve or Christmas.
You can also sing along with recordings that we have provided for the
devotions. These recordings can be downloaded for free at:
grandparkway.org/advent

May God bless and keep your family as you journey through this time together!

O come O come Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
O come Thou Dayspring come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And deaths dark shadows put to flight
O come Thou Wisdom from on high
And order all things far and nigh
To us the path of knowledge show
And cause us in her ways to go
O come Desire of nations bind
All peoples in one heart and mind
Bid envy strife and quarrels cease
Fill the whole world with heavens peace
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel,
Shall come to thee O Israel!

Week One

Waiting
O come, O come Emmanuel
Scripture Reading
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope (Psalm 130:5).

Think About It
Waiting for a reply will shape you. Ask a woman to marry you. Tell your
parents what grades you got this semester. Ask the doctor if the test came
back positive or negative. We naturally find ourselves in situations that can
make our palms sweaty and our hearts beat faster as we wait for something
as simple as an answer to our request.
God always answers His people when we call on Him in faith. He does not
always answer in ways we expect, but He always does what is best for us.
One of the most important things God does when He answers our requests
is to have us wait for them. Waiting can feel like punishment for some of
us. But the Bible teaches us that God, as a Good Father, disciplines His
children so that they grow to become mature people.
5

Advent was created by Christians as a way of preparing our hearts and minds
for God. Instead of getting overly excited about consuming overpriced
peppermint drinks from a coffee shop or going to party after party, we
should anticipate the celebrating that will come later. Slowing down and
looking forward to something helps us enjoy more, not less. Christians
who celebrate Advent are stepping into history so we can remember some
very important truths. First, God sent His Son, born of a woman, so that we
might receive adoption as sons and daughters (Galatians 4:4,5). Second,
His Son is coming back soon to destroy the works of the devil and to bring
all His sons and daughters home (Revelation 22:12-14).

Discuss It
Light the first candle of Advent and discuss the following:
What do you look forward to most about this time of year?
What have you been praying and waiting for?

Going deeper
Fast for a meal or for a day during this week and spend that time in prayer.

Come Thou long expected Jesus

Born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us
Let us find our rest in Thee
Israels strength and consolation
Hope of all the earth Thou art
Dear desire of every nation
Joy of every longing heart
Born Thy people to deliver
Born a child and yet a King
Born to reign in us forever
Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone
By Thine all sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne

Week two

Hope and joy

Joy of every longing heart

Scripture Reading
Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell
in hope (Acts 2:26).

Think About It
Bruce Springsteen once sang the words, Everybodys got a hungry heart.
He was on to something there. Why is it that you can know in your head
that something is wrong, but when you feel a desire in your heart, you may
still do the wrong thing?
When the Bible uses the word heart, it is talking about what you are deep
down. The heart is the thing that controls all the decisions you make in
your life. That is why the Bible says things like, You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart (Deuteronomy 6:5). Any time a person
feels happy, gets mad, experiences deep love for someone, or suffers from
sadness, it all begins with the heart. You may not be aware of it, but your
heart is always there in the middle of it all like the hub of a big wheel.
9

Your heart was designed for relationship with God. At the beginning of
creation, God made Adam and Eve so they could know and enjoy Him.
When they sinned in the garden, it wasnt just a problem that they were
disobeying Gods commands; the biggest problem was their hearts. They
doubted in their hearts that God was telling the truth. Ever since that
moment, every human who has ever walked the earth has a heart that does
not work like it is supposed to work. The heart desires to lie, to do evil
things, and worst of all, to love created things more than God. But there is
still hope
Since your heart was made to have a relationship with God, it has a part
that still desires to know God. Our hearts can ask big questions like: Why
am I here? Why is the world so messed up? Is there a God? What must I do to be
saved? The Bible proclaims the great news that Jesus is the answer to the
questions our hearts are asking.
When everything went wrong in the garden, God put forward a plan
that a Son would come to destroy the evil one. The final part of that
plan is going to be complete when Jesus shows up one day to defeat
that serpent (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 20:2). And until that happens,
longing hearts are looking forward to that day when He comes.

Discuss It
Light the first and second candle of Advent and discuss the following:
Do you find it hard to love God with all of your heart? Why?
Read Revelation 19:11-16. How does longing for the day described here
affect how you live now?

Going Deeper
Spend some time in prayer for your joy and hope to center on the promise
of Jesus return.

11

What Child is this who laid to rest

On Marys lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping
This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring Him laud
The Babe the Son of Mary
Why lies He in such mean estate
Where ox and lamb are feeding?
Good Christian fear for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through
The cross be borne for me, for you
Hail, hail the Word made flesh
The Babe the Son of Mary
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh
Come peasant, king to own Him
The King of kings salvation brings
Let loving hearts enthrone Him
Raise, raise the song on high
The Virgin sings her lullaby
Joy, joy for Christ is born
The Babe the Son of Mary

Week Three

Suffering
Nails, spear shall pierce him through; the cross be borne for me, for you

Scripture Reading
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon
him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are
healed (Isaiah 53:5).

Think About It
Who is Jesus and what did He come to do? There have been a lot of people
who have tried to answer this question. But not all of the answers are good.
Do any of these answers sound familiar to you?
Jesus was just a good teacher.
Jesus just wanted everybody to love each other.
Jesus wanted there to be world peace.
Jesus is a myth. He never existed.

13

Why are there so many different opinions about who Jesus is? There is
truth in some of these answers, but there is also untruth. The reason for
this is that the whole truth and nothing but the truth is hard to accept.
Jesus was born to die. Now, you may read that and say, Everyone dies! That
is a part of being human! Yes, you are right, but humans die because of
sin. This is what we mean when we say Jesus was born to die. He was born
to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2).
The world looks at what Jesus came to do at the cross as foolish and
scandalous. Throughout history, the message of the cross has been seen
as silly, illogical, weak and foolish. But God shows His power through the
death of Jesus. God uses the weak things in the world, like suffering, to do
the most powerful things.
What does this mean for me? First, the Bible talks about two groups of
people: those who are perishing and those who are being saved. In order
to be saved, you must come to the place where you realize you have been
perishing and are ready to experience salvation from your sin.
Second, expect suffering. This is not pretty, fun, or consumer-friendly. As
Christians living in a broken world, we should expect trouble. This does not
mean we dont experience joy in this life, but it does mean that suffering
will be a part of it.
The inconvenient nature of loving sinful people is seen most clearly when
the perfect Son of God died for them. Likewise, Christians are called to
inconvenience ourselves in grateful obedience to God for the sake of others.

Discuss It
Light the first, second, and third candles of Advent and discuss the following:
When was the last time you were wronged for being obedient to God?
Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. Do you think the world sees the cross as
foolish? Why or why not?

Going Deeper
Spend time praying for specific people who are suffering because of their
obedience to God.

15

Go tell it on the mountain

Over the hills and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born
While shepherds kept their watching
Oer silent flocks by night
Behold throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light
The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed the Saviors birth
Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation
That blessed Christmas morn

Week four

good news
Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ born!

Scripture Reading
And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great
joy that will be for all the people. -Luke 2:10

Think About It
The Old Testament is chock-full of prophecies. These prophecies said
things like: A child will be born, He will come from Bethlehem, He will rule forever
and He will come from the line of David.
The funny thing is that oftentimes these prophecies left people with more
questions than answers. There was a strong sense of questioning and doubt
for the people of Israel once these prophecies stopped coming. The book
of Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament, and four hundred years
passed before God started speaking again. The people were expecting and
waiting for something but werent sure what it was.
17

God had good news.

Unto you a child is born. These words to some shepherds in the hill
country of Bethlehem were for the broken and abused, for the outcasts,
for Israel and for the whole world. People who knew a Savior was coming
and people who had no idea they needed a Savior received the best thing
they could ever hope for: Jesus Christ is born!
The good news that Jesus was born is for all people. It is what the Bible
calls the gospel. The gospel means a lot of good things. It is the way we
attain eternal life. It is the greatest story ever told. Through the gospel
we are offered the opportunity to know God. The gospel is the power of
our salvation. The gospel tells us that we deserve to go to hell, but we are
offered the opportunity to live in heaven.
While this big gospel means a lot of things, the most important thing is
that it is a message that calls for a response. What should our response be?
Repent and believe.
To repent and believe is to turn away from our sins and old way of doing
things. It means we turn to Jesus as our Lord and Savior and rely on His
new way. Those who are Christians understand this to be a daily lifestyle
of how we exist.

Discuss It
Light the first, second, third, and fourth candles of Advent and discuss the following:
Can you remember when you heard the gospel and responded to it?
What did it feel like in your heart?
Read Luke 2:1-20. What have you heard and seen in your life that has
caused you to glorify and praise God?

19

Hark! The herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled
Joyful all ye nations rise! Join the triumph of the skies!
With th angelic hosts proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem
Hark! The herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King!
Christ by highest heavn adored Christ the everlasting Lord
Late in time behold Him come Offspring of the Virgins womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see Hail th incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with men to dwell Jesus our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King!
Hail the heavn-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings risn with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King!

Christmas

Glory
Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King!

Scripture Reading
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory
as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. -John 1:14

Think About It
What do you think of when you picture Gods glory? Glory is one of those
words we say a lot in church but dont always understand. Glory is the
display of something. One way to think about it is when you light a candle
in a dark room, the room gets filled up with the glory of the candle. The
burning end of the candle creates light. God being God creates glory.
People in the Bible understood that they could not get very close to God
because His glory was so good, so pure and so powerful that it would
destroy anything that was evil. Every person has a sinful nature, and we
do evil things. How could any person ever hope to know God, let alone be
near Him?
21

God is so good that He has an answer: Emmanuel. God With Us. Instead of
people working hard to be like God and be near God, God became one of us
and died for our sins so that we could know God, enjoy God and glorify God.
This is the Incarnation. When we read what Matthew and Luke teach about
Jesus birth, it starts with Jesus being born as a normal human. However,
when we read Johns account, he starts with the fact that Jesus existed
eternally as the Son of God before He was born from Mary. That should
blow our minds! Its almost like the disciple John witnessed what a big deal
Jesus death was and then started thinking about what a big deal Jesus
birth was.
This is why Christmas matters. God the Father sent His perfect divine
Son, born of a woman at just the right time to die for our sins. The worst
thing that ever happened became the best thing that ever happened. God
shone a huge bright light on Himself through putting Jesus forward as the
sacrifice for our sins.
Gods greatest gift to us is the opportunity to see His glory through Jesus
His Son.

Discuss it
Light all five of the Advent candles and discuss the following:
Where do you see Gods glory most clearly these days?
How has the journey of Advent helped you appreciate the celebration
of Christmas?

23

Build An Advent Wreath

Wreaths and candles help teach the different themes of Advent. We
recommend lighting the candles in the following order:
Week One - purple
Week Two - pink
Week Three - purple
Week Four - purple
Christmas - white
Supplies Needed:
1 evergreen wreath with at least 16 diameter
3 purple candles
1 pink candle
1 white candle (make this the largest candle)
5 candle holders (match their size to candles)
Aluminum foil
Optional supplies:
Festive decorations (pine cones, berries, beads, etc.)
Instructions:
Arrange the Advent wreath on a sturdy fire-resistant table. Place the foil
on the table to catch hot wax. Put the wreath on the foil and arrange the
candles and holders on the inside of the wreath. The white candle should
be in the center with the other candles around it.

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Grand Parkway Baptist Church 12000 FM 1464, Richmond, TX 281.277.2200 grandparkway.org