Description
The Presbyterian Outlook is once again offering accessible and stirring daily devotions for Advent. Daily reflections by Outlook Editor Teri McDowell Ott help readers wrestle with Christ’s promises in a broken world.
These devotions can be emailed out to your congregation, printed as a complete booklet or added to the Sunday bulletin each week. We ask that you do not post the material publicly on your website or on social media.
About these devotions:
We live in a world filled with anxiety, uncertainty and conflict. What word does Jesus have for us in this space? How can we adapt and plan for what is coming?
These are the questions that Teri McDowell Ott asks in her 2023 Advent devotional.
“We often treat Christmas as an end, as if all we are waiting for is the birth of Christ and the opening of presents on Christmas morning. After the living room is trashed, full of ripped wrapping paper, and all Santa’s cookies have mysteriously disappeared, we’ve successfully ‘done’ Christmas. But Christmas is a new hope, not an end. We celebrate Jesus’ first Advent with an eye toward his second and the way God is actively at work redeeming and renewing our world,” she writes.
This devotional will highlight and reflect upon apocalyptic passages of the Hebrew Bible, as well as passages in the New Testament that refer to the second coming of Christ. Some Christians use these texts as weapons, stoking fear of end-time judgment to convert people. This devotional highlights the ways people from marginalized communities turn to end-time prophecies for hope. These voices, along with biblical scholars who offer helpful historical and cultural context, will be this devotion’s focus.
When suffering looms large and we are overwhelmed by the problems of our world, what can we learn from texts that turn us to the future? What can these texts illuminate about the ways we can and should move through our current context? How can these texts prepare and inspire us for a new beginning come Christmas?
Interested in learning more? Read our sample.
Format
These devotionals include reflections for every day in Advent, beginning with Sunday, December 3, 2023, and ending on Christmas day. Each entry includes a piece of Scripture, a reflection, questions for contemplation, and a breath prayer. The booklet uses passages from the Hebrew Bible, synoptic Gospels, Paul’s epistles and Revelation.
Sample
SampleAre you curious about the product? Read our sample.
How do I order?
You can order Advent devotions using this webpage.
The devotions will be ready for download by October 30. Those who pre-order will receive the devotions via email on October 30. Those who order on October 30 or after will receive an email with the devotions within hours of their purchase. If you do not, please reach out to info@pres-outlook.org.
What do I get when I order?
You are purchasing a digital copy of this devotion booklet.
We will offer the devotions to you in multiple forms so that you can use the version that works best for your congregation. Your purchase will include a full .pdf book of devotions, individual files for each week of Advent, and a link to read the devotion as a digital ISSUU e-book. You can email the devotions to your congregation, or you can print as many you need. We will offer the devotions in color, black and white, and large print.
Each daily entry includes a poem or prose reflection and a short prayer. The devotions will be available for download on October 30. We hope these devotions enhance your Advent preparations as you get ready for the coming of Jesus Christ.
When will I receive my order?
The devotionals will be available for download on October 30. Those who pre-order will be emailed their devotions on October 30. If you order on or after October 30, you will receive the devotions in your inbox within hours of your order.
Questions?
Email info@pres-outlook.org or call Renee Westry 1-804-494-8034 Ext.752 with questions and/or for presbytery pricing.
