Advent begins Sunday, November 29. In Young Life, we know December is anything but quiet: Christmas Club nights, kids home from college, banquets, winter camp sign-ups, and Christmas parties!
Advent offers a different rhythm though. For four weeks the church slows down to remember that God did not wait for us to find him. He came to us, in a manger, in a small town, to ordinary people. “Incarnational ministry” is simply a Young Life way of saying what Christmas says: love shows up in person.
Below you will find resources from people who have given their lives to this mission, followed by some other favorites from our team. Pick one for yourself and one to share!
From Young Life Discipleship
Young Life Discipleship has a whole library of resources for the entire year, but a few are especially great for the season of Advent:
- Messiah and King. A lesson built around BibleProject’s “The Messiah” video that traces the promise of a coming King through the Old Testament. Works for high school and college groups and can be shortened for WyldLife.
- His favorite name. Pairs BibleProject’s “Son of Man” video with Scripture to explore the title Jesus used most for himself.
- Young Life reading plans on the Bible App. Five-day and monthlong plans for in-person and virtual discipling. Start one “With Friends” and read along with your Campaigners group over Christmas break.
- Words & Ways podcast. Ten-minute episodes on familiar stories of Jesus, with transcripts and discussion questions in the show notes.
- Young Life books. Devotional and Bible study books, including a devotional study of Luke, the Gospel with the fullest Christmas story, and a book of 30 prayers for anyone serving in ministry (makes a thoughtful gift for leaders and committee members).
From Young Life Voices
- Crystal Kirgiss, Be: Getting to Know Jesus. BE offers a simple framework for understanding the Bible as you get to know Jesus better: behold (look at Jesus’ actions), believe (listen to Jesus’ teachings), be with (learn from Jesus as his truth moves from your mind to your heart), and be like (live like Jesus as you are transformed into a new person). Start on the first Sunday of Advent and you’ll finish just after Christmas — a perfect gift for a kid who met Jesus at camp last summer.
- Ty Saltzgiver, Longing to Experience More of Jesus. Thirty days focusing on spiritual formation, including 15 spiritual disciplines, for leaders who want to go deeper themselves.
- Ty Saltzgiver, Lifting Up Jesus. Written as a guide for Young Life leaders, it helps keep Jesus at the center of every club talk.
- Pete Hardesty and Josh Burnette, Adulting 101. Pete started Young Life College at James Madison University and now leads Young Life College staff all over the country. This series is not an Advent devotional, but it is a fun Christmas gift for graduated seniors home on break.
- Jim Rayburn, A Christmas Letter from 1960. Young Life’s founder wrote to the mission about how different Christmas feels for a kid who has newly come to know the Savior. Read it, then use the prayer prompts at the end of the post to pray for every kid celebrating a first Christmas with Jesus.
- Jim Rayburn, The Diaries of Jim Rayburn. Edited by Kit Sublett, these journal entries span 1935 until Rayburn’s death on December 11, 1970, in the middle of Advent. An entry each morning in December is a humbling reminder that this mission began with someone waiting on God.
- John Miller, Back to the Basics of Young Life. Memoir, Scripture, and practical wisdom from one of Young Life’s earliest staff members.
- Jeff Chesemore, Made For This: The Young Life Story. The mission’s history told by Young Life’s managing editor, who met Jesus at Frontier Ranch in 1983. A great gift for committee members and longtime friends.
- Sean McGever, Mark in a Month. A short guide to reading Mark with kids from a Young Life area director in Phoenix. The Gospel of Mark skips the manger and, within its first few verses, calls us to “prepare the way.”
- The John Project. The full text of John with simple study pages. It begins where Christmas really begins, with the Word coming into the world.
Beyond Young Life: Resources for Advent
- BibleProject Advent word study videos. Four short animated videos on Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, one for each week of Advent. They pair naturally with the Young Life Discipleship BibleProject lessons.
- BibleProject “Advent Reflections” reading plan. A 28-day plan on the Bible App. Use the “With Friends” feature to read together as a group.
- Lectio 365 Advent series (24-7 Prayer). A free daily prayer app with short audio devotions and seasonal Advent content.
- Bible Gateway Advent devotional. A free email devotional that runs up to Christmas Day, with readings to help you reflect on Christ’s birth and what it means for the world.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger. Short Advent and Christmas reflections drawn from Bonhoeffer’s writings, including his letters from prison.
- Ann Voskamp, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift. Traces the coming of Christ through the whole Bible, with optional Jesse Tree ornaments.
- Sarah Young, Jesus Listens for Advent & Christmas. A short, illustrated devotional for the Advent and Christmas season.
Make Room This Year
Of course, you don’t need all of these. Maybe it’s a Rayburn diary entry with your morning coffee and a copy of My First 30 Quiet Times for the freshman who met Jesus at camp. Maybe it’s “Messiah and King” with your Campaigners group before break, or Jotham’s Journey around the table at home.
Whatever you choose, the invitation is the same one Jim Rayburn spent his life extending to kids: come and see. The One we wait for in Advent is the One who came looking for us first. Let’s celebrate that together this season!
