Intro

Advent is a word that means “arrival” or “coming.” It’s the very first season of the Christian year, beginning four weeks before Christmas. While Advent looks back and celebrates when Jesus first came as a baby, Advent is also about looking forward - waiting and preparing for when He will come again as King. Think about it: when was the last time you stopped and really thought about Jesus’ return and its practical implications for life right now? Advent gives us space to do just that. It’s a season the Church has set aside to help us practice longing - longing for His return, His hope, His peace, His joy, and His love.

As we journey through these weeks together, our prayer is simple. We are asking God to grow in us hearts that long for Jesus; that as we remember His first coming and look ahead to His return, we’d be marked by His hope, peace, joy, and love. Each week we’ll focus on one of these themes. You’ll have daily reflections and practices that invite you to slow down, listen, and let God’s Word shape your heart this Advent season. Here’s the simple format you’ll follow:

Day 1 - Read the verse.
Day 2 - Write the verse.
Day 3 - Repeat the verse.
Day 4 - Pray the verse.

It’s common for us to move on from verses quickly, but we’re hoping that lingering on one passage for each theme of Advent will be a welcome opportunity to slow down with the Bible; to let it sink in; to allow it to settle deeper in our hearts. In addition to the particular discipline of the day, you’re invited to do a couple of other things:

1. Light the Advent candle(s). One tradition we love for the season of Advent is to light one candle per week of Advent, working your way up to four and then lighting a fifth Christ candle on Christmas Day. The theme of "joy" is traditionally associated with the third week of Advent, so you'd light 3 candles this week. We remember that in our present darkness and waiting, Jesus is ultimately the light of the world!
2. Listen to and/or sing the Verses song. This will help you both memorize it and meditate on it! If you want a playlist with more songs on the Advent theme of the week, head to our app or to our Spotify playlist that has an assortment of more verses that focus on that theme.

Day 1: Read It

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
[16] Rejoice always, [17] pray without ceasing, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

“What is God’s will for my life?” This is a question many have asked at different stages of life. We have a genuine desire to know and follow God in all He’s calling us to, but also we can live afraid that somehow we’re living outside His will or unaware of what He’s calling us to next. Here in 1 Thessalonians, Paul answers this question for us, but in a way we might not expect. He gives us three simple commands that he declares are “the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

First, to “rejoice always.” What a challenging first command! Why is it so hard? One reason is that we often associate joy with seasons of plenty or when things are going favorably. However, Biblical joy is listed as a fruit of the Spirit, not as a fruit of when everything goes the way we want it to. It’s such a counter-cultural command to be marked by joy always! We must learn to rejoice or enter into joy again and again in our lives. What’s the secret to year-round life-long joy? To find our source of joy in God and not in some other alternative. We must fight to remember that in His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11), and not just crumbs of joy. He is why we can rejoice always.

Second, to “pray without ceasing.” What is a vibrant prayer life? It’s one that doesn’t just come to God when everything has fallen apart, but one that learns to come to God as often as breathing itself. There’s no inopportune time for prayer. We “breathe without ceasing” but sadly we often don’t “pray without ceasing.” It’s as we come to realize our deep need for God that prayer becomes a part of the very fabric of our daily lives. This doesn’t mean we cease all activities except for prayer, becoming modern day monks. It simply means we live the whole of our lives (working, playing, loving, etc.) under the careful and watchful eye of our Father and talk to Him as we do. We enter into the sort of life the Brother Lawrence invites into as we “practice the presence of God.”

Third, to “give thanks in all circumstances.” This final command in this section is similar to the first command. In this case, we give thanks to God in all circumstances! It doesn’t say thank God for all circumstances but rather in all circumstances. No matter where your journey has led you, and things that have happened to you, we have reason to thank God! He is “eternally thankable” for Who He is and all He’s done. While Americans set aside Thanksgiving as one day a year to intentionally be grateful, Christians set out to give thanks 365 days a year. Gratitude is never out of fashion or out of reach.

What do these verses have to do with Advent? Just a couple of verses later in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul says, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Christ’s coming should be motivation to work these commands out faithfully. An interesting observation about all three of these commands Paul gives: all the verbs are used in the plural. We must learn to re-joice together, to pray together, and find ways to give thanks together. Perhaps these feel hard because we’ve forgotten that they’re a community effort! God knows we need help, so He invites us to do this communally so we can do it individually as well.

Today, your assignment around this passage is simple: Read it. If you’re able to read it out loud, by all means do! Don’t just read it once; try reading it a few times over. Notice the cadence and flow of the passage. Linger on words and phrases. Don’t forget there’s a simple power in you speaking the Bible out loud. As you do, note what’s standing out. Look for the “shimmering words.” What does God seem to be highlighting?

Remember to light those three Advent candles, reminding your heart that Jesus is your joy! Sing the song associated with this week. Learn the melody of God’s Word and sing along. We've included an audio file and lyric video below to assist you in your endeavors.