Free Reading Plans and Devotionals related to Matthew 2:1

Christmas is a time of vision, a time to consider the landscape of human life, what it means, and why it’s valuable. The mental image of Christmas is the Nativity, the crude circumstances that surrounded the moment when God reinforced the dignity of Humanity by clothing Himself as a human. But He did not stop there. Christmas brings into focus the only two sacred things in this world—God and People. Christmas is about Life. The Author of Life. Your Life. My Life. And the Life of the world. This 12-day Plan celebrates Life.

The false gods invented by humankind to give definition to a god they knew must exist, were, unsurprisingly, very much like humankind. They had to be cajoled and bribed by acts of devotion to take notice of us. But the one true God has taken the initiative and seeks us out––to rescue us back to himself. And that is the Christmas story.

This year, as we face a different kind of Christmas following a very hard year, we all need reminders that our joy begins (and ends) with the love displayed from the manger to the cross. Jesus’ birth on that seemingly unremarkable Bethlehem night is our hope for today. Even as there’s pain in the night, joy still comes from a baby born that first Christmas morning.

Through the mysteries of the messengers, the manger, and the star, we discover that Christmas is not just about gifts. It’s about the birth of Jesus, that God is with us, and Christmas is a time to worship Him.

Christmas is always so fun! The festive music, the twinkly lights, and the beauty of the holiday enchants us from a young age. But what is at the heart of it all? Adore is a festive, 15 day devotional for teenage girls. It is brimming with biblical content about Jesus and the history of Advent.

Discover Christmas! God's plan from the beginning was Jesus, Jesus is good news to all people and Jesus shows us how much God loves us.

In part one of this verse-by-verse break down of the Gospel of Matthew, we'll break down Matthew 1-4.

Our kind of Christmas isn’t working. The status quo of our holiday season pushes us into busyness, distraction, and exhaustion instead of the rest and relief that Jesus came to bring. This Plan redirects us to God’s kind of Christmas, where we slow down, catch our breath, read everything the gospels say about the birth of Jesus, and remember everything that is ours through faith in our Prince of peace.

Advent comes from the Latin adventus , meaning “arrival, approach.” During this season leading up to Christmas, we reflect on the longing of God’s people for the Messiah, which was fulfilled in the arrival of Jesus—God made flesh, Light from Light, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Advent has another purpose, too: drawing our spiritual gaze toward the future when, as we affirm in the Nicene Creed, Jesus “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” This resource will guide you through both aspects of Advent reflection.

In this 18 day plan, you'll take a dive into scripture and discover the true hope of Christmas.