I was recently talking with a millennial friend about Advent calendars. She told me that Red Bull has an Advent calendar this year. “Red Bull,” I asked. “What does Red Bull have to do with Advent?” My friend looked at me as if I had just climbed out from under a rock and informed me that lots of brands are now making Advent calendars to promote their products.
I was incredulous until I did a Google search and was served up page after page of promotional Advent calendars. Target. Disney. Lego. Barbie. Then I hopped on Amazon to see what kind of Advent calendars they had on offer. Fishing lures. Bracelets. Dinosaurs. Pokémon.
Sadly, Advent calendars related to preparing for the coming of Christ were few and far between!
Historically, the Advent season—the four weeks before Christmas—in the church calendar was considered a season of preparation, marked by waiting for the coming of the Promised One, whose birth is celebrated on Christmas. Ryan Reeves, writing for The Gospel Coalition in 2016, puts it this way:
In the early centuries of the church, Advent almost certainly arose as a result of the fixed dating of Christmas. Once December 25 became Christmas, it was the center of gravity for the latter half of the year—a perfect balance to Easter in the first half. In this way, Advent took on significance in the same way Lent did: both were preparation for the more significant season on the horizon.
Advent calendars first appeared in Germany in the late 19th century, as Protestants used them to mark the days leading up to Christmas.
We’re grateful to once again offer an Advent calendar—inviting believers around the world to join together in asking for God’s mercy and giving thanks for his blessings on Chinese Christians. Each day includes an intercessory item to focus on. You can use it in your personal or family devotional time or with a small group. In addition, please share this calendar with others in your network who are passionate about prayer.
Choose between the PDF narrative calendar:
The PDF graphic calendar:
Or the simplified printer-friendly version:
Please feel free to print, save, or share one or all versions and distribute as widely as you wish.
It is our hope that this Advent calendar will help you and your community to “devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2) in this busy Advent season.
