Jesus, Light of the World: An Advent Candle Devotional

Many years ago, our daughter’s kindergarten teacher gave her a beautiful Christmas gift - a booklet of Scriptures and a numbered candle. Each day that December, we gathered as a family and read the scripture for the day by the light of the candle and then took turns praying about the verses. These prayers were simple at first. “Thank you, Jesus, for being the light of the world,” little voices would pray. We continued this tradition year after year, and as our children grew, so did their prayers! This became a time of praise and worship to Jesus for His indescribable gift of salvation. Rich conversations about the true meaning of Christmas developed into this devotional book. At the heart of Christmas is love. God’s love for us compelled Him to send His Son. Christ’s love for us caused Him to leave His home in Heaven to be born as a little baby. Our love for Jesus, in response to His great love for us, should lead us to give Him our praise and worship, not just at Christmas but all through the year. We are often so distracted that we fail to love God with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength as He deserves. This Christmas, give God the gift that He most desires, your heart. To prepare your advent candle, you will need a taper candle, a sharpie, and a candle holder. Starting at the top of the candle, number from 25 down to 0 in descending order. You may want to put a dot next to each number and write the year and “Happy Birthday Jesus” at the bottom of the candle. Beginning on December 1st, light the candle, and let it burn down until the first dot and number are gone. As it is burning, read the Scripture and devotion for the day. Let one more number and dot burn away daily as you read and pray until Christmas day. As you countdown the days until Christmas, ask God to help you to fall more and more in love with Him. Give Him the gift of a heart full of love and praise. Our family is praying for you that God will greatly bless you as you spend time with Him reading His Word this Christmas season.