The Weary World Rejoices: Daily Devotions for Advent

by Melissa B. Kruger (Editor), Quina Aragon, Collin Hansen

For generations, churches and families have used Advent wreaths to help prepare for celebrating the Lord's birth at Christmas. The evergreen wreath symbolizes eternal life and includes four candles—typically three purple and one pink, with a white candle in the middle that symbolizes the purity of Christ. Various traditions assign different topics to each candle, and the candles are usually given names to remind us of the good news of Christ's birth

To celebrate this season, TGC's editorial team put together 25 devotional readings that use the Advent wreath as a guide to focus hearts and minds on Christ during the month of December. Structured around traditional Advent themes—hope, peace, joy, love, and faith—these reflections will encourage your heart in this season of celebrating Christ's first coming, and longing for his second.

Genres: Christmas, Christian, Devotional, Theology, Faith, Nonfiction, Christian Living

127 pages, Paperback

Published November 8, 2021

About the author

Melissa Kruger teaches women at Uptown Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and at conferences around the country. She regularly writes articles for the Gospel Coalition and Christianity.com, and she is the author of The Envy of Eve. Melissa’s most cherished roles include being a wife to Mike, president of Reformed Theological Seminary–Charlotte, and a mother to her three children, Emma, John, and Kate.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

We do live in a weary world, do we not? If the pandemic has not yet worn us down, there are other struggles and cares to weigh us down. We long for a Savior. The good news is that He has already come. Reading an Advent devotional like this one can help to see past the cares of this world to the eternal hope that we have in God's Son. There are 25 entries by thirteen Gospel Coalition contributors. They are organized around the themes of the Advent wreath: Hope, Peace, Love, Joy, and Faith. Each devotional includes time to Read (scripture), Reflect (a contributor expounds upon the text), Respond (gently probing questions), and Rejoice (a verse from a Christmas song). Well put together and very meaningful. If you missed out on it this year, buy it for yourself of someone you love for next year.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honored to be a small contributor to this. Packed with terrific Advent meditations from my team of world-class colleagues.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I wonder why I keep reading these Christmas devotional books when I don’t typically get much out of devotional books in general. It’s hard to get very deep in a two-page daily reading. Especially regarding a topic I’ve read a fair amount on already. But I suppose the point isn’t so much to learn something new as it is to reorient myself each day to what’s actually important. To remind myself of the true meaning of the advent and the incarnation. By those standards this book is pretty good.


From Day 24:
“As we look around our world, hostility, racism, greed, discord, and disease dominate the news. We are a human race plagued with many struggles, and often these show up in our own families. And it's not just the world "out there," but also the person I look at in the mirror that causes me to pause before placing my faith in mankind or hoping in perfect family gatherings.
These familiar Christmas phrases [“Just Believe,” “Have Faith,” “A Season of Hope”] are problematic because they are incomplete. It's not enough to simply be a hopeful person or be full of faith. It's essential for us to consider exactly where we are placing our belief, faith, and hope.
“The object of our faith is the essential substance of it. When we lose sight of the actual meaning of our faith, then we lose the very thing that sustains it.
[…]
“Without Jesus our belief has no merit, our faith has no basis, and our hope has no anchor. In Jesus, we find the joy of believing. In Jesus, we know this to be a season of hope. In Jesus, we find the substance of our faith.”

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short daily devotionals written by a variety of TGC contributors or editors. Devos all followed a template and were thematically related to the five advent candles. They took about 5 minutes to complete, but several lines and reflection questions left me with much to think about beyond the reading.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Advent devos I’ve read! It had some really beautifully written chapters and successfully helped me to slow down and meditate on the most meaningful details of the Christmas season.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the past 15 years or so, my wife and I have come to collect advent books. We use them for our own devotions, and we read several with our kids (or combine pieces and ideas from them for advent devotional with our kids). This one is probably the best so far, both as a starting place for anyone new to advent, and as a place to return to, to find depth and fuel for your heart to worship at Christmas time. It’s well-organized, clear… I would say this is a must-have on your bookshelf for advent.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

full of wonderful truths to be reminded of during the Christmas season, and really all year round when we feel the weariness and brokenness of living in a fallen world.

"The real story of Christmas is not a story of surprise but of fulfillment...The advent of Christ is a vivid reminder that God does what he says he will do, down to the last detail." (Day 2, p. 12)

"Maybe one day--when 'Emmanuel' is our everyday experience--we'll look back on this life of lonely exile and feel gratitude for how the sighs and sorrows made us hungrier for the everlasting feast, and the fullness of joy, that will be ours forever." (Day 5, p. 25)

"Advent presents everyone with a clear choice...We must either enthrone him fully in our hears, living in light of his lordship, or reject him completely." (Day 23, p. 105)

[Delaney Zook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good advent! Sometimes I wish it went deeper into things, but it definitely covered the Christmas story and the importance of Christmas. Not the best advent I’ve done but I appreciate it 👌

[Tegan V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid daily devos to prepare your heart for Christ. So many quotes that stick with you long after you are finished reading the material. The weary world does rejoice! Amen!

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were good, but I wasn’t blown away. I think because they are SO short, the daily readings didn’t have enough space to do more than offer a single thought. Apparently I prefer my advent readings to have a bit more meat to them.

[Maggie Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better Advent books I’ve read! I appreciated the variety of contributors in this book

[Reese Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having a baby mid December delayed my finishing this advent study, but it was so great!! Sweet, simple, but deeply thought provoking.

[Liz Gouger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never done an advent devotional but this one has set the bar very high for any I do in the future! So grateful for the reflective questions that made me really think about how my relationship with Jesus could grow and the ways I don’t see the holiday season for what it is.

[Mary Rachel Fenrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve struggled to find a good advent devotional over the years, but this was just the thing I’ve been looking for. I plan to reread it year after year! The readings are short but poignant, and I appreciated how they were divided into the themes of the advent candles, which I’ve been doing with my kids.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful Advent devotional. Each days' readings were only about a page and a half or maybe two pages. Very doable. Each devotional followed the same pattern of Scripture, exposition, reflection, and Christmas carol excerpt. Even though each one was written by a different person, the tone remained consistent, which I found impressive. I would recommend.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time reading this and I just love this advent reading

[Stephanie Neuzil Fink · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has become a favorite advent of mine.

[Renee Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as Advent devotionals go, “The Weary World Rejoices” edited by Melissa Kruger and published by TGC is a masterful choice—contributors include Collin Hansen, Brett McCracken, Quina Aragon, Matt Smethurst, and more. This book focuses on Scripture, the incarnation and the hope of the gospel, and personal application. Reading this book you will readily reorient your heart towards freedom and joy in Christ. With so much division among believers, opinions and burdens of how to celebrate, holiday distractions, and general busyness, TGC has put together this book “to encourage your heart and help your mind focus on Jesus throughout this season” (2) through his life, death, and resurrection.

Each day is roughly 300-400 words (only 1.5 pages), which allows great flexibility if reading alongside daily Bible time. If you are not accustom to reading anything during the month of December, this is a great place to start. There are 25 readings, each with 4 small sections: Read, Reflect, Respond, Rejoice.

“Our response to Jesus is not just about admiration or appreciation. It demands allegiance. We must enthrone him in our hearts and submit to his reign. If we don’t, he’s just a holiday symbol as pleasant-yet-powerless as poinsettias and Christmas trees...There is no middle ground. Jesus is either the real, reigning king of your life, or he’s a fiction as fantastical as Santa Claus” (103-4).

Add this to your 2023 Advent reading, or even read it at Easter as we celebrate Christ’s redeeming righteousness.

[Jaymee Pilarta · Rating 3 out of 5]

The justified realize God would have been just to punish them. They know their best efforts to keep the law would have fallen far short. It’s as if the biggest Christmas gifts belonged to the children who knew they deserved coal in their stocking. Jesus is the anti-Santa. He knows we belong on the naughty list. And that’s why he came to save us. That’s why he set aside the glories of heaven for the womb of his mother Mary. He was born to die. Even better, after he was delivered up for our trespasses, he was raised to life for our justification (Rom. 4:25). Make sure you claim that gift this Christmas. Come in faith and leave justified.

[Caitlyn Kessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this advent. It prepared my heart to long for the coming of Jesus both in his birth and especially for his second coming. My family and I made an advent wreath to go along with it and we would read a devotion at dinner time from it while lighting the wreath. It was a little over a toddlers head, but he still understood some of the things we would talk about, so it lead to great conversation. I also enjoyed that it was an assortment of different writers.

[Ruth Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Como ocurre con cualquier libro devocional (y más aún cuando está escrito por distintos autores) hay días mejores y otros más flojos. Aun así, en general, me ha gustado mucho tanto el contenido como la organización de este libro. Las reflexiones giran en torno a los valores tradicionales del Adviento y cada día sigue una estructura clara: un pasaje bíblico, reflexión sobre el texto, preguntas que invitan a la introspección y, para finalizar, un trocito de un villancico. Me han parecido reflexiones profundas, bien fundamentadas en la Biblia, aplicables a la vida cotidiana y, sobre todo, muy adecuadas para preparar el corazón y la mirada de cara a la Navidad.

[Kendra McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not a devotional reader, as I prefer to study the Bible right from the source, but this book may have converted me. Every day found me snapping pics of the text to share with friends. I resisted the urge to underline, knowing I’ll return go this year after year. It was exactly what I needed this advent season.

[Jennifer S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich addition to my Advent devotional collection.
I loved how it was organized with each 5-day section centered on a different theme, as well as how each day's reading ended with an excerpt from a hymn.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and concise look at Christmas. This short advent devotional was just right! I loved how it tied to the advent candles and how it brought out Jesus as the King this world so desperately needs! Highest recommendation

[Cynthia Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this advent devotional & plan to read it annually.

[Francois Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Advent devotions!

[Shannon Evanko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful gospel truths and great reflections to help you keep your focus on Christ during advent.

[Jenny Marcelene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, basic Advent reflection devos.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very timely advent readings for our weary world!!

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better Advent devotionals I have read