Advent? Here? Almost! Get Ready!
The Anglican invites you to read and reflect. A New Book. A New Series
Advent Is Almost Here
It’s hard to believe that Advent is only a few weeks away.
And The Anglican is here to help you experience it deeply—so that as we approach the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, your heart is both still and strong.
What Advent Really Means
Advent is a season of holy waiting. The word itself means 'coming' or 'arrival'. It reminds us that the Christian life is lived in expectation—the expectation of Christ’s coming, not only as a child in Bethlehem, but as Lord and Judge at the end of all things.
Advent invites us to live with one foot in promise and the other in fulfillment. It slows us down when the world speeds up. It teaches us to hunger for God’s presence before we feast on His joy.
N.T. Wright once called this feeling theological jet lag. While the rest of the world is already celebrating Christmas—or the holidaze—believers live in another time zone.
We set our spiritual clocks back to a time before the King came, when Isaiah, Micah, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah spoke of His arrival in whispers and dreams. We hear the cry of John the Baptist: “Prepare the way for the Lord.”
While the world runs toward Christmas…
…I want to walk toward it—like the Holy Family on the road to Bethlehem, like the Magi following a distant light, like the shepherds saying to one another, “Let’s go and see this thing that has happened.”
Maybe you feel that way, too. Advent is the Church’s way of saying, slow down.
Walk, don’t run.
Take your time.
Take God’s time.
A New Book for the Season
To help you enter this season with depth and reflection, I’ve gathered and expanded four Advent essays I wrote on The Anglican into a small book titled The Advent of Christmas.
Order from Amazon in either paper or ebook format.
Each chapter explores a different doorway into the mystery of the Incarnation:
The Song – Take a deep dive into the ten questions we ask in the popular Christmas song, “Mary did you know?”
The Outcasts – The story of Mary and the four women who appear in Matthew’s genealogy. Each of them has their own story to tell, and Mary embodies their challenges and quiet faith.
The Prequel – What are the twelve takeaways from the story of Luke Chapter One?
The Magificat – An overview of the humbling, majestic, and in some places illegal
It’s a short, quiet book meant to be read with a candle lit and the world turned down. You can order The Advent of Christmas today—perfect for your own preparation or as a gift for a friend who loves this season.
The Dawn Before the Light: An Advent Journey through Luke 1
Beginning November 30, paid subscribers to The Anglican will receive a short, daily devotional — a verse-by-verse walk through Luke 1.
The Dawn Before the Light
Before angels sang and shepherds hurried to Bethlehem, there was a quieter story of promise and preparation. This Advent, walk slowly through Luke 1—verse by verse—as we follow Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary toward the birth of the King. A journey of waiting, wonder, and faith—the story before the story.
If you’ve been meaning to become a paid subscriber, this is the perfect time. You’ll receive the daily devotionals automatically in your inbox—every morning at 6:12 AM (Central).
Let The Anglican be a quiet companion for your Advent journey.
Yours in Anticipation
My prayer is that this Advent helps you recover the slow joy of waiting for the true King’s arrival. Let’s walk this road together.
Grace and Peace,
The Anglican is the Substack newsletter for LeaderWorks, where I share insights, encouragement, and practical tools for clergy and lay Christians. I’m also an author of over a dozen books available on Amazon.
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