Advent is one of my favorite seasons to share with my family. The intentional season of anticipation and awe is one I look forward to. I enjoy the traditions and rhythms that make the sometimes abstract truths of Scripture more real in my own heart and the hearts of my children. We sing O Come, O Come Emmanuel around the table, light the candles on the Advent wreath, and read aloud the devotional passage. And, thanks to Sarah Rice, this year our devotional will be Tracing Glory.
The daily readings for the 25 days leading up to Christmas cover the scope of Scripture to show how God’s work of redemption didn’t begin in Matthew, but is rooted in Genesis 1 and has ripples across the entire Old Testament. Rice then walks us into the New Testament where we find the culmination of the millenia of searching for a Messiah, his redemption of his bride, and the promise that he will come again.
Each chapter is about 2 pages long, includes a short passage of Scripture to read, a devotional, a main point for review, a Christ Connection that associates the main point to Christ, and discussion questions. There is also a free ornament craft guide that is a companion for this book and can be done with varying degrees of complexity -- You can either craft the ornaments from various supplies recommended or print out the pictures and glue them to cardstock or foam. We love reading plans that include ornaments to add to the tree each night to help review the overarching themes with our kids.
