Free Sample for You: Advent Bible Study 2024

Last Updated on November 16, 2024 by Andrea

Why study during Advent?

I love Bible studies. There’s nothing like a hot cup of coffee, a warm muffin, and studying God’s Word while the sun rises. I understand not everyone likes to be awake that early! But many of my friends enjoy time with God before their day begins. When we connect with God first thing in the morning, we set the tone for our day. There are many ways we can connect with God – read our Bible, keeping a prayer journal, and studying the Bible. I typically do some combination of all three throughout my day, but I always start with study.

There are so many studies to choose from. Each Bible Study author has his/her own style and approach. I tend to prefer studies that send me to my Bible to look up verses. Understanding the verse in context, as well as how it applies to my life, is important to me. I know that sometimes Bible study seems too much like “school” to many people, but it’s really not. Bible study is simply a way to understand Scripture so we can draw closer to God and His plan for our lives. What I study in the morning affects the rest of my day as I think about what I learned and try to live the way God wants.

Studying during Advent takes on a whole new meaning for me. The Christmas season is a great time to start learning about God’s Word and Jesus Christ. The season of Advent is all about the coming of our Savior – we study when he came the first time in the nativity story and we prepare for when the Son of God will come again in the second coming. The Christmas story has all the makings of a great story – it’s engaging, fun, unbelievable, and filled with hope. When we do a Bible study during Advent we are truly turning our hearts toward God at this most precious time.

Bible study is one of many spiritual practices. When we engage in these practices, or disciplines, we grow closer to God. We seek the life He has for us instead of the life the world wants us to have. We deepen our understanding of all that God does in our lives and we put our focus where it needs to be – on God.

Enjoy this free sample of an Advent study for you!

What is Advent?

The Advent season is the time leading up to Christmas when Christians prepare their hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming.” It is a time of anticipation and reflection, focusing on both Jesus’ first coming as a baby in Bethlehem and His promised return in the future.

Advent usually begins four Sundays before Christmas and includes themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. This year, Advent begins on Sunday, December 1, 2024. In Isaiah 9:6, the Bible prophesies about Jesus’ coming, saying, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

During Advent, many people light candles on an Advent wreath, with one candle lit each week. Jesus is called the light of the world, and we are reminded of that every time we light an Advent candle. Each candle represents a theme and reminds us of God’s promises. The first candle represents hope, echoing the words of Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.” The second candle represents peace, reminding us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The third candle, often pink, symbolizes joy, as seen in Luke 2:10 when the angel announces Jesus’ birth, saying, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” The final candle represents love, pointing to God’s great love in sending His Son to live and die for us.

Advent is not just about looking back to Jesus’ birth, but also looking ahead to His second coming. The Bible promises that Jesus will return one day to bring justice and make all things new (Revelation 21:5).

This season invites us to reflect on the hope we have in Jesus, to turn our hearts to God, and to prepare to welcome Him into our lives in a deeper way. Advent reminds us that Christmas is not just a holiday but a celebration of God’s incredible gift of His Son, who brings us salvation and eternal life. This is the true joy of Christmas.

Doesn’t Bible Study Take A Lot of Time?

Bible study takes as long as you have. There are times my life that only allowed me 15-20 minutes in the morning and other seasons in which I could dedicate over an hour. We give God what we have. I’ve discovered that when I dedicate the time to Him, He often opens up more time for me. And that’s such a blessing!

The more I learn, the more I want to study. That means I spend more time learning and studying. Every bit of time learning and studying draws me closer to God – and that’s my goal! After all, we shouldn’t do Bible study for study’s sake, but to learn more about the God who made us and wants a relationship with us.

How Do I Get Started?

Bible study can be started anywhere. You don’t even really need a printed Bible study (or a printed Bible, for that matter). Undoubtedly, once you learn the basics of how to study Scripture, you can pick any book, person, or topic and conduct your own study. I know lots of people find that overwhelming, though!

With this in mind, and to give you a free study, I created an Advent study. Advent is the perfect time to get started because it is a season dedicated to preparing ourselves for God’s best gift – His son, Jesus. It’s okay to shop and decorate, but we also want our hearts aligned with God. To do that, we can study what it means to receive Jesus as a gift this Christmas and look at what that means beyond Christmas.

If you don’t have a Bible or need some study tools, I highly recommend BibleHub. BibleHub is a free site (and app) that has more information about Scripture than you could ever imagine. It also has many Bible translations, so you can find the one you like best. Here I give a tutorial for how to use BibleHub.

So let’s get started. Your Advent resources:

• paper/pen OR blank doc on your tablet/computer
• BibleHub.com
• physical Bible (optional)
• the study below

Your Bible Study Sneak Peek:

This holiday season I encourage you to take these few steps to draw closer to God as you reflect on the gift He gave us with His Son, Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your study and then dive in studying Christ’s birth.

Start with prayer

Let’s pray: “Dear Lord, thank you for your Word that is the only source of Truth and Light in this dark world. Thank you for sending your Son to be my Savior. As I study these verses today, please make them come alive for me. Help me to understand them and what they mean for my life. Show me how to live the way these verses teach. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

Read

Pick the verse to read for this Bible study. Let’s start in the New Testament with Luke 2:10, when the angel announces that Jesus will be coming. Look this up in your physical Bible, or click the link. If you clicked, you see that there is a list of translations for that one verse (43, to be exact).

Read it out loud. Try reading it in a few translations, if you’re using BibleHub.

Now write/type the Scripture. I typically hand write the verses in multiple translations because research shows that writing reinforces the ideas for better memory.

Context

What does the verse mean?

First read the section around the verse. Generally that means the chapter in which the verse is housed, though sometimes you need to read a few chapters to really get what’s happening around that one verse.

If you are using a study Bible, read through the comments in the study portion. Take notes on anything you find meaningful.

Second, read what each word means. Click on “lexicon” at the ribbon on top to see what every word means. Here’s a link to the lexicon for Luke 2:10. If you have a Bible dictionary at home, you can use that. Write down any definitions you feel the Spirit leading you to focus on. Make notes about what you think about those words. How do they impact your life?  

Next, check and see what the commentaries have to sat at BibleHub, the make notes about what these verses mean to you.

For instance Ellicott commentary for Luke 2:10 says, “ Fear not.—It is worth noting that this is almost the normal accompaniment of the angelic manifestations in the Gospel (Matthew 28:5-10; Luke 1:13; Luke 1:30). They were intended to lessen, not to increase the dread which men feel on being brought into contact with the supernatural world.

I bring you good tidings.—The verb is formed from the word for glad tidings, which we translate as “gospel”—i.e., good spell, good news.

Which shall be to all people.—Better, to all the people. The words point, in the first instance, to the joy which shall be for Israel as God’s “people,” and as such distinguished from the other “nations” of the world.”

I would make notes about what the terms mean. My study Bible also lists some verses to back up the definitions and terms (see links above)- I would go look those verses up and write them down with definitions, where appropriate.

Apply

Now it’s time to apply the verse to your life.

Pray again that God would show you what this verse means for your life. I would make note of the fact that the angel told Mary not to fear. That’s a big deal for me. I struggle with anxiety and that fear has limited so many days of my life. For me, the “fear not” portion of this verse speaks the most to me. I’d do more research about fear and what the Bible says about it. I’d look up other times that an angel said to fear not and see what commentaries have to say about them.

Now set an action step. What do you want to DO today based on this verse? Does God want you to share the verse with someone else? Perhaps He want you to share encouragement with someone else? He may want you to rethink your day – view it as the “fear not”you’re your faith? Maybe He wants you to think differently than you usually do. Pray, then act.

Like The Bible Study? Here’s More…

That’s it! This kind of study can take 5 minutes or an hour – it depends on how much time you devote to it. Even in 5 minutes you can understand and apply the verse. It’s okay if one verse takes you several days to work through – there’s no timeline – t’s just you and God. Let Him lead you. 💕

If you found this study sample helpful, please feel free to download the entire study. Here’s a link for that.

With love,

🌸 Andrea

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