Welcome to Your Advent Adventure!

Context: This prophecy foretells the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who will reign with justice and righteousness forever.

Verse: 'For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.'

Context: This passage highlights John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy of a messenger in the wilderness.

Verse: 'As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” — “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”'

Context: Isaiah foretells the coming of a branch from the lineage of Jesse (King David’s father), filled with the Spirit of the Lord.

Verse: 'A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD.'

Context: Jesus would later quote this passage to describe His mission: to bring good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed.

Verse: 'The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.'

Context: Jesus speaks of being prepared for His second coming, likening it to the days of Noah when many were unprepared for the flood.

Verse: 'But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.'

Context: God promises a righteous branch from David's line, pointing to the coming of Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Verse: 'The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.'

Context: Zechariah describes the Branch who will build the temple of the Lord and rule as both king and priest, prefiguring Jesus.

Verse: 'Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’'

Context: Micah prophesies the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem, a small town from which the ruler of Israel will come.

Verse: 'But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.'

Context: The Magi arrive in Jerusalem seeking the newborn king of the Jews, guided by a star, recognizing Jesus as the promised Messiah.

Verse: 'After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”'

Context: The chief priests and teachers of the law confirm the prophecy from Micah, identifying Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah.

Verse: 'When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”'

Context: John begins his Gospel with a powerful declaration that Jesus, the Word, existed from the beginning and was with God, and was God.

Verse: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.'

Context: Jesus is described as the light of all humanity, a light that shines in the darkness and is not overcome by it, symbolizing His victory over sin.

Verse: 'In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.'

Context: Joseph travels to Bethlehem with Mary, fulfilling prophecy as they prepare for the miraculous birth of Jesus, the promised Savior.

Verse: 'So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.'

Context: This verse references the prophecy that the Messiah would come from David's line and be born in Bethlehem, affirming Jesus’ rightful claim.

Verse: 'Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?'

Context: A cry to the Shepherd of Israel to restore and save His people, foreshadowing the coming of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

Verse: 'Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us. Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.'

Context: Isaiah describes the tender care of the Lord, who will gather His flock like a shepherd, a clear picture of Jesus’ role as the Good Shepherd.

Verse: 'He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.'

Context: God promises to search for His sheep and care for them, prefiguring Jesus’ ministry of seeking and saving the lost.

Verse: 'For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land.'

Context: Psalm 23 describes the Lord as our Shepherd, providing peace and guidance. Peter reflects on Jesus as the Shepherd who brings us back to God.

Verse: 'The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.'

'For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.'

Context: Jesus proclaims Himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep, offering abundant life to those who follow Him.

Verse: 'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.'

Context: The shepherds, after hearing the angel's announcement of Jesus’ birth, visit the manger and glorify God for the Savior’s arrival.

Verse: 'When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.'

Context: Jeremiah prophesies the coming of a righteous King from David's line, a foreshadowing of Jesus, who will bring justice and salvation.

Verse: 'The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.'

Context: These psalms call for the heavens and all creation to praise the Lord, celebrating the glory of God revealed in Jesus.

Verse: 'The heavens praise your wonders, Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.'

Verse: 'Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts.'

Context: An angel reassures Joseph in a dream, revealing that Mary’s child is conceived by the Holy Spirit and will save His people from their sins.

Verse: 'But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”'

Context: Luke narrates the angel Gabriel's message to Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus, and the joyous announcement of Jesus' birth to the shepherds.

Verse: 'But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”'

Context: Paul reflects on the significance of Jesus’ coming, born under the law to redeem us, and Peter encourages believers to set their hope on Christ.

Verse: 'But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.'

Verse: 'Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.'