Messages of Joy for Advent and Christmas 2020 - 3-Minute Devotions

Sep 28, 2026

Upload by Levi

A collection of short Advent devotions centered on the theme of giving as a response to God’s generosity. Drawing on Scripture such as John 3:16, the text explains how God loves by giving and how followers of Christ are called to grow in generosity in every ordinary moment. It addresses obstacles including selfishness, fear of not having enough, and worry about being taken advantage of. Through practicing prayer and acting on what is learned, readers are invited into a joyful conversation that shapes a life remembered for contributions to others.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages68

Reading Time2 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

God as a generous giver

Obstacles to growing in generosity

Prayer and action during Advent

# Messages of for Advent andChristmas 2020 3-MINUTE DEVOTIONS # Messages of for Advent andChristmas 2020 # Messages of for Advent andChristmas 2020 3-MINUTE DEVOTIONS MICHAEL WHITE and TOM CORCORAN AvE MARTA PREss AVENotre Dame,Indiana Responsorial psalms are excerpted from the Lectionary for Massfor Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America,secondtypical edition ◎2001,1998,1997,1986,1970 Confraterni-ty of Christian Doctrine,Inc.,Washington,DC.Used withpermission.All rights reserved.No portion of this text maybe reproduced by any means without permission in writingfrom the copyright owner. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New AmericanBible,revised edition◎2010,1991,1986,1970 Confraternity ofChristian Doctrine,Washington,DC,and are used by permis-sion of the copyright owner.All Rights Reserved.No partof the New American Bible may be reproduced in any formwithout permission in writing from the copyright owner. ◎2020 by Michael White and Tom Corcoran All rights reserved.No part of this book may be used orreproduced in any manner whatsoever,except in the case ofreprints in the context of reviews,without written permissionfrom Ave Maria Press®,Inc.,P.O.Box 428,Notre Dame,IN46556,1-800-282-1865.Founded in 1865,Ave Maria Press is a ministry of the UnitedStates Province of Holy Crosswwwavemariapress.com。 Paperback:ISBN-13978-1-64680-003-2 E-book:ISBN-13978-1-64680-004-9 Cover and text design by Samantha Watson. Printed and bound in the United States of America. ## Introduction Christmas is the season of giving.While the mar-keting and advertising that surround gift-giving cancertainly get out of hand,our culture still implicitlyunderstands that Christmas is all about giving.Andthe giving begins with God God is a giver,and everything is a gift.He hasgiven us the earth.He has given us our talents andabilities,our friends and families,our opportuni-ties,our possessions,and everything else we havebesides.God is a giver.God is generous.At Christ-mas we celebrate that God the Father gave us hisbest by giving us his Son. John 3:16 says,"For God so loved the worldhe gave his only Son”(emphasis added).And thenthe Son loves us so much he gives his life for usthat we might have life.God loves,so God gives. Since God is a generous giver,growing as fol-lowers of Christ means growing in generosity.Ifwe are becoming more like Christ,then we will begenerous as he is generous.And while generosi-ty includes financial giving,it is much wider thanthat.Nearly every moment of every day we havean opportunity to give something to someone else:our time,our insight,our encouragement,a smile,or credit for success. It is tempting for us to think of generosity andgiving as a label for larger-than-life heroes suchas Mother Teresa,but giving doesn't necessarilyrequire extraordinary acts of service.It simply involves focusing on others rather than on our-selves.When we look to the end of our lives wewant to be remembered as people who gave.Noone is ever honored for what they received or tookfrom others.People who are honored and remem-bered fondly are remembered for their contribu-tions to others. But we all face obstacles to growing in gener-osity.The first is simply our own selfishness.As aresult of original sin,we tend to think of ourselvesfirst and at the exclusion of others.This is why wehave to teach children to share.We can become soconsumed with our own problems and feelings thatwe fail to notice the people around us. A second obstacle that flows from the first isthat we fear we won't have enough.We think,If Igive my money or resources then I won't have enough for meand my famiby.If I share a contact to helpyou,then thatcontact will be less likely to help me.If I give my time toyou,I won't have enough time to get done wbat I need to getdone.We often think of life as a zero-sum game inwhich generosity decreases our resources. A third obstacle we face is the fear of beingtaken advantage

FAQs

What is the main message of these Advent devotions?

Generosity is presented as a way to follow God’s example, especially during the Christmas season. Readers are encouraged to give in everyday moments rather than only through extraordinary acts.

Which Scripture passage is highlighted to explain God’s giving?

John 3:16 is emphasized, stating that God “so loved the world” that he gave his only Son. The devotions connect this with Jesus giving his life so people may have life.

What obstacles can prevent someone from being generous?

The text identifies three: selfishness, fear of not having enough, and fear of being taken advantage of. These concerns can reduce willingness to give entirely.

Sep 28, 2026

Upload by Levi