20 Advent Quotes, Bible Verses, and Prayers to Inspire You This Advent Season

Advent Quotes from Christians of the Past

"Man is lost but not abandoned. Had men not been lost, no Savior would have been required. Had they been abandoned no Savior would have come.” ― A. W. Tozer, Finding Christ in Christmas: An Advent Devotional from the Writings of A. W. Tozer

“Jesus stands at the door knocking (Rev. 3:20). In total reality, he comes in the form of the beggar, of the dissolute human child in ragged clothes, asking for help. He confronts you in every person that you meet. As long as there are people, Christ will walk the earth as your neighbor, as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you, makes demands on you. That is the great seriousness and great blessedness of the Advent message. Christ is standing at the door; he lives in the form of a human being among us.” ―  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas

“The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord.”  – Henri Nouwen

“He came the first time with, “I delight to do thy will O God.” He comes a second time to claim the reward and to divide the spoil with the strong. He came the first time with a sin-offering; that offering having been once made, there is no more sacrifice for sin. He comes the second time to administer righteousness…Oh Jesu! how great the difference between thy first and thy second Advent!  – Charles Spurgeon, 19th century preacher

“At this Christmas when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart? Mark the season of Advent by loving and serving the others with God’s own love and concern.” – Mother Teresa of Calcutta

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Advent Quotes from Modern-Day Christians

“That’s the kind of love the Father has. It is a giving love. It gives his most precious treasure—his Son. Meditate on that this Advent. It was a very costly love. A very powerful love. A very rugged, painful love. The meaning of Christmas is the celebration of this love. “God so loved . . .” And wonder of wonders, God gives this costly love to an undeserving world of sinners, like us.” ― John Piper, The Dawning of Indestructible Joy: Daily Readings for Advent

“This is the residue of sin on planet earth. Things are broken. People are hurting. The night is here. Darkness is upon us. Yet shining in the night is a Savior, and He has come to shine on you.” ― Louie Giglio, Waiting Here for You: An Advent Journey of Hope

“The message of Christianity is, instead, ‘Things really are this bad, and we can’t heal or save ourselves. Things really are this dark—nevertheless, there is hope.’ The Christmas message is that ‘on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.’ Notice that it doesn’t say from the world a light has sprung, but upon the world a light has dawned. It has come from outside. There is light outside of this world, and Jesus has brought that light to save us; indeed, he is the Light” (John 8:12).  ― Timothy J. Keller, Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ

“Christ comes right to your Christmas tree and looks at your family tree and says, ‘I am your God, and I am one of you, and I’ll be the Gift, and I’ll take you. Take Me?’” ― Ann Voskamp, The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas

“When you have Christ in your heart, when you know what Christmas is really all about, when you don't get trapped in the trappings, something changes inside of you, and a melody starts to form that you can't really control. And we love to come here and sing the songs of the incarnation, and it's all about the birth of Jesus Christ.” – David Jeremiah, “What to Do With Christmas?”

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Advent Verses from the Bible

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” – Isaiah 7:14

“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.” – Micah 5:2

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.   This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests’” –Luke 2:8-14

“So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” – Hebrews 9:28

“‘Look, he is coming with the clouds,’ and ‘every eye will see him, even those who pierced him’; and all peoples on earth ‘will mourn because of him.’ So shall it be! Amen.” – Revelation 1:7

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Advent Prayers from Various Church Denominations

“Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.” – Episcopal Church “Collect,” first Sunday of Advent

“You established your people to be a light for the nations, and called us to walk in your paths and follow your ways. Even now, you are coming to bring justice and peace to the world. The earth is full of your knowledge and glory. You made all creatures to live in peace and safety, and sent a little child to lead us. You bring forth flowers in the desert and water in a weary land. Now you have made a highway for us in the wilderness, where your people, once-captive, may return with songs of joy. You have been our shepherd and savior in every generation. Though we turned away from you, you were always faithful. In the fullness of time, you sent your only Son to be our Immanuel.” – Presbyterian Church USA, prayers for four Sundays.

Oh Immanuel, God with us, truly in this Advent season we celebrate that you are not hidden in some faraway cloud, but you chose to be with us in the blur and mystery of our lives. In the midst of lists and rush, you are with us as a song that echoes in our minds, as the light of a candle, as a card from a friend. They are signs of your presence. We turn to you this season and pray that you would birth joy and healing, blessing and hope in us. Let something wonderful begin in us — something surprising and holy.May your hand be upon us. Let your love fill us. Let your joy overwhelm us. Let our longing for you be met on a coming holy night. Immanuel with us once again. Amen. – United Methodist Church Advent prayer by Rev. Jerry Chism                                                        

“Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming strengthen us to serve you with purified lives; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” – Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, prayer for second Sunday of Advent

“Lord our God, we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ: he is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples, he is the wisdom that teaches and guides us, he is the Savior of every nation.” – U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, portion of prayer over Advent wreath

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