Advent Reading Plan: 25 Days to Christmas Through the Bible

December fills up fast: parties, shopping, school concerts, travel. It's easy to arrive at Christmas morning exhausted, having thought about everything except the reason for it. Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, is the church's ancient answer: slow down, and get ready.

In 2026 Advent begins on Sunday, November 29. This plan runs December 1 to 25 so it's easy to remember: one short reading a day, about five minutes, tracing a single thread through the whole Bible, the promise that a Rescuer was coming.

How to use it

• Same time, every day. First coffee, lunch break, or the kids' bedtime. Attach it to something you already do.
• Read slowly, then ask one question: what does this show me about God's promise?
• Pray one sentence back to God about what you read. If that's new to you, here's how.
• Missed a day? Skip it, don't stack it. Pick up at today's date. The point is the journey, not a perfect record.

Week 1: The promise (December 1–7)

• Dec 1 — Genesis 3:8–15. Right after the first sin, the first promise: a descendant of the woman will crush the serpent.
• Dec 2 — Genesis 12:1–3. God promises Abraham that through his family all families of the earth will be blessed.
• Dec 3 — 2 Samuel 7:8–16. A king from David's line whose throne will last forever.
• Dec 4 — Isaiah 7:10–14. A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
• Dec 5 — Isaiah 9:2–7. For unto us a child is born… Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God.
• Dec 6 — Isaiah 11:1–10. A shoot from Jesse's stump, and a kingdom of peace.
• Dec 7 — Micah 5:2–5. The ruler will come from tiny Bethlehem.

Week 2: The waiting (December 8–14)

• Dec 8 — Isaiah 40:1–11. Comfort ye my people, and a voice crying in the wilderness.
• Dec 9 — Isaiah 53:1–12. The suffering servant, wounded for our transgressions. The manger leads to the cross.
• Dec 10 — Jeremiah 33:14–16. A righteous Branch from David, called The LORD our righteousness.
• Dec 11 — Malachi 3:1 and 4:5–6. The last words of the Old Testament: a messenger is coming. Then four hundred years of silence.
• Dec 12 — Luke 1:5–25. The silence breaks: an angel to an old priest named Zechariah.
• Dec 13 — Luke 1:26–38. Gabriel comes to Mary. Be it unto me according to thy word.
• Dec 14 — Luke 1:39–56. Mary visits Elizabeth and sings the Magnificat.

Week 3: The coming (December 15–21)

• Dec 15 — Matthew 1:18–25. Joseph's dream: thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
• Dec 16 — Luke 1:57–80. John the Baptist is born, and Zechariah finally speaks, and sings.
• Dec 17 — Luke 2:1–7. The census, the journey, and no room.
• Dec 18 — Luke 2:8–20. Shepherds, angels, and good tidings of great joy.
• Dec 19 — Luke 2:21–38. Simeon and Anna, who waited their whole lives, finally hold the promise.
• Dec 20 — Matthew 2:1–12. Wise men follow a star with gifts for a king.
• Dec 21 — Matthew 2:13–23. Danger, escape to Egypt, and God's protection.

Week 4: The meaning (December 22–25)

• Dec 22 — John 1:1–14. The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
• Dec 23 — Philippians 2:5–11. The One who was God took the form of a servant.
• Dec 24 — John 3:16–17. Why He came: not to condemn the world, but to save it.
• Dec 25 — Luke 2:1–20. Read the whole story aloud on Christmas morning, before the presents.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:11 (KJV)

The family version

With little ones, read just one key verse from each day's passage at dinner or bedtime, then ask, What does this tell us about Jesus? Light a candle while you read if you can; kids remember the ritual long after they forget the words. For older children, read the whole passage and let them take turns. Family devotions in ten minutes has more ideas for keeping it simple.

Arrive on Christmas knowing why

By December 25 you'll have walked the whole arc of Scripture in miniature: a promise made in a garden, repeated through kings and prophets, waited for in silence, and kept in a feeding trough in Bethlehem. That's the real Christmas story, and it's worth slowing down for.

And if somebody in your life has never heard it, Christmas is the easiest time of the year to invite them. If you're new to the Bible yourself, here's how to start reading it, and keep going after Christmas.