Advent and Christmas reflections
Recent additions and updates (December 2025)
- The Eternal Springtime Will Surely Come, by John Henry Newman
- The Last Judgement in Revelation, by Romano Guardini
- The Word Was Made Flesh – A Christmas Day Sermon, by Lancelot Andrewes
- The Incarnation of the Son of God – Part 1: Why This Doctrine Is Essential to Our Faith, &
- Part 2: Results and Practical Consequences of the Incarnation, by Carlos Alonso Vargas
- The Hope of Heaven – The Heart’s Deepest Longing, by Jeanne Kun
- “I stand at the door and knock” – An Advent Sermon, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- There Are No Ordinary People – You Have Never Talked to a Mere Mortal, by C. S. Lewis
- Living in the Last Days, and The Promise of the Lord’s Return, by Dan Keating
- The Word Became Flesh – What the Incarnation Means for Us, by Steve Clark
- Sharing in Christ’s Reign, and “Death Shall Be No More” by Dominic Perrem
- For Our God Has Come to Earth, Hymn and Music by Joseph Mathias
- The King for Whom All Things Live, and The New Heaven and the New Earth, by Romano Guardini
- Truth Sprang from the Earth and Justice Looked Down from Heaven, by Augustine of Hippo
- Maranatha! – Come, Lord Jesus! by Don Schwager
- God Became Like Us to Save Us, A Reflection by Bruce Yocum
- From the Manger to the Cross, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Day of Wrath or Blessed Hope? by Carlos Alonso Vargas
- Homeward Bound: But Where Are We Headed? by James Munk
- The Hope We Have in Christ, by Brian Laba
- “The Day Draws Near” – Reflections on Life Together in Light of Christ’s Return
Advent Reflections and Meditations
- Antiphons of Advent and Praising the Names of Jesus, by Jeanne Kun
- Weekly Advent Prayers and Advent wreath
- To watch with Christ, by John Henry Newman
- A threefold coming of the Lord, by Bernard of Clairvaux
- The Two Comings of Christ: An Orthodox perspective by Thomas Hopko
- Christians Have Lost Touch with Heaven! by Christoph Schonborn
- The Eternal Spring-time Will Surely Come, by John Henry Newman
- We Will Be Judged by Our Fidelity to Christ, by Romano Guardini
- Jesus the Coming Judge, by Tom Wright
- What If This Present Were the World’s Last Night, by C.S. Lewis
- Reply to the Skeptics Concerning the Lord’s Return, Commentary on 2 Peter 3:1-7, by Daniel Keating
- Living in the Last Days: A Commentary on 1 Peter 4:7-11, by Daniel Keating
- The Promise of the Lord’s Return, A Commentary on 2 Peter 3:8-16, by Daniel Keating
- God in the Cave, by G.K. Chesterton
- The Wonderful Exchange, by Athanasius and Gregory Nazianzen
- Waiting in Hope for Christ’s Return, by Cyril of Jerusalem, Ephrem of Edessa, and Irenaeus of Lyons
- God Showers Us with Gifts, and God Will be Seen, by Irenaeus of Lyons 130-200)
- The Spirit Prepares Us to Receive the Son of God, by Irenaeus of Lyons (130-200)
- The Wonder of Christ, by Origen
- The Great Little King, by Gregory of Nyssa
- The Redeemer – What God Wanted, by Steve Clark
- Seeking God More Earnestly: Advent Themes in the Letter of James, by Mark Whitters
- The People of Advent, Meditations for Advent written in prison by Alfred Delp
- True Happiness: Prison Meditations, by Alfred Delp
- Prisoners of Hope: Reflections for Advent, by Dave Quintana
- Scripture Reflections on the House of David, by Jeanne Kun
- David, Prototype of Jesus the Anointed Messiah, by Damasus Winzen, OSB
- The Eternal Springtime Will Come, by John Henry Newman
- The Son of Man, by Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979)
- Jesus Christ – The Firstborn of Creation, by Fulton J. Sheen
- The Only Person Ever Pre-Announced: Born to Die to Give Us Life, by Fulton J. Sheen
- Let us not resist the first coming, and the second will not terrify us, by Augustine of Hippo
- The Return of the Lord Jesus, by Ralph Martin
- When Heaven Explodes With Color: We await our blessed hope, by John Yocum
- The Finality of Christ and Religious Pluralism, by Donald Bloesch
- The Advent Banquet: A Selection of Daily Reflections, by Dave Quintana
- Aliens and Exiles? What can 1st century Christianity teach us about 21st century living? by Bruce Yocum
- Reading the Stars: Signs of Hope from the Creator of the cosmos, by David Mills
- Reform Your Lives: the message of John the Baptist, Forerunner of the Redeemer, by Jeanne Kun
- Prepare the Way of the Lord: a meditative poem on Isaiah 40:3-4, by Jean Kun
- Pilgrims, Travelers, and Citizens of Heaven, by Jeanne Kun
- Jesus: A Portrait of Kingship, by Jeanne Kun
- The Hope of Heaven, by Jeanne Kun
- Awaiting the Messiah by Jeanne Kun, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- You Shall Call his Nama Jesus, by Jeanne Kun
- The voice is John, the word is Christ, by Augustine
- The Two-fold Coming of Jesus Christ, by Cyril of Jerusalem
- The Reason the Word of God became Man,by Irenaeus
- A Voice Crying in the Wilderness, by Eusebius of Caesarea
- God’s Promises Are Held Out to Us by His Son, by Augustine
Christmas and Epiphany Reflections and Meditations
- The Revealing of the Hidden Mystery, by Hippolytus (170-236 AD)
- Feast of Epiphany and Theophany
- God Showers Us with Gifts, by Irenaeus 200 A.D.
- The Wonder of Christ, by Origen (185-254 AD)
- If Christ had not been born of woman, by Proclus of Constantinople (446)
- When Christ comes, God will be seen by men and women, by Irenaeus 200 A.D.
- The Word made flesh deifies us, by Hippolytus (170-236 AD) Life itself appeared in human form, by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) The Wonderful Exchange, by Athanasius (298-373 AD) and Gregory Nazianzen (330-389 AD)
- Christian, be aware of your nobility, by Leo the Great (died 461 AD)
- The Wisdom of God was made flesh, by Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD)
- The Magnificat, a commentary of Bede on St. Luke’s Gospel (672-735 AD)
- The fulness of the Godhead came in the fulness of time, by Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
- The Word of God will Come Within Us, by Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
- “The Word was made flesh,” by Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626)
- “There came wise men from the East,” by Lancelot Andrewes (1620)
- The God in the Cave, by G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)
- The gifts of the Spirit in Isaiah 11:1-5, by Steve Clark
- And He Lived Among Us, Therese Hilario Andres
- “You shall call his name Jesus,” by Jeanne Kun
- Jesus: a portrait of humility, by Jeanne Kun
- God in Bethlehem’s Cave: a meditation by Don Schwager
- The Gift of the Magi: a short story about unselfish love, by O. Henry
Poems for Christmas and Epiphany
- Advent Overture (Based on Luke 1:26-38), and Visitation Day, Poems by Jeanne Kun
- The Incarnation – A Christian Hymn, and A Star, Poems by Sean O’Neill
- On the Nativity of Christ, by Romanos the Melodist
- A Child My Choice, Poem on the Incarnation by Robert Southwell
- Born This Eve, by Lynne May
- Anna’s Heir, poem by Jeanne Kun
- Hope Revived (Isaiah 11), poem by Jeanne Kun
- The Word Made Flesh, poem by Jeanne Kun
- Journey by Starlight (Epiphany), poem by Jeanne Kun
Top image credit: Photo of radiant sunrise in Ebersberg forest, Germany (cropped image), © by Johannes Plenio, image from Unsplash.com. Free to use under the Unsplash License.
Don Schwager is the editor of Living Bulwark and author of the Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation website. He is a lay religious brother and life-time member of the Servants of the Word.

