Photo: Markus Grossalber
* Updated 7 December 2021 *
Resources are available for Advent and Christmas 2021, including the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, and those from the Bible Society, Birmingham City Mission, CAFOD, Christian Aid, the Church of England, Church of Scotland, Eco-congregation Scotland, Guild of Health and St Raphael, Hope, the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT), the Methodist Church, SCIAF, Tearfund and the United Reformed Church (URC). Plus there is material from previous years: A World in Waiting – Advent hope in an economic crisis and Advent Journey with the Magi.
Advent and Christmas 2021.
Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Download Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (PDF)
Bible Society
The Bible Society has Christmas resources to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas. These include a new children’s booklet, The Impossible Promise, written by Bob Hartman for ages 6–11 and a pre-school booklet, The Christmas Poem. Both are available in English and Welsh with a lively video animation, Instant Nativity.
Birmingham City Mission
Birmingham City Mission has produced a reverse Advent calendar, which encourages you to donate a non-perishable item each day and collect them in a bag or box to be taken to the Birmingham City Mission’s Resource Centre after Christmas.
CAFOD
CAFOD has an Advent Calendar of daily reflection and prayer for 2021.
CAFOD has also produced an Advent calendar and resources for young people and also an Advent calendar for children.
Church of England
Resources from the Church of England have a theme of ‘At the heart of Christmas‘ for 2021. It is an invitation to everyone to discover – or rediscover – the good news of God’s saving love as revealed in the birth of Jesus.
Christian Aid
This year’s appeal from Christian Aid stands with mums who are facing impossible choices this Christmas on the frontline of the climate crisis.
Christian BSL
Christian BSL provides British Sign Language (BSL) translations of Christmas carols and for words and phrases related to Advent and Christmas. The videos are presented by Deaf BSL users who are practising Christians.
Christian Enquiry Agency
Each week in Advent, the Christian Enquiry Agency is including a selected poem from Mark Greene’s Adventure book on its Christianity website. The poems show different aspects of the Christmas story in a beautiful new light.
Church of Scotland
Light in the Darkness is the theme of the Church of Scotland’s 2021 Advent calendar, inspired by John 1:5 ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’.
Doorstep Carols
An initiative to get everyone singing Christmas carols on their doorstep at 6pm on Wed 15 December 2021. It was started in 2020 to help spread some cheer during the Covid-19 pandemic and was broadcast on 35 local radio stations and covered by TV stations and the national press. Words to 15 carols are available to download.
Eco-congregation Scotland
Eco-congregation Scotland is producing an ‘alternative, ecumenical, international, environmental, Advent Calendar’ called Home by Another Way – Advent after COP, consisting of a daily video which will be downloadable via Vimeo.
Guild of Health and St Raphael
Waiting Well from the Guild of Health and St Raphael is an Advent Journey, interweaving scripture, prayer and the wisdom of the Christian faith into each day of Advent.
Hope
Hope has produced another glossy give-away Christmas magazine highlighting stories of surprising hope.
Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT)
Five Advent candle-lighting prayers, themed around peace and justice, have been produced by JPIT for the four Sundays in Advent and Christmas Eve/Christmas Day services.
Methodist Church
The Methodist Church Christmas campaign for 2021 is ‘Great joy for all the people’, from Luke 2:10. Recognising everyone’s fatigue and the COVID-related uncertainty that surrounds the approach of Christmas, this year the Methodist Church is encouraging congregations to reach out simply to their communities with the angel’s message – to near neighbours and to people living on the margins.
Muddy Church
Muddy Church provides resources for people to gather together outside and to connect with the space and God. Materials are available for winter and Christmas including trails.
SCIAF
SCIAF has a Powerpoint Advent calendar to help pray for SCIAF’s work and for people around the world feeling the extreme effects of climate change.
Tearfund
You can sign up for daily email devotionals with Tearfund. They will feature scripture, personal stories, poetry, music and prayer – meet your neighbours from down the road and around the world and focus on loving them and God in the run up to Christmas.
United Reformed Church (URC)
The URC has produced additional free resources for its Come & See Advent Box, which provides creative and reflective activities for all ages organised into four weeks to cover Advent. Free resources include a church guide, stained glass window images, bunting kit, invitation cards and logo.
Previous years
CTBI’s Advent course from 2009 A World in Waiting – Advent hope in an economic crisis is still available to download.
Mission Theology Advisory Group (MTAG)
‘Advent Journey with the Magi‘ provides a reflective spiritual journey into the mystery of the Incarnation which travels towards Jesus through the eyes of the Magi. It includes sections on Stars, Travels, Gifts, Meeting Herod and Meeting Jesus.
