A Super-Simple Bible Reading Plan For Advent

Christmas is here! And with it, all the usual hustle and bustle and busy schedules and craziness has arrived, too. Most Christians I know want to take time to savor the Savior, to sit at the feet of Jesus and soak up His Word. After all, isn’t this what the season’s all about?

But if you’re anything like I am, you’re struggling to find that time to dwell on Jesus’ birth while also fielding parties, family gatherings, and extra holiday traditions. Is there an easy way to study the Bible while still balancing the demands of the season?

Yes!!

Reading through the Gospel of Luke from December 1st - 24th is a super-simple, very popular way to read one entire account of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The benefits of this plan are numerous: you only need to read one chapter a day, you get to read about His birth (not all of the Gospels include this), and if you get behind (because, as we’ve just established, this is an insanely busy time of year!), it’s usually pretty easy to catch up.

But what if you want to take things a bit further? What if this plan appeals to you, but it seems a little TOO simple?

The ladies in my online Bible study group, Sojo Academy, had an answer.

Why not micro Bible journal your way through Luke? Scripture journaling is an easy and memorable way to study God’s Word without taking up too much time. You should be able to do this in just a few minutes a day. You don’t have to be a gifted artist. It doesn’t need to be perfect. You can simply illustrate - or even write out in your fanciest lettering - a word, phrase, or verse that jumps out at you from that day’s chapter in Luke.

I’m very new to the idea of Scripture journaling. If you are, too, you can learn more about the technique from my friend Lillian over at Embracing the Lovely. She can explain the gist of if, and you can go from there. My advice would be to keep it simple - I just have an inexpensive journal and a set of colored pencils (since I prefer not to draw or color on my actual Bible - although Lillian makes the case for micro journaling in the margins).

Even in busy seasons of life, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. Bible journaling through Luke during the month of December is just one of many ways we can do this, but I think it’s a great option for keeping things super simple all while focusing on the real reason for this beautiful season!