For many families, the Christmas season is full of activities, baking, and spending time together. One of the things we’ve done together, ever since our children were little, was enjoy a time of Advent–a time set apart for the spiritual preparation of Christmas.
While we’ve tried many different devotional studies over the past 25 years, our favorite without a doubt has been Jotham’s Journey: A Storybook for Advent. This is the most exciting Advent story we’ve ever read.
Each night of the four weeks leading up to Christmas, there is a story. It revolves around a ten-year-old boy who goes looking for his family across Israel. He encounters thieves, robbers, and kidnappers, as well as shepherds, wise men, and kind people. So many of the names and places are ones you would recognize from Scripture.
Each chapter ends with a cliffhanger, making children (and parents) excited about what Jotham’s next adventure will be the next time. Also, historical places and spiritual symbolism surrounding the Christmas season are explained following each adventure.
This book is actually the first of a trilogy. The other two titles, Bartholomew’s Passage and Tabitha’s Travels, are finally back in print. It is not necessary to do them in order, but it is fun to start with Jotham and then Bartholemew as their paths cross in the story line.
So, get some long-lasting Advent candles (the skinny ones won’t last long enough because the stories are so exciting and have some length to them), obtain a copy of Jotham’s Journey, and make this time of year extra special. I promise you, your children won’t forget it and neither will you.
Additional Note as of 4.25.11: The author of this trilogy has now done a story for Easter called Amon’s Adventures. It was a great read for us this Easter and builds upon the characters in his other books. I won’t ruin it for you, though. I’d love to know what you think.
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