So often each year, our focus throughout Advent is thinking of the gifts we will give to and receive from each other. Advent, however, is also a time when we can reflect on how we can work toward accepting the gifts that God wants us to receive. Embedded in Isaiah’s ancient words are these gifts that God offers us: peace, justice, joy, and salvation. This study aims to help youth pause and reflect on what God, the greatest giver of all, wants us to receive.

During the four weeks of Advent, youth engage with the themes of peace, justice, joy, and salvation by focusing on some of the greatest passages from the prophet Isaiah. There are many entry points into these texts, but this study will explore the way in which these passages lift up God’s promises that are, in fact, gifts. In addition to the chance for youth to participate in an Advent Bible study, these sessions also provide opportunities for prayer and group and individual reflection. Additionally, teaching alternatives for each session allow leaders to customize the study for their group.

Each week includes a Participant Handout and a Leader's Guide that helps a leader facilitate a fifty-five- to sixty-minute session. This downloadable study pack is perfect for use in traditional church settings, at-home individual study, and virtual Advent study group meetings. There is a four-week study pack for adults that covers the same passages and themes as this adult study: Peace, Justice, Joy, and Salvation: An Adult Advent Study (Product ID: TC0616).