11 Bible Verses about Advent

Now the birth of Christ Jesus occurred under these conditions: After His mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, but before they had lived together, she was found to be an expectant mother through the influence of the Holy Spirit. But her husband, Joseph, because he was an upright man and did not want to disgrace her, decided to break the engagement by secretly divorcing her. But just as this thought occurred to him, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, "Joseph, descendant of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for it is through the influence of the Holy Spirit that she has become an expectant mother.read more.
And she will have a son, and you must name Him Jesus, for it is He who is to save His people from their sins." Now all this occurred to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and they will call Him Immanuel" -- which means "God with us." So when Joseph awoke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord directed him, and took her as his wife; but he did not live with her as a husband until she had had a son; and he named Him Jesus.

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin there engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. So the angel came to her home and said, "Congratulations, you highly favored woman! The Lord be with you!"read more.
But she was agitated at what he said, and began to ponder what this greeting meant. Then the angel said, "Stop being afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Listen! You will become pregnant and bear a son, and you must name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His forefather David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His reign will have no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no husband?" Then the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, and so your child will be called holy, the Son of God. And listen! your relative, Elizabeth, has herself too become pregnant, although she is old, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing is ever impossible for God." Then Mary said, "I am the Lord's slave. May what you say take place with me." Then the angel left her.

Now in those days an edict was issued by the Emperor Augustus that a census of the whole world should be taken. This, the first census, was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. So everyone was going to his own town to register.read more.
And Joseph too went up from Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to the town of David in Judea called Bethlehem, because he was a descendant of the house and family of David, to register with Mary who was engaged to be married to him and who was an expectant mother. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth, and she bore her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him up and laid Him in a manger, for there was no room for them at the inn. Now there were some shepherds in the same neighborhood, living in the open fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, so that they were fearfully frightened. But the angel said to them: "Stop being afraid, for now I bring you good tidings of great joy which is to be for all the people; for today, in the town of David, a Saviour for you has been born, who is to be your Messiah and Lord. And this is proof for you: You will find a baby wrapped up and lying in a manger." Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a throng of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in highest heaven! And peace on earth to men who please him." Then when the angel left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has told us." So they hurried to the place and found Joseph and Mary; also the baby lying in the manger. When they saw this, they informed them of the story that had been told about this child. And all who heard it were astounded at what was told them by the shepherds, but Mary continued to treasure it all up and to ponder it in her heart. Then the shepherds went back continuing to give glory and praise to God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth, and she bore her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him up and laid Him in a manger, for there was no room for them at the inn.

Now when Jesus was born at Bethlehem in Judea in the days of King Herod, stargazers came from the East to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him."

And again Isaiah says: "The noted Son of Jesse will come, even He who rises to rule the heathen; on Him the heathen will set their hope." May the hope-inspiring God so fill you with perfect joy and peace through your continuing faith, that you may bubble over with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

For everything that was written in the earlier times was written for our instruction, so that by our patient endurance and through the encouragement the Scriptures bring we might continuously cherish our hope. May God, who gives men patient endurance and encouragement, grant you such harmony with one another, in accordance with the standard which Christ Jesus sets, that with united hearts and lips you may praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.read more.
Therefore, practice receiving one another into full Christian fellowship, just as Christ has so received you to Himself. Yes, I mean that Christ has become a servant to Israel to prove God's truthfulness, to make valid His promises to our forefathers, and for the heathen peoples to praise God for His mercy, as the Scripture says: "For this I will give thanks to you among the heathen, and will sing praises to your name." And again: "Rejoice, you heathen peoples, with His people!" And again: "All you heathen peoples, praise the Lord, yea, let all peoples sing His praise." And again Isaiah says: "The noted Son of Jesse will come, even He who rises to rule the heathen; on Him the heathen will set their hope." May the hope-inspiring God so fill you with perfect joy and peace through your continuing faith, that you may bubble over with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In those days John the Baptist appeared, and kept preaching in the desert of Judea, and saying, "Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is near." This is he who was mentioned by the prophet Isaiah, when he said: "Here is a voice of one who shouts in the desert, 'Get the road ready for the Lord; Make the paths straight for him.'"read more.
This very John had his clothing made of camel's hair, and wore a leather belt around his waist; his food was dried locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea, even the whole Jordan district, continued to go out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan River, as one by one they continued to confess their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to escape from the wrath that is coming? Produce, then, fruit that is consistent with the repentance you profess, and do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our forefather? For I tell you, God can raise up descendants for Abraham even out of these stones. Now the axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Every tree then that fails to bear good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you in water to picture your repentance. But He that is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not fit to carry His shoes. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire; His winnowing-fork is in His hand, and He will clean out His threshing-floor and store His wheat in His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with fire that never can be put out."

Now there were some shepherds in the same neighborhood, living in the open fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, so that they were fearfully frightened. But the angel said to them: "Stop being afraid, for now I bring you good tidings of great joy which is to be for all the people;read more.
for today, in the town of David, a Saviour for you has been born, who is to be your Messiah and Lord. And this is proof for you: You will find a baby wrapped up and lying in a manger." Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a throng of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in highest heaven! And peace on earth to men who please him." Then when the angel left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has told us." So they hurried to the place and found Joseph and Mary; also the baby lying in the manger. When they saw this, they informed them of the story that had been told about this child. And all who heard it were astounded at what was told them by the shepherds, but Mary continued to treasure it all up and to ponder it in her heart. Then the shepherds went back continuing to give glory and praise to God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a throng of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in highest heaven! And peace on earth to men who please him."

Do this in particular because you know the present crisis, that it is high time for you to wake up out of your sleep, for our salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed. The night has almost passed; the day is at hand. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness, and put on the weapons of light. Let us live becomingly for people who are in the light of day, not in carousing and drunkenness, nor in sexual immorality and licentiousness, nor in quarreling and jealousy.read more.
Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and put a stop to gratifying the evil desires that lurk in your lower nature.