John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books , including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Coronavirus and Christ

Update: John Piper now reads each daily devotion. Subscribe to the podcast or sign up for the email journey. Learn more at desiringGod.org/great-joy.

Good News of Great Joy: Daily Readings for Advent contains 25 short devotional readings beginning December 1 and going through Christmas Day. This book of Advent meditations aims to put Jesus at the center of your holiday season. These readings are excerpted from the works John Piper and correspond to the readings in our daily devotional Solid Joys (available for iOS and Android).

“What I want most for Christmas this year is to join you (and many others) in seeing Christ in all his fullness and that we together be able to love what we see with a love far beyond our own half-hearted human capacities.” Twitter Tweet Share on Facebook

Table of Contents

Introduction: What Does Jesus Want This Christmas?

December 1: Prepare the Way (Luke 1:16–17)

December 2: Mary’s Magnificent God (Luke 1:46–55)

December 3: The Long-Awaited Visitation (Luke 1:68–71)

December 4: For God’s Little People (Luke 2:1–5)

December 5: No Detour from Calvary (Luke 2:6–7)

December 6: Peace to Those with Whom He’s Pleased (Luke 2:12–14)

December 7: Messiah for the Magi (Matthew 2:1–2)

December 8: Bethlehem’s Supernatural Star (Matthew 2:2)

December 9: Two Kinds of Opposition to Jesus (Matthew 2:3)

December 10: Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh (Matthew 2:10–11)

December 11: Why Jesus Came (Hebrews 2:14–15)

December 12: Replacing the Shadows (Hebrews 8:1–2)

December 13: The Final Reality Is Here (Hebrews 8:1–2)

December 14: Making It Real for His People (Hebrews 8:6)

December 15: Life and Death at Christmas (John 10:10)

December 16: God’s Most Successful Setback (John 17:18)

December 17: The Greatest Salvation Imaginable (Jeremiah 31:31)

December 18: The Christmas Model for Missions (John 17:18)

December 19: Christmas Is for Freedom (Hebrews 2:14–15)

December 21: The Birth of the Ancient of Days (John 18:37)

December 22: That You May Believe (John 20:30–31)

December 23: God’s Indescribable Gift (Romans 5:10–11)

December 24: The Son of God Appeared (1 John 3:7–8)

December 25: Three Christmas Presents (1 John 3:7–8)

Conclusion: My Favorite Christmas Text

Appendix: Old Testament Shadows and the Coming of Christ

See also John Piper’s other Advent book of 25 daily readings, The Dawning of Indestructible Joy.