Expectant - Print

Expectant
Advent Meditations

By Anne E. Kitch

[1 copy only of this book in stock at this reduced price 1 July 2026
We will not be re-reordering this title when this copy has sold]

A gentle and accessible Advent devotional that invites readers to notice God’s presence in the ordinary moments of daily life while waiting with hope and expectation.

This book will help you:

• Enter the season of Advent with prayerful attention and spiritual expectancy.
• Reflect on a short meditation for each day from the First Sunday of Advent through Christmas Day.
• Slow down and practise holy waiting in a culture that often resists it.
• Discover God’s presence in the everyday details of ordinary life.
• Use the psalms as a guide for prayer, reflection and seasonal devotion.
• Support personal Advent practice, small-group reflection or congregational use.
• Prepare for Christmas with simplicity, beauty and renewed awareness of God’s nearness.

Features

• Meditations for each day of Advent.
• Thirty short reflections from the First Sunday of Advent through Christmas Day.
• Based on psalms corresponding to the daily office for the Advent season.
• Suitable for spiritual seekers, devoted Christians, church groups and congregations.
• Written in an accessible, contemporary and contemplative style.

Soft cover, 57pp
Compact: 4.75 x 0.25 x 6.75 inches
ISBN 9781640651463
Church Publishing (2019)

Description

Advent is a season of waiting, but waiting does not come easily.

In a hurried world of instant messages, immediate answers and constant demands, this devotional offers a quiet invitation to pause, pray and expect the presence of God. With a short meditation for each day from the First Sunday of Advent through Christmas Day, it provides a simple and meaningful way to journey through the season with openness, attentiveness and hope.

Each reflection is rooted in a psalm connected with the daily office for Advent, drawing readers into the ancient rhythms of prayer while remaining grounded in ordinary life. The meditations are brief enough for busy days, yet thoughtful enough to linger with. Rather than presenting Advent as a sentimental countdown to Christmas, this book treats it as a sacred practice: a time to seek, notice and welcome God in the midst of daily experience.

The tone is gentle, accessible and invitational. Readers who feel overwhelmed by the greatness of God, uncertain in prayer or hungry for a fresh seasonal practice will find a companion that does not demand performance or perfection. Instead, it encourages a way of seeing: the extraordinary emerging within the ordinary, the holy appearing in the mundane, and Christ coming near as promised.

Ideal for individual devotion, church groups, Advent study, parish distribution or quiet morning prayer, this resource offers a contemporary yet deeply rooted approach to the Christian season of expectation. It is especially suited to readers who want a devotional that is reflective without being complicated, scriptural without being heavy, and spiritually rich without losing touch with everyday life.

About the Author

Anne E. Kitch is a priest, educator, writer and speaker whose work is shaped by the conviction that God’s grace is encountered in everyday life. She has served as rector of St. Luke’s Church in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and has written a number of resources for Anglican and Episcopal formation, prayer and family spirituality. Her books include The Anglican Family Prayer Book, Taking the Plunge: Baptism and Parenting, Preparing for Baptism in the Episcopal Church, and the What We Do in Church series for children.

Contents

Introduction to Advent as a season of waiting and expectation
Thirty daily Advent meditations
Reflections from the First Sunday of Advent through Christmas Day
Psalm-based meditations connected with the daily office
Prayerful reflections on seeking God in ordinary life
Seasonal material suitable for individuals, groups and congregations
Christmas Day meditation