How the plan works
One passage a day, about five minutes. Each reading is 5 to 24 verses long. Read it slowly, or listen to it, then stop for a minute with two questions: what does this show me about God, and what is He promising?
Four weeks, four themes. The weeks follow the themes many churches give the Advent candles: hope, peace, joy and love. Week one (hope) reads God's promises of a coming King. Week two (peace) hears Isaiah, Micah and a psalm speak comfort and peace to a weary people. Week three (joy) moves from songs of joy in Isaiah and Zephaniah to the angel Gabriel's visits in Luke 1. Week four (love) stays with Mary, Elisabeth, Joseph and Zacharias, and ends on Christmas Eve with John 1, where the Word becomes flesh. On Christmas morning you read Luke 2:1-20.
Read or listen. Any Bible will do. If you use Faithero, open each day's passage there to read it or have it read aloud, while the coffee brews or the candles are lit.
25 days of Advent Bible readings for 2026
| Day | Date | Reading | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra 1 | Sunday, November 29 | Genesis 3:8-15 | Hope: the first promise |
| Extra 2 | Monday, November 30 | Genesis 12:1-7 | Hope: a blessing for every family |
| 1 | Tuesday, December 1 | 2 Samuel 7:8-16 | Hope: a kingdom that lasts forever |
| 2 | Wednesday, December 2 | Isaiah 7:10-14 | Hope: the sign of Immanuel |
| 3 | Thursday, December 3 | Isaiah 9:2-7 | Hope: a great light, a child born |
| 4 | Friday, December 4 | Isaiah 11:1-10 | Hope: a branch from Jesse |
| 5 | Saturday, December 5 | Jeremiah 23:1-6 | Hope: the righteous King |
| 6 | Sunday, December 6 | Isaiah 40:1-11 | Peace: comfort for God's people |
| 7 | Monday, December 7 | Isaiah 2:1-5 | Peace: swords into plowshares |
| 8 | Tuesday, December 8 | Micah 5:1-5 | Peace: a ruler from Bethlehem |
| 9 | Wednesday, December 9 | Isaiah 26:1-9 | Peace: a mind that trusts |
| 10 | Thursday, December 10 | Psalm 85 | Peace: righteousness and peace meet |
| 11 | Friday, December 11 | Isaiah 52:7-12 | Peace: good news on the mountains |
| 12 | Saturday, December 12 | Isaiah 42:1-9 | Peace: a gentle servant |
| 13 | Sunday, December 13 | Isaiah 35:1-10 | Joy: the desert blooms |
| 14 | Monday, December 14 | Zephaniah 3:14-20 | Joy: God sings over His people |
| 15 | Tuesday, December 15 | Isaiah 12 | Joy: the wells of salvation |
| 16 | Wednesday, December 16 | Isaiah 61:1-11 | Joy: good news for the brokenhearted |
| 17 | Thursday, December 17 | Malachi 4:2-6 | Joy: a sunrise with healing |
| 18 | Friday, December 18 | Luke 1:5-25 | Joy: an angel visits Zacharias |
| 19 | Saturday, December 19 | Luke 1:26-38 | Joy: an angel visits Mary |
| 20 | Sunday, December 20 | Luke 1:39-56 | Love: Mary visits Elisabeth |
| 21 | Monday, December 21 | Matthew 1:18-25 | Love: Joseph takes Mary home |
| 22 | Tuesday, December 22 | Luke 1:57-80 | Love: John is born, and his father sings |
| 23 | Wednesday, December 23 | 1 John 4:7-14 | Love: why God sent His Son |
| 24 | Thursday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) | John 1:1-14 | Love: the Word becomes flesh |
| 25 | Friday, December 25 (Christmas Day) | Luke 2:1-20 | Christmas: the Savior is born |
The two extra days are for anyone who starts on the first Sunday of Advent. Every reading is a Bible passage of 5 to 24 verses.
Four verses to carry through Advent
If you would like to learn one verse by heart each week, here is one from each week's readings: hope (Isaiah 9:2), peace (Psalm 85:10), joy (Zephaniah 3:17) and love (John 1:14). Write it on a card by the wreath or the coffee maker, and say it together each morning.
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”
“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”
“The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Advent reading plan for kids and families
Young children do not need the whole passage. Each day, read the key verse from your Bible, ask the question, and let everyone answer, even the youngest. Older children can read the full passage from the plan above, or take turns reading a verse each. Five minutes at breakfast or before bed is plenty.
| Day | Key verse | Talk about it |
|---|---|---|
| Extra 1 | Genesis 3:9 | Adam and Eve hid, but God came looking for them. Why do you think He did? |
| Extra 2 | Genesis 12:2 | God blessed Abram so he could bless others. How could our family bless someone this week? |
| 1 | 2 Samuel 7:16 | God promised David a kingdom that would never end. What do you know that lasts forever? |
| 2 | Isaiah 7:14 | Immanuel means God with us (Matthew 1:23). Where would you like God to be with you this week? |
| 3 | Isaiah 9:6 | Count the names Isaiah gives the child. Which one do you like best? |
| 4 | Isaiah 11:6 | A wolf living in peace with a lamb: what would a world with no fighting look like? |
| 5 | Jeremiah 23:5 | God promised a King who always does what is right. What makes a good king? |
| 6 | Isaiah 40:11 | God carries His lambs close to His heart. When do you need to be carried? |
| 7 | Isaiah 2:4 | Swords turned into farm tools! What could you turn from fighting into helping? |
| 8 | Micah 5:2 | Bethlehem was a little town. Why might God choose a small place? |
| 9 | Isaiah 26:3 | God keeps in peace the people who trust Him. What helps you feel calm? |
| 10 | Psalm 85:8 | God speaks peace to His people. Can we be quiet for one minute and listen? |
| 11 | Isaiah 52:7 | Who brought you good news this year? Who could you bring good news to? |
| 12 | Isaiah 42:3 | God's servant is gentle with people who feel weak. Who could you be gentle with today? |
| 13 | Isaiah 35:1 | Imagine a desert full of flowers. What makes you that happy? |
| 14 | Zephaniah 3:17 | God sings over His people with joy. What song would you sing back to Him? |
| 15 | Isaiah 12:3 | Joy is like water drawn from a deep well. Where do you find joy? |
| 16 | Isaiah 61:1 | Jesus read these words aloud in His hometown (Luke 4:16-21). Who do you know who needs comfort? |
| 17 | Malachi 4:2 | God promised a sunrise that heals. How is Jesus like the morning sun? |
| 18 | Luke 1:13 | God heard Zacharias pray. What would you like to pray for? |
| 19 | Luke 1:37 | Nothing is impossible with God. What feels impossible to you? |
| 20 | Luke 1:44 | Baby John leaped for joy before he was born. What makes you jump for joy? |
| 21 | Matthew 1:20 | The angel told Joseph not to be afraid. What helps you be brave? |
| 22 | Luke 1:78-79 | Zacharias sang about light for people sitting in the dark. How does light help us? |
| 23 | 1 John 4:10 | God loved us first. Who can you show love to tomorrow? |
| 24 | John 1:14 | God came to live with us as a baby. Why do you think He came so small? |
| 25 | Luke 2:11 | Happy birthday, Jesus! Who can you tell the good news to today? |
To finish with a short prayer, try our prayers for children.
The Advent candles
Many families light an Advent wreath alongside a reading plan. The wreath holds four candles: one is lit on the first Sunday of Advent, two on the second, and so on. Many churches name them hope, peace, joy and love, the same themes as this plan's four weeks; others call them the prophecy, Bethlehem, shepherds' and angel candles.
On Catholic wreaths three candles are usually purple and one is rose, lit on the third Sunday, called Gaudete Sunday. Some churches use blue candles instead of purple, and some add a white Christ candle in the center to light at Christmas. For a short prayer to say as you light each candle, see our Advent prayers for each week.
Frequently asked
When does Advent start in 2026?
Advent 2026 starts on Sunday, November 29. Advent always begins on the Sunday that falls on or closest to November 30, the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The other Sundays of Advent are December 6, 13 and 20, and the season ends on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24. This reading plan runs from December 1 to Christmas Day, with two extra readings for November 29 and 30.
What are the four Advent candles?
An Advent wreath holds four candles, and one more is lit on each Sunday of Advent. Many churches name them hope, peace, joy and love; others call them the prophecy, Bethlehem, shepherds' and angel candles. On Catholic wreaths three candles are usually purple and one is rose, lit on the third Sunday, called Gaudete Sunday. Some churches use blue candles instead of purple, and some add a white Christ candle in the center for Christmas.
Can I start late?
Yes. Begin with today's date and read today's passage; there is nothing you have to make up. If you would like to read the whole plan, add one missed passage a day until you have caught up. And if it is already the week before Christmas, start on December 18 with Luke 1: you will still walk with Zacharias, Mary and Joseph all the way to the manger.
Is there an Advent reading plan for kids?
Yes. The family version on this page uses the same readings but gives one key verse a day, with a simple question to talk about together. Little ones can just listen to the verse; older children can read the full passage, or take turns reading a verse each.
Reading toward the manger
Advent is about waiting, and most of us find waiting hard. A reading plan helps because it slows you down to one passage a day. Many of these promises were spoken hundreds of years before Bethlehem, to people who did not live to see them kept. Reading them one at a time, you feel a little of that long wait.
Then, in the last week, the waiting begins to end. An old priest hears that his prayer has been answered. Mary says yes to God. Joseph takes her home. By the time you reach Luke 2 on Christmas morning, the angel's good news will sound like what it is: the answer to everything you have read this month. If you would like to keep going after Christmas, our Bible reading plan for 2027 starts with a chapter a day in the Gospel of John.
When Advent starts in 2026
Advent 2026 starts on Sunday, November 29. Advent always begins on the Sunday that falls on or closest to November 30, which makes it the fourth Sunday before Christmas, and in 2026 Christmas Day is a Friday. The four Sundays of Advent are November 29, December 6, December 13 and December 20, and the season ends on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24.
This plan's 25 days run from December 1 to December 25, like the doors of an Advent calendar, so the day number always matches the date. If you start on November 29, the first Sunday of Advent, read the two extra days at the top of the table first.