Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free. From our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in thee.
During a time of year when the pace of life becomes even more frenzied than usual, the season of Advent presents us with a unique opportunity. Long-Expected Jesus invites the people of God to spend four weeks slowing down, waiting patiently, and praying expectantly in anticipation of our coming Savior.
Designed to be used by individuals, families, or faith communities, this devotional begins with the first Sunday of Advent and contains a short reflection for every day through Christmas, offering a meaningful experience for all ages. The relatable, Lectionary-based meditations have been written by a variety of leaders, pastors, and storytellers, including Mark Fuller, Shawna Songer Gaines, Michael Palmer, Jeren Rowell, Carla Sunberg, and more. Be blessed and encouraged this Advent season as we gather in community to await the return of our Long-Expected Jesus.
Dr. Jesse Middendorf currently serves as executive director for the Center for Pastoral Leadership at Nazarene Theological Seminary. He served for twenty-eight years as pastor in the Church of the Nazarene, ten of those years at Kansas City First Church. He served as district superintendent on the Northwest Oklahoma district for five years and spent twelve as a general superintendent, retiring in 2013.
Jeren Rowell, ED.D., is president and professor of pastoral ministry at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City. He served twelve years as superintendent of the Kansas City District for the Church of the Nazarene and twenty-five years as a local church pastor. Prior works include Thinking, Listening, Being: A Wesleyan Pastoral Theology and Preaching Holiness: Pastoral Considerations, both available from The Foundry Publishing.
Dr. Carla Sunberg is a historical theologian with a passion for holiness. She served as the president of Nazarene Theological Seminary and currently serves as a general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene. Sunberg’s previous works include Why Holiness? and Uncommon Virtues, both available from The Foundry Publishing.
Brooklyn is the Global NYI Justice Advocate and founder of The Justice Movement. She builds bridges that empower churches and youth to do compassionate work together. Her priority is to inspire and resource youth to break cycles of poverty through faith in action. Brooklyn has served in full time youth ministry for the last 17 years, authored numerous books, contributes and communicates for Orange Leaders, and speaks at camps and conferences. She and her husband Coy planted @somoschurch in July 2016. www.brooklynlindsey.com www.justicemovement.com
Brett Rickey is the senior pastor at Highland Park Church of the Nazarene, where he blends his experiences from eleven years in corporate life with his nine years as the founding pastor of FamilyChurch.tv. Brett also serves as a coach and mentor to new church pastors across the country and hosts Accelerate—a yearly church planting conference. He has an MA in practical theology. He and his wife, Mindy, live in Lakeland, Florida, with their three daughters: Jessica, Kelsey, and Hope.
Mark Fuller serves as senior pastor of Grove City Church of the Nazarene, the largest Nazarene church in North America. Previously he has led growing churches in Arizona and Texas. He received his BA from MidAmerica Nazarene University, his MDiv from Nazarene Theological Seminary, and recently received an honorary doctorate degree from Mount Vernon Nazarene University. He resides in Ohio with his wife and their twin daughters.
Shawna Songer Gaines, MDiv, serves as the lead pastor of Trevecca Community Church in Nashville, Tennessee. She previously served as chaplain at Trevecca Nazarene University, as co-pastor of Bakersfield Church of the Nazarene in California, and as a youth pastor in Chicago. She is the author of the Breathe series and the coauthor of two books, A Seat at the Table and Kings and Presidents, with her husband, Tim. Shawna speaks and preaches at events nationwide, and blogs at shawnasongergaines.com.
Timothy R. Gaines, PhD, is associate professor of religion at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, where he teaches courses in theology and ethics and directs the graduate program in theology and biblical studies. He also serves as associate pastor at Trevecca Community Church. Dr. Gaines has coauthored and co-edited multiple previous titles, including A Seat at the Table, Kings & Presidents, and Following Jesus, all available from The Foundry Publishing.
Shawn Smucker is the co-author of over 20 nonfiction books including Dying Out Loud and Refuse to Drown. His first novel, The Day the Angels Fell, is about a young boy’s obsession with finding the Tree of Life and bringing back his mother from the dead (Revell, 2017). He lives in the city of Lancaster, PA, with his wife and six children. You can see more writing from Shawn at shawnsmucker.com.
Michael Palmer is the lead pastor of Living Vine Church of the Nazarene in California’s Napa Valley and a frequent contributor to the Foundry Community blog. He graduated from MidAmerica Nazarene University with a BA in intercultural ministry. Palmer and his wife, Elizabeth, have three children.
Melanie holds an MFA in creative writing from Lesley University. Her fiction has appeared in Family Circle magazine and numerous literary journals. She currently lives in New Hampshire, where she is a photographer, writer, wife, and homeschooling mother of four children. Melanie writes about her life adventures at thefrozenmoon.com and has two books, The Simplest of Acts and This Perfect Mess