This year’s national church resources have at their heart the theme of Joy – joy as we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ during Advent, and joy as we ponder in prayer the great mystery of God’s saving love during the Christmas season.

During Advent, reflections on the Church of England’s Everyday Faith app are centred around the Advent Antiphons on which the much-loved hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel is based.

• You can read and listen to daily Advent and Christmas reflections from 1 December through the Everyday Faith app, the daily devotional app from the Church of England, which is available to download here.
• With daily reflections by Jane Williams, Chris Russell, Esther Prior, Philip North, Muthuraj Swamy, Tanya Marlow and David Hoyle, O Come Emmanuel will be available as a full-colour book from Church House Publishing. The reflections will also appear on the Everyday Faith app from 1 to 24 December, accompanied by a range of online music, artwork, and creative suggestions for local use. You can download an outline of these reflections, including themes and Bible verses.

Photo by Philippa Lowe on Unsplash