Series Resources
sermon-based study guide
Come All Ye Faithless Series Resource
📘 Come All Ye Faithless — Resource Guide
Dates: November 30 – December 24, 2025
Subtitle: A Season for the Hopeless, Joyless, Anxious, and Lonely
Key Passages: Luke 1:5–25, Luke 1:26–38, Matthew 1:18–25, Luke 2:8–20
Formation Practice:
- We’ve developed a daily Advent reading plan on YouVersion! Come All Ye Faithless is an honest journey through the stories of Scripture for those who feel hopeless, joyless, anxious, or lonely. Each day includes Scripture, a short reflection, and a prayer to help you discover that hope grows in silence, joy emerges through surrender, peace is born in trust, and love is revealed in presence. Because the invitation of Christmas isn’t just for the faithful—it’s for all of us.
- Extend your encouragement and invite a friend or neighbor who might be quietly hurting this season
Series Synopsis
The holidays promise joy, but many carry unmet expectations, quiet pain, or spiritual fatigue. The good news? Jesus didn’t come for those who have it all together.
This Advent, we flip the script on a familiar carol Come All Ye Faithless reminds us that the invitation of Christmas is for the hopeless, the joyless, the anxious, and the lonely. Through the stories of Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, we see a God who meets people right where faith feels thin—and begins His work there.
🧭 Series Roadmap
Week
Date
Sermon Title
Scripture Focus
Key Theme
1
Nov 30
Come All Ye Hopeless
Luke 1:5–25
God begins where hope runs out.
2
Dec 7
Come All Ye Joyless
Luke 1:26–38
Real joy comes with tears.
3
Dec 14
Come All Ye Anxious
Matthew 1:18–25
Peace comes through surrender, not control.
4
Dec 21
Come All Ye Lonely
Luke 2:8–20
You’re not forgotten or alone.
5
Dec 24
Come All Ye Faithless
John 1:1–14
God’s invitation didn’t stop in the manger.
📚 Recommended Reading
Books to Go Deeper
🎧 Podcasts & Messages
- The Next Right Thing – Emily P. Freeman (Advent episodes)
- Lectio 365 (Advent series)
- Renovaré Podcast – Advent with Ruth Haley Barton
Websites
🧠 Key Concepts & Practices
Spiritual Practices to Try
- Journaling Practice:
“What am I actually bringing to the manger this week?” - Hope Marker (Week 1):
Light a candle or place a visible object as a reminder of a prayer you’ve stopped praying. - Joy with Honesty (Week 2):
Reflect on where you’re “faking joy” and invite God into that space. - Breath Prayer for Anxiety (Week 3):
“I release this to You, God.” - Practice Presence (Week 4):
Write a card or share a meal with someone who may feel alone.
Key Terms
- Hope: God begins where our hope has run dry.
- Joy: Joy often emerges alongside cost, confusion, or tears.
- Peace: Comes through surrender rather than control.
- Love: Shown first to the overlooked, the unseen, the lonely.
🙌 Community & Next Steps
- Serve on a Team
- Join a Small Group
- Join the Come All Ye Faithless YouVersion Advent Plan with a friend.
- Invite someone who might normally avoid church during the holidays.
Weekly Challenge:
“This week, I will bring my real self—not my polished self—to God.”
✍️ Reflection & Prayer Prompts
- Where have you stopped hoping altogether?
- Where does joy feel costly right now?
- What are you trying to control that God is asking you to surrender?
- Who in your life might feel unseen this season?
- What are you actually bringing to the manger this week?
Prayer
God of hope,
Thank you that you meet us not just in our faith but in our fear.
Where we’ve grown cynical, soften us.
Where we’ve stopped praying, reawaken us.
Where hope feels too risky, strengthen us.
May we believe not only that you are good,
but that you will be good to us.
Amen.
📌 Notes
Use this space to jot down insights, stories of impact, or prayers