Hey Scholars!
Growing up attending a Protestant church, we did not celebrate Advent. I knew about it because of my Catholic schooling, but did not practice it. Although, I have practiced Lent for many years which the majority of Protestants today do not.
This is year my family and I are doing Advent together for the first time ( the church we attend does not so we are doing so alone and of our own accord) and it has really been wonderful and has enhanced our Christmas experience already!
Today is the 3rd Sunday of Advent and there is still time to “light your candles” and join Jesus followers around the world as “the coming” is celebrated!
My family has been using the devotions freely given by PTS.org and they have been great! I also purchased an advent candle set last year actually because I knew I wanted to begin the practice.
Last night my my friend raved about a devotional series her family uses and I took a pic to remember what it was and to share it with you all:
This holiday season has really been enriched for me by learning about and celebrating Advent! I invite you to join in and experience with new meaning the call, “oh come, oh come Emmanuel!”
Light, love and Divine Awaiting,
Shona
PHDinMeBlog 
Well, you really surprised me with this post, Shona.
The Uniting Church in Australia, clearly a Protestant Church, has celebrated Advent 1-4 for as long as I can remember, with the 5th candle lit to celebrate the birth. Yep, we also observe Lent.
If anything has changed, it is the more blatant commercial sale of chocolate filled advent calendars!!
I cannot speak with authority about Anglican, Baptist, Pentecostal or other protestant churches.
FYI, Union of the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches occurred in 1977, resulting in the Uniting Church in Astralia. The Methodists came in 100%, but there remain some continuing Presbyterians and Congregationalists who elected not to unite 🙂
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Whoa! The key word here is “majority” Without getting too heavy into this I will say, Today in the US, the Mainline denominations, such as Presbyterian/Methodists are the minority of Protestants (some statistics say around 15 percent since the steady decline from the 1950’s) and many of them (not all) DO use a liturgical calendar and therefore celebrate the “traditional” Christian seasons such as Advent, but most of the Mainstream Christians (now majority of Protestants in the US) do not follow the liturgical calendar or use a lectionary and therefore they DO NOT celebrate anything other than the majors of Easter and Christmas. Even more many of today’s mainstream generation, literally have no clue as to what Lent or Advent even are! This is why I invite and encourage all JESUS followers no matter what “church” or “denomination” they may follow or be familiar with, to explore this wonderful season of Advent. Because HE (and His Life-Transforming teachings) is what matters. I am glad you shared your comment. I have heard the term Mainline Protestant is not used in Australia, but if you look it up (along with perhaps mainstream, US evangelical etc.) you might gain more insight into the perspective from which the post was written. Light, Love and Divine Awaiting, Shona
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Gotcha! Thank you for that explanation, Shona. Your scene is rather different to ours. Here the RC represent 20-25%, Anglicans ~20%, and Uniting was next at around 7%. (2001 census). However, the Pentecostals (e.g. Hillsong) have been growing fast, now come 3rd and are threatening for 2nd. More than 25% at the census claim “no religion” or “not stated”.
The term “mainstream” or “mainline” is not in use here.
Sharing is caring 🙂 G&P, KenP
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