Light on Campus: A Journey into Advent on College Life
CCMA Advent Reflection Prayer Book
by Rosie Chinea Shawver, MDiv
As the semester winds toward finals, social gatherings, and the rush of the holidays, ministry life on campus can feel frenetic. But what if this season, so often defined by deadlines and distractions, could become something radically different? What if it could become an invitation to slow down, to listen, to encounter Christ in the swirl of dorms, classrooms, cafés, and chapels?
That’s precisely what Light on Campus | Advent Reflections 2025 offers: a day-by-day devotional designed for students and campus ministers alike, crafted especially for the rhythms and realities of campus life.
Why this is a must-read for campus ministry
It covers December 1 through December 25 of 2025 (Lectionary Cycle C), aligning Scripture, reflections, campus-life connection, action steps, and prayer.
Each entry is built to bridge the gap between the Church readings and the lived experience of college and ministry: papers due, community invited, service happening, friendships forming, questions emerging.
The structure is accessible: Scripture → Reflection → Campus Connection question → Action Step → Prayer. That’s a clear roadmap for meaningful engagement-even when time is short.
The four-week Advent themes (Hope / Peace / Joy / Love) are grounded in student-centric realities. Not just abstract theology, but practical invitation.
What you’ll gain from it
Hope when midterms and ministry events leave you drained. The first week encourages noticing where God is already at work-even amid stress.
Peace in the midst of competing deadlines, busy schedules, and anticipatory anxiety. Week 2 invites making space for the One who offers true rest.
Joy that is deeper than relief and more constant than a “holiday high”. Week 3 shows how authentic joy grows when we align our “yes” with God’s call.
Love that translates into action-not just sentiment. Week 4 guides you to embody radical, inclusive love; love that builds community and draws others in.
Who should pick this up?
Campus ministers looking for an Advent resource tailored to the campus context: students, colleagues, staff, ministry partners.
Student leaders yearn for something reflective and grounded, not just more checklist or social.
Student ministry teams want a shared journey-with reflection prompts, action steps, and conversation starters built in.
Any student seeking a deeper encounter this Advent-someone juggling life, study, service, and faith, and longing for a path that connects them.
How to make the most of it
Use it daily, even if just for five minutes: read the Scripture, reflect, answer the Campus Connection question, try the action step, and pray.
Consider using it as a small-group resource: a weekly gathering of three or four students who read the week’s entries, share how they’re living them out, and support one another.
Link it into your campus ministry schedule: invite students at an Advent event, retreat, or gathering to commit to reading a week together.
Encourage creative adaptation: maybe students journal about the reflections, create art around them, lead a partner prayer, or host a dorm-based “light share.”
Emphasize that this isn’t something extra. It’s integrated into the everyday rhythms of campus: the classroom, the service site, the friend’s group, the chapel night.
Join us in this journey
As we prepare for Christ’s coming, let’s invite our campuses to not just survive the season-but to thrive in it. Let’s become communities of hope, peace, joy, and love. This Advent, may we all become the light on campus.
Download the devotional now, share broadly, and invite your students and ministry teams to walk this journey together.
Thanks for your leadership, and for championing resources that speak to real campus life. Let’s make this Advent one of deeper encounters-and transformational presence.