Overview

This book takes readers through the liturgical celebration of Advent and Christmas, which stretches from the first Sunday of Adventthrough the twelve days of Christmas ending with the Epiphany. Advent is a penitential season of reflection. Christmas is the joyful celebration of the Birth of the Messiah, which looks back to Bethlehem and forward to the Second Coming of the Lord, the parousia. The author takes a broad and scripturally informed view of the subject, issuing a call to action to Christian readers: "First, we must do a fiercely honest examination of our lives-before we repent, we must know we are sinners." The book breaks down Advent and Christmas by day, with each section providing space for readers to write their reflections. This work can be used extensively by readers, shaped to their interpretations of the season. The volume's strongest feature by far is Hasselbach'sown insights into not only these liturgical seasons specifically but also the Christian faith more generally. Even readers who have little interest in performing an active Advent/Christmas devotion will still find the bulk of this work invigoratingly thought-provoking. And the volume's usefulness during the Advent and Christmas seasons is self-evident. A broad and richly reflective examination of Christianity through the lens of Advent and Christmas.