Customer Reviews

Preparing for Jesus: Meditations on the Coming of Christ, Advent, Christmas and the Kingdom

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I enjoyed using this little book during this past Advent and Christmas. Walter Wangerin Jr. has used his wonderful gift writing to give us a series of daily meditations that are a great help in focusing the mind, heart and imagination of the reader on the deepest significance of Christmas. We follow the events of the first Christmas from with scripture accompanied by short writings, poetry and prayer. Wangerin's writing varies between dramatization, exposition and application of the Christmas story to our lives. If you relax and let the author and the Holy Spirit have their way, the book will help you break through the confusion and frenzied cultural activity that often accompany Advent and touch the deeper meaning of the season. It doesn't drop you after Christmas Day but carries you through the 12 days of Christmas, gently releasing you at the beginning of Epiphany. It will leave you feeling like you've been there: at the Manger and help you go and live out the significance of Christ's coming to us in your own life.

I highly recommend this book, I thought it was even more effective than Wangerin's similar--and also very good--book for Lent and Easter, "Reliving the Passion".

This book contains a few pages of Scripture-based meditation for each of the 25 days before Christmas ("Advent") plus similar meditations for each of the traditional "12 Days of Christmas" after Christmas. You will learn more than you expected, and it will be relevant to the true meaning of Christmas. The book is small, and somehow bridges scholarly research and deep thought with relatively easy reading. Easily scaled down for family reading, it's an exceptional idea for a lasting family Christmas tradition. Highly recommended.

What a great book. If you read Wangerin's Easter book (Reliving the Passion) it is very similar in style and process. Suggested that you read a chapter daily during Advent. The chapters are SHORT and even I could muster the self discipline to read one a day, easily done during a cup of coffee in the morning or tv commercial in the evening. Be careful if you read this book. By the time Christmas comes you'll be so pumped about the birth of Jesus that every other gift you receive or give will seem like a disappointment. Excellent.

This little book by Walter Wanegrin is a series of meditations on the coming of Christ, Advent, Christmas and the Kingdom. The entries are divided up by a Scripture reference, Wanegrin's writing, and then a prayer at the end of the section.

Overall, I thought the book was interesting in its approach. For some characters in the Scriptures, Wanegrin's seems to want to get into their head, for others he looks historically at what it might have looked like in Jesus' time. What caught me by surprise in reading was the particular way Wanegrin drew us into the story of Jesus and let us see some details that we might have missed before. For instance, "But here in a child comes God, the light! And light in darkness is a frightening thing" (60). He earlier mentions our condition as (we should be that walking dead) and yet we dwell with God and with his Son. Wanegrin tenderly draws us to the profound truths of the gospel story in a way that is both unique and surprising.

There is a beautiful section of writing in one part of this book on the shepherds. Wanergrin goes onto write that "...we run to the Son of God, who knows each of our names, and who will call us by our names, and whose very call will empower us to follow. From sorrow we run to joy. From hatreds we run to love. From antagonims we run to peace. From sickness we run to the healer" (134-135). The section here is a window into what the shepherds diligent searching for the little baby Jesus might take us to. Each year we are confronted with a list of tasks and responsibilites too big to handle, and yet as Wanegrin indicates, we are called to come run to the Savior. There is rich sense of wonder here at the grace and mercy of Jesus. Wanegrin confronts both the fear of men and the shallow longings we run after when the feast of plenty is before us in Christ.

Overall, this book was a good book on getting into the seasonsal year of the church, but more importantly taking a closer look at the faith that matters. How? Wanegrin runs the terrain by getting into the story of the Bible, God's story and allowing us to see the beauty of the Savior. The devotional aspect of this book is very good in seeing how the pieces of the story fit into the pieces of the Christian life. Although this devotional is not heavy on the theology and history of the story of Jesus, we did get a profound sense of the mystery and grace of God in the arrival of his Son.

Thanks to Zondervan for providing this review copy.

About halfway through Advent and I realize how disappointed I am with this. Not to say it isn't good or that is filled with heresy, it just doesn't offer much in the way of new perspectives. If your faith is very tradition-bound,then you will enjoy this book. If you believe that God is constantly engaging in revelation, then look elsewhere for a fresh take on Advent.

I liked the way Wangerin used different perspectives in his meditations on the coming of Christ. The dialogues between the key characters added a personal touch that was easy to relate to.

Wangerin is very knowledgeable and tells wonderful stories when appropriate so I don't want to miss a day of reading.

I cannot believe the number of previews I get for the kindle that are utterly inadequate. Amazon is failing big time on this.
For this book I get the Preface! And it is not the first time, but one of many.

I was really enjoying this little book. It approaches the Christmas story from a slightly different point of view. You really get involved with the various people who are key to the nativity drama. BUT...then came page 129 when our illustrious author announces that Jesus was born on Christmas EVE!!!????? What's that all about???? Since Christmas is the birthday of Jesus how could He have been born on the Eve of his birthday? After a very detailed, graphic description of what the birth of the Christ Child could have been like, after Joseph places the baby in Mary's waiting arms, we read:

"It is Christmas Eve. Jesus is among us now. OH, how right and quite is everything in all the world, for the gift has been given. Oh, how peaceful are we. Then he breaks into a chorus of "Silent night, Holy night." Then he moves on to Christmas Day and the angels announcement to the shepherds heralding the Savior's birth.

Somehow, placing Jesus' birth on the EVE of His birth, is in my mind no small error. Especially since this book is all about the Advent (coming) of Christ. You'd think the author would at least know when he was born. My 3-year old granddaughter knows when Jesus was born. CHRISTMAS is Jesus birthday. Whether it was in the wee hours of the morning or the dark hours before midnight, it was still the day we call Christmas...though probably not Dec. 25.

I'm really surprised those who reviewed this book didn't mention this.