Preparing for Jesus: Meditations on the Coming of Christ, Advent, Christmas and the Kingdom
Readers love Walter Wangerin for his wonderful way of rendering biblical truths in completely new and novel ways, making those truths come alive in emotions, stories, and images. In Making Ready, Wangerin contemplates the miracle of Advent, Christmas, and God's kingdom, and once again illuminates, in richly personal detail, what those who were actually there must have seen, heard, and felt. As he considers the possibilities of each key figure-- Zechariah, Mary, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Joseph, Jesus, Simeon, and Anna--he applies their reflections to our own readiness for Christ's coming. Advent means the approach or the arrival, and through the 39 days of this season, from December 1 to Epiphany, January 6, Wangerin meditates on the preparations of those who witnessed Jesus' incarnation--a perfect pattern, he says, for our own making ready. From the first inkling of Jesus' expected arrival to Mary's birth pains and finally to the wise Kings bearing gifts, Wangerin presents a vision of Christmas, not as a once-a-year event but as an ongoing happening in people's lives. Instead of focusing on how far modern culture has strayed from the original meaning of Christmas, Wangerin concentrates on how powerful, beautiful, and life-changing this season can be for believers. Following the example of those who, in the light of the first advent, examined and repaired their lives, Christians today can in a similar way prepare for the coming of the Lord in glory.