Though Christians the world over make yearly preparations for Lent, there's a conspicuous lack of good books for that other great spiritual season: Advent. All the same, this four-week period leading up to Christmas is making a comeback as growing numbers reject shopping-mall frenzy and examine the deeper meaning of the season.
Ecumenical in scope, these fifty devotions invite the reader to contemplate the great themes of Christmas and the significance that the coming of Jesus has for each of us - not only during Advent, but every day. Whether dipped into at leisure or used on a daily basis, Watch for the Light gives the phrase "holiday preparations" new depth and meaning.
Includes writings by Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, Sylvia Plath, J. B. Phillips, Friedrich Wilhelm Foerster, Henri Nouwen, Bernard of Clairvaux, Kathleen Norris, Meister Eckhart, St. Thomas Aquinas, Karl Rahner, Isaac Penington, Madeleine L'Engle, Alfred Delp, Loretta Ross-Gotta, William Stringfellow, J. Heinrich Arnold, Edith Stein, Philip Britts, Jane Kenyon, John Howard Yoder, Emmy Arnold, Karl Barth, Oscar Romero, William Willimon, Johann Christoph Arnold, Gail Godwin, Leonardo Boff, G. M. Hopkins, Evelyn Underhill, Dorothy Day, Brennan Manning, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Romano Guardini, Annie Dillard, Martin Luther, St. John Chrysostom, Giovanni Papini, Dorothee Soelle, C. S. Lewis, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Philip Yancey, J. T. Clement, Thomas Merton, Eberhard Arnold, Ernesto Cardenal, T. S. Eliot, John Donne, Gian Carlo Menotti and Jürgen Moltmann.
It's hard to go wrong with 40 essays and poems from theological writers such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dorothy Day, Madeleine L'Engle, Martin Luther, Kathleen Norris, Henri Nouwen, Philip Yancey, Karl Barth and Síren Kierkegaard. These are not frivolous, feel-good Advent readings; they are deep, sometimes jarring reflections, many with a strong orientation toward social justice... This collection, born of obvious passion and graced with superb writing, is a welcome even necessary addition to the glutted holiday bookshelves.-- Publishers Weekly
This stunning collection of some of the best spiritual writers of all time comes from Plough, the exceptionally thoughtful, high-quality publishing house founded by a simple-living community. What a delight to have seasonal readings from theological voices like Jürgen Moltmann, mystics like Bernard of Clairvaux, poets -- from Sylvia Plath to T.S. Eliot to Jane Kenyon -- contemplatives such as Henri Nouwen, and storytelling writers like the late Brennan Manning.-- Hearts and Minds Books
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt: Action in Waiting
Sylvia Plath: Black Rook in Rainy Weather
J. B. Phillips: The Dangers of Advent
Friedrich Wilhelm Foerster: Meditation
Henri Nouwen: Waiting for God
Bernard of Clairvaux: In Defense of Humility
Kathleen Norris: Annunciation
Meister Eckhart: Where God Enters
St. Thomas Aquinas / Karl Rahner: The Divine Dawning
Isaac Penington: Concerning the Light
Madeleine L'Engle: A Sky Full of Children
Alfred Delp: The Shaking Reality of Advent
Loretta Ross-Gotta: To be Virgin
William Stringfellow: The Penitential Season
J. Heinrich Arnold / Edith Stein: From the Stable to the Cross
Philip Britts: Yielding to God
Jane Kenyon: Mosaic of the Nativity
John Howard Yoder: The Original Revolution
Emmy Arnold: Christmas Joy
Karl Barth: To Believe
Óscar Romero / William Willimon: The God We Hardly Knew
Johann Christoph Arnold: Be Not Afraid
Gail Godwin: Genealogy and Grace
Leonardo Boff: The Man Who Is God
Gerard Manley Hopkins / Evelyn Underhill: The Light of the World
Dorothy Day: Room for Christ
Brennan Manning: Shipwrecked at the Stable
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Coming of Jesus in Our Midst
Romano Guardini: The Holy Mother
Annie Dillard: Bethlehem
Martin Luther: To You Christ is Born
St. John Chrysostom: The Mystery
Giovanni Papini: Ox and Ass
Dorothee Soelle: The Christmas Gospel
C. S. Lewis: The Grand Miracle
Gustavo Gutiérrez: Christ's History, and Ours
Philip Yancey: The Visited Planet
Jane Tyson Clement / Thomas Merton: The Time of No Room
Eberhard Arnold: When the Time Was Fulfilled
Søren Kierkegaard: Only a Rumor
Ernesto Cardinal: The Wise Men
T. S. Eliot: The Journey of the Magi
John Donne: The Showing Forth of Christ
Gian Carlo Menotti: Love Alone
Jürgen Moltmann: The Disarming Child
Pub Date: September 22, 2014
1.15" H x 7.66" L x 5.38" W
344 pages
hardcover