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Advent: Hearing the Good News in the Story of Jesus' Birth

31-day December Devotional

by Nathan Brown

  • Buy 2 for $15.00 each and save 25%

Something happened. Something happened that was so significant that every year we pause and sing songs about it, share gifts with each other and re-tell the story. Something happened that changed everything. Something good. When a child is born, it’s natural for parents to be in awe—wondering who their precious baby will grow up to be. But the birth of Jesus also created a transcendent wonder that has echoed down to us through the years—wonder because of who He already was. Whether you choose to read them during the Christmas season or throughout the year, these 31 readings explore why Jesus came and offer hope that is practical, transformative and, ultimately, good news for all people.

ADVENT: Hearing the Good News in the Story of Jesus’ Birth is a premium sharing book and devotional book for the Christmas season. Share the story and hope of Jesus in your family, with your neighbours and friends, and in your community. Read it for yourself and share it as an attractive gift.

Features of this book include:

  • 31 chapters that can be used as daily devotional readings for the month of December.
  • Focus on the story of the birth of Jesus and why He matters.
  • Affirms the historical reality of the stories of Jesus.
  • Moves readers beyond Jesus’ birth to His teaching, death, resurrection and second coming.
  • Explores the nature and goodness of God, as revealed in Jesus.
  • Introduces Bible prophecy in considering Daniel 9 and Revelation 12.
  • Full-size book for gifting, 144 pages, premium paper, gold foiling on cover.
  • Includes invitations for further exploration of the story of Jesus and a dedicated web page for further links and offers.

Special Offer:

Buy 2 or more (so you can share them with others!) for a reduced $15 each!

Contents:

  • Invitation
  • 1. (Good) News
  • 2. Anticipated
  • 3. Unexpected
  • 4. Pre-existing
  • 5. Sent
  • 6. Incarnation
  • 7. Fear
  • 8. Human
  • 9. Conflict
  • 10. Kingdom
  • 11. Revolution
  • 12. Humility
  • 13. Uncertainty
  • 14. Wonder
  • 15. Generosity
  • 16. Peace
  • 17. Love
  • 18. Lowly
  • 19. Outsiders
  • 20. Christmas
  • 21. Story
  • 22. Messiah
  • 23. Saviour
  • 24. Glory
  • 25. Joy
  • 26. Horror
  • 27. Teaching
  • 28. Death
  • 29. Resurrection
  • 30. Advent
  • 31. Hope
  • Thanks 
  • Further Invitations
$19.95

Publisher: Signs Publishing

ISBN: 9781922373229

Format: Paperback

STATUS: AVAILABLE TO ORDER (item is either in stock or quickly/soon obtainable from supplier)

Pages: 144

Reviews and Endorsements

[Endorsement]
"It is not easy to bring freshness to the story of Jesus’ birth. But Nathan Brown is a storyteller and, in his hands, this magnificent story comes to life. We enter the places, notice the presence of all the characters and feel the impact of the words as the gospels record it, as if for the fi rst time. This is a beautiful collection. You will be drawn into the heart of incarnation—with all its earthiness, danger, inclusivity and glory" - Tim Costello, AO, Director of Ethical Voice, Executive Director of Micah Australia, Senior Fellow of Centre for Public Christianity
[ Review ]
I love Christmas, and opening Nathan Brown’s latest book, reading each page, is like opening a carefully wrapped Christmas present, undoing the gift card attached with ribbon and bow, folding back the bright cellophane wrapping and lifting the lid off a curious little box containing the Gift itself. The gift in this case, is, of course, the Christ.
In Advent: Hearing the Good News in the Story of Jesus’ Birth, Nathan, a former Signs editor and colleague (so I’ll call him by his first name), embroiders the warp and weave of the nativity story with personal anecdote and experience to produce what is among his best books to date. It is creative in both content and structure, it has a point to make and a clear purpose, takes us by surprise along the way, reveals something that is new, and is constant and undeviating in its advent theme. Which, repeated numerous times, is clearly this: What happened at Christmas all those 2000-and-something years ago in an insignificant town of Palestine that holds such significance for today and the future? It’s around this theme that a cast of Advent characters, a wide range of Christian concepts and some deceptively deep theology circulate.
But what’s in for me (and you)?
Well, a lot as it turns out. And especially so if, like me, you’re something of a Christmasphile (is that a thing?) and looking for something about Christmas that is a little more worthwhile than a mere summer “good read”.
Like those “12 Days of Christmas” about which we sing without any idea of their meaning, Advent is a structured on the 31 days of Christmas, an evenly paced, evenly spaced introduction to the story of Jesus’ birth, the hinge of history. Advent mimics the structure, giving a rhythmic four pages of content per chapter across the 31 days of December. It is possibly unique in this, but you needn’t take a month to read it, devoting 10 minutes a day. Rather, you might simply devour it in a single sitting for, despite its breadth and depth, it is eminently readable and, unlike your heavy Christmas dinner, it’s completely digestible in small bites, even for those with little biblical knowledge, seeking to establish what actually happened at Christmas, and why.
That is not say that Advent is a superficial read; its brevity (four pages per chapter) and overall economy (just 131 pages), contain some very deep concepts, but they’re depths that are easily plumbed given Nathan’s facility with words and ideas. The chapter titles spell what those bite-sized pieces are—the familiar Christmas themes of “Peace”, “Love” and “Lowly”; “(Good) News” and “Glory”; climaxing on Day 25 with “Joy” and ending a few chapters on with “Hope”.
Each of these ideas is gently teased out, illustrated and supported, taking in the long historical arcs of the Old and New Testament timelines, from prophecy to present, along the way dispelling the myths, discarding the fake and the fables, and highlighting the real Jesus.
Assisting Nathan is his personal experiences of his three visits to the Holy Land, acknowledging a cynical predisposition that caused him to doubt the point of such, and admitting a change of attitude that resulted from his experiences there. Having been there a couple of times myself, I understand this completely. It wasn’t so much the veracity of the sites but the stories, he says, that gave him the perspective from which he penned much of Advent, the Shepherds Field outside of Bethlehem, for example, and which adds immeasurably to one’s understanding of the advent story. It is this the wider context of the advent that he presents, along with its unlikely cast of characters, main and supporting. These include the usual Christmas pantomime personalities of King Herod, the Magi, the shepherds, prophets and priests, Joseph and Mary of course, and a cameo by her cousin Elizabeth.
And it’s to the story of what happened at Christmas that Advent returns time and again. Everyone knows that “something happened”, but exactly what is the question that Advent answers. And apparently, it’s a lot more than you (and I) thought, convincingly presented, annotated and documented by commentators, ancient and modern, biblical and beyond, among them some of Nathans’ favourite authors. One that caught me was a humorous anecdote from C S Lewis’s life, its humour I found particularly appealing, who overheard a woman on bus exclaim upon passing by a Nativity scene in front of a church: “Oh Lord’! They bring religion into everything. Look‚ they’re dragging it even into Christmas now!” It’s such ignorance that Nathan works hard to dispel.
What do we learn from Advent that’s new? That will depend on where you are in your journey of faith. And were I to tell you, then there’d be little point in your reading it for yourself. But there’s plenty.
Did Advent contain any surprises? Well, yes. I was taken by Nathan’s common touch, as he is more often a quite a serious and analytical writer, which is what I was expecting to find. It is the absence of the abstract and “cerebral” and the presence of its everyday language and concrete real-life illustrations that help make it so readable. Personally, I found it delightful, informative and interesting from beginning to end. I love the narrative in literature, moving along a timeline, with the ultimate resolution of a seemingly intractable problem by or for a person (in this case our world) at its climax and conclusion.
But will it touch your heart? Is it likely to change you, or at least how you think about Christmas? Of course. The story of Jesus’ birth and death (the latter explored in the post-Christmas chapters of Advent) cannot help but do so—if you’ll let it. After all, it is the Greatest Story ever told.
- Lee Dunstan served as editor of Signs of the Times for 25 years between 1993 to 2018. He currently heads up Christian Services for the Blind and Hearing Impaired.
[Endorsement]
“I am genuinely excited to be adding Advent to my mix of Christmas traditions, to enjoy the rich depth that Nathan Brown brings with his insights into the story, the cultural context of the time and his own travels to the places in which this beautiful story unfolds. I know so many others will embrace this book as something they want to make a part of their journey in getting to know Jesus and the story of His birth.” —Joshua Stothers, pastor, Hamilton, New Zealand
[Endorsement]
“The Christmas story feels so familiar—the stable, the manger, the shepherds, the wise men—that meaning easily gets lost as we recite each part. Advent pulls together all the well known elements we love and invites us to refocus our attention back to the heart of Christmas to rediscover the beautiful richness of this age-old story.”
—Lyndelle Peterson, Director of Personal Ministries, Australian Union Conference
[Endorsement]
“Feeling jaded, weary, unsure that you can face Christmas this year! This is a must read—a daily reading for December—but once you start, it is so inspiring, provoking, relevant and unique that you may want to read all in one sitting.” - Peter Roennfeldt
[Endorsement]
“It’s refreshing to have an ‘adult’ book about Christ, Christianity and Christmas. By that I mean without the usual sentimentality of Christmas time. This is focused on the story of Jesus and the realities of what He means. Excellent.” -Bruce Manners

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