"Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent"

TITLE: Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent
AUTHOR: Enuma Okoro
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Upper Room Books, 2012, (128 pages).

The Advent comes from the Latin word 'Adventus,' which means 'coming,' or 'arriving.' It is a month-long expectation of the remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ, the new born King. For many Christians, it is also the mark of a new liturgical year. Thus, technically, we can call the first Sunday of December as the New Year's Day for Christians.

Here in this book, the biblical characters of Zechariah and Elizabeth are revisited in the first two weeks. This is followed by Elizabeth, Mary, and John in Week 3, ending with a summary of community involvement in Week 4. 

What this book aims to accomplish is to help readers appreciate the way God has surprised the unexpected, silenced the faithless, and slowly but gradually turn despair to hope, barrenness to conception, doubt to trust, longing to belonging.  Arranged in daily readings, each day comprises a short title to hold one's thought, followed by a Bible passage. A short reflection is then read, followed by a call to prayer. At the end of each Advent week, there is a "Personal Reflection" to help readers pause and examine themselves about their own spiritual longings and positions. This seventh day contains more scripture passages and a "prayerful challenge" for readers to actively engage themselves with. There are also guides for small groups, as well as other Advent readings for congregational activities. 

Easy to use and pleasant to read, this book of Advent readings can be readily picked up and used by leaders in any Advent setting. This is a good book for the season.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Upper Room Books and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.