"Advent in Plain Sight" (Jill J. Duffield)

TITLE: Advent in Plain Sight: A Devotion through Ten Objects
AUTHOR: Jill J. Duffield
PUBLISHER: Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2021, (173 pages).

The weeks leading up to Christmas are deemed the Advent season. Even though many nowadays do not celebrate Christmas in church,  thanks to commercialization and popular culture, Christmas is that special time to usher in warm fuzzy feelings of giving, togetherness, family, and love. From public malls to private offices, department stores to individual homes, Christmas decorations can be found everywhere. Whether it is a Christmas tree or a candy cane, ornaments or pretty lights, these objects remind us about the coming of a significant annual event. Popularly called the "Christmas Spirit," different people would have varying opinions about what that means. Proverbs 8:17 reminds us that "I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me." What if we could redirect our attention from things to the Lord? What if we let the things of Christmas help us focus on Jesus and the reason He came to earth? "Be intentional," says author and minister Jill Duffield. Even as the world around us concentrates on the business of buying and selling stuff, believers should not be distracted by the hyperactive end-of-the-year commerce. Instead, let the ordinary things be used as launchpads to think more of Christ and the reason for the season. Throughout history, God has used messengers, sermons, narratives, prophecies, miracles, signs, testimonies, and so on, to call us back to Him. That is because the human race can often be forgetful, ignorant, or plain rebellious. We all need reminders and this book uses ten objects to help us observe Advent and Christmas intentionally. Let the ten objects we encounter be used to direct our attention and devotion to Christ. The ten objects are:

1. Gates (First Week of Advent)
2. Tears (Second Week of Advent)
3. Belts (Third Week of Advent)
4. Trees (Fourth Week of Advent)
5. Cloth (Christmas Eve)
6. Light (Christmas)
7. Hearts (First Week of Christmas)
8. Gold (Second Week of Christmas)
9. Stars (Epiphany)
10. Water

Except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the Epiphany where the devotion covers only a day, the author allocates an entire week for each of the other objects concerned. For each Advent week, readers get to ponder on the different situations pertaining to the object concerned. Duffield helps us connect a Scripture passage with the particular object through descriptions of the biblical contexts and what it means for contemporary culture. She makes room for us to reflect on the limitations of human culture and how Christ liberates us. For instance, gates can be open or shut. What do we do when we arrive at a gate? If we want to enter the gates of righteousness, what is required of us? How do we choose which gate to enter? Tears are used to tug not only at our emotional heartstrings but also challenge us to recognize the world of the oppressed. 

Duffield gives us a good dose of realism when she critiques some common and glibly spoken words such as "Jesus is the answer to ALL your problems" or responses that tend to mix up spiritual discernment with simple decision-making. Written honestly and sometimes critically, the author invites us to consider each use of the objects with open hearts and willing minds. This calls for intentional engagement with God's prompting in our hearts to counter and challenge the worldly mindset that we sometimes accept too uncritically. For example, the world tempts us to do things on our own, but we are called to be a part of a community and to do what we can to build community instead of dozing through individualistic concerns. 

Each Sunday, readers get a heavenly overview of the object for the week before launching into contemporary concerns that the objects could elucidate. Discussion questions are provided at the end of each chapter for individual or group use. Other resources include prayers for the day as well as online digital resources available at the publisher's website. For preachers, the author has also provided diagrams, quotes, and even images that can be used as PowerPoint templates! As an Advent resource, we get a fresh way to prepare Advent messages for the year.

Jill J. Duffield is Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, and formerly served as editor ofThePresbyterian Outlook. She holds an MDiv from Union Presbyterian Seminary and a DMin from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary with a concentration in preaching. She is the author of Lent in Plain Sight: A Devotion through Ten Objects. 

Rating: 4 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.