{"product_id":"the-anticipated-christ-a-journey-through-advent-and-christmas","title":"The Anticipated Christ: A Journey Through Advent and Christmas","description":"The Anticipated Christ is a six-week Advent and Christmas devotional that takes the reader from the first Sunday of Advent through Epiphany in a collection of daily meditations.\nIn the Christian calendar Christmas is anticipated by four weeks of waiting. This is Advent—a word derived from a Latin word meaning “arrival.” During Advent we await the arrival of the Messiah of whom the Hebrew prophets spoke. During Advent we allow the messianic poems of the Hebrew prophets to seep deeply into our soul. With Isaiah and the great company of Hebrew prophets we wait for the one who will bruise the serpent’s head. We wait for Immanuel—the one who is God with us. We wait for the ruler to arise in Bethlehem who will shepherd God’s people. We wait for the child born unto us upon whose shoulders the government will rest; we wait for the Prince of Peace in whose kingdom the lion lays down with the lamb. Advent is about waiting—a practice most of us in our secular age struggle with, but a holy practice we would be wise to cultivate.\nAnd when Christmas does arrive, it’s not a one-day celebration—the birth of Messiah is far too big an event to celebrate for a mere day. No, Christmas is a twelve-day feast during which we meditate on all the marvelous stories surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ that help us explore the meaning of the Incarnation. And after the twelve days of Christmas have run their course, we arrive at Epiphany where we celebrate and contemplate the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles, as the Magi come with their gifts to pay homage to the child born King of the Jews. This is what the six-week journey from the first Sunday in Advent to Epiphany is about. It’s a journey out of secular banality and into the sacred mystery of the Incarnation.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 096684212X\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: 31URM800DJ2M_ns\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Zahnd, Brian\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact  including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43524176085053,"sku":"31URM800DJ2M_ns","price":6.03,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/096684212X-0.jpg?v=1787866912","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/the-anticipated-christ-a-journey-through-advent-and-christmas","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}