Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent

Okoro, Enuma

ISBN 10: 0835811123 / ISBN 13: 9780835811125

Published by Upper Room Books, 2012

About this Item

The item is showing use from the previous owner but works perfectly. Signs of previous ownership which could include: tears, scuffing, notes, excessive highlighting, gift inscriptions, slight water damage, a missing dust jacket, and library markings.

Seller Inventory # 4BQGBJ0122T1

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent
• Publisher: Upper Room Books
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0835811123
• ISBN 13: 9780835811125
• Binding: paperback
• Condition: Acceptable
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

About this title

Synopsis

Usually when we think of the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, and the angel Gabriel come to mind. Okoro approaches Advent a little differently, inviting us to sit for a while with Zechariah and Elizabeth and the story of how they came to bear their only son, John.

"The Advent story we so often associate with the joy of Christmas actually begins with deep sorrow and longing. But thankfully, in the kingdom of God, there is always more to the story than meets the eye," Enuma Okoro writes.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were good people. They had maintained faith and hope in God for many years, despite Elizabeth's inability to conceive, a condition considered shameful in their time. So they were quite familiar with the universal human experiences of longing and waiting. Even though this couple's story takes up only one chapter in Luke's Gospel, it contains enough lessons about faith and life to last for weeks.

In her beautifully written, imaginative meditations for each day of Advent, Okoro looks closely at the doubts and longings of Zechariah and Elizabeth. As you explore their story, Okoro guides you to reflect on your own experiences of waiting and longing, of grief and the need for community, and of hungering for God.

These poetic and poignant meditations will linger with you long after Christmas. Reflection questions and a prayer challenge accompany each week's meditations. A perfect book for individual or group study.

About the Author

Enuma Okoro is a writer, speaker, and retreat leader. She graduated from Duke University Divinity School and served as director of the Center for Theological Writing there. She is the author of Reluctant Pilgrim: A Moody, Somewhat Self-Indulgent Introvert's Search for Spiritual Community and Silence and Other Invitations of Advent. Okoro is a coauthor, with Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, of Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America's Spirituality page and in The Christian Century.