There remains a constant need for new perspectives on the liturgical church seasons in order to keep them spiritually fresh and to bring them to life in new ways. This book will enable Christian readers to experience a new depth in their faith journey as they celebrate the season of Advent.

This is a short book of spiritual meditations for the Advent season on the four “Middle Eastern” songs sung around the birth of Jesus: canticles that play an important role in the liturgical worship of the church over the centuries. These canticles include: the Song of Mary (Magnificat), Song of Zechariah (Benedictus), Song of the Angels (Gloria), and Song of Simeon (Nunc Dimittis). The devotions emphasize the Middle Eastern cultural elements of these songs.

Paul-Gordon Chandler is rector of the Church of St. John the Baptist/Maadi, an international Englishspeaking Episcopal/Anglican church in southern Cairo, Egypt. Previously he served as the president/ CEO of Partners International, an international ecumenical Christian non-profit that helps indigenous Christian NGOs in over 70 countries in the Two-Thirds World. He has also served as CEO of the International Bible Society and as director of SPCK. For more details visit the author at www.paulgordonchandler.com

 

“An Episcopal priest who was raised in Senegal offers meditations on four songs that center on Jesus’ birth: the Magnificat, Benedictus, Gloria, and Nunc Dimittis. Each reflection places the canticle in its historical Middle Eastern context, then considers its implications for our own lives. Liturgical artist Daniel Bonnell’s contributions beautifully illustrate the heart of each song.” — The Living Church

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“Incarnation is about something local and particular.  It is not a general principle about how God acts, but an affirmation that God has acted in a specific time and place – that God has spoken a particular language, met particular people, eaten particular food.  This very moving little book brings home that particularity, reminding us about the actual realities of the Middle East at the time of Jesus – and then shows how that once-and-for-all incarnation opens up new insights not only about God’s involvement with the Middle East now, but about God’s involvement with us all as we try to make the gift of Jesus real for ourselves and our human neighbors today.” — Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury