The Art of Living in Advent: 28 Days of Joyful Waiting

In her previous book, The Art of Living in Season: A Year of Reflections for Everyday Saints, author Sylvie Vanhoozer introduced a unique Advent tradition begun in the 19th century in Provence, the region in southern France where she was born and raised. Clay figurine santons—“little saints”—were set up in crèches, or manger scenes, in people’s homes in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Each santon represented a vocation practiced in that area, such as a baker, a drummer, a woman with kindling, and a flower peddler, and each carried a gift, the fruit of his or her labor, to give to the Christ Child.

In The Art of Living in Advent, Vanhoozer presents 28 reflections couched in the tradition of her childhood to help readers enter into the wonder of Christ’s incarnation, bringing to the manger all that they are and do. Vanhoozer formats her Advent parable from Provence in four-week sections—the art of joyful waiting in place, in time, in solitude, and in company. Daily reflections include Scripture, a brief meditation, invitations for readers to pause, ponder, pray, or play their part, and Vanhoozer’s exquisite botanical illustrations.

Vanhoozer’s hope and prayer for her readers is that when they have concluded reflecting on her meditations, they “will step into a world that has been not simply re-enchanted, but charged with the grandeur of God, a world in which you do not simply observe the manger scene and its characters at a distance, but see yourself as part of that same story, not a static figure but a live character. I hope you will come to see yourself as not a little but an everyday saint, embarked on a pilgrimage through spaces and times made holy thanks to the advent of Christ in you.”

In several entries, Vanhoozer shares the story of her conversion to Christ and her understanding of how Jesus met her daily in the times and places she called home. This accessible, beautifully designed book would make a worthy gift for someone who, like Vanhoozer, had many questions about Jesus, and for Christians who want to understand more fully what their faith means for their daily walk with God.

(IVP Formatio)