Daily Readings for Advent
Thursday 13 December 2018 by Ad Taylor-Weekes
Normally, you’d expect a book review to be written by somebody who has actually finished reading the book! But this book has been so helpful this far, that even if the rest of it is rubbish (which I doubt) it would be worth writing about. Also, it’s particularly written for this time of year (Advent) and I can’t wait a whole year to share it with you!
When Love Came Down is, essentially, a reflection on 1 Corinthians 13 v1-13: Paul’s famous chapter to the Corinthian church on the subject of love. In each of the twenty-four chapters of his book, Sinclair Ferguson takes a phrase from these verses for each day of Advent and writes a reflection on it.
Ultimately, we are shown how Jesus Christ is the personification of that given aspect of love and how, at Christmas, we see that love came down. At the end of each chapter is a question or two for personal reflection, followed by a prayer.
It is a very challenging book that causes us to slow down and reflect on some of the issues which are often heightened at this time of year. Here’s an excerpt from the chapter on the phrase, “Love does not envy”:
“Of course, Christmas can present a whole new set of reasons to be envious. Perhaps this time of year brings into sharp focus the families at church who are better off than yours; or the friend’s husband who buys more thoughtful gifts than yours does; or the colleagues who can afford yet another skiing holiday over New Year…
…But there is a cure, and it’s found in the love of God in Christ – as Germanus of Constantinople wrote in his carol:
A great and mighty wonder,
A full and holy cure!
The virgin bears the Infant
With virgin-honour pure.
Repeat the song again!
“To God on high be glory,
And peace on earth to men!”
