c. 2000 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) It’s hard to resist the countdown to Christmas, the one that calculates the waning weeks in “shopping days left” and measures progress by items crossed off a “to do” list. We sing “Joy to the World” but grow increasingly anxious. Dec. 25 looms more as a deadline than a lifeline.

Christians trying to stay focused on the meaning within the madness may be hard-pressed to remember their faith, let alone hold it up to the light, stretch it a little and mend its thin spots in preparation for the coming of Jesus. But that is what Christians are called to do in these, the weeks before Christmas.

The season of Advent, which began Sunday (Dec. 3), is a solemn time of expectation and hope that culminates in “a coming,” or “adventus” in Latin. Many churches and families mark the progress of Advent with wreaths bearing four candles, one for each Sunday in the season, until all four burn, announcing that Christmas, the birth of Jesus, is at hand.

The Advent wreath, with its light that grows stronger as Christmas draws nearer, is meant to be an outward sign of an inner journey, a movement from darkness toward light. For centuries, Christians have taken time during Advent to make that trip, often relying on books to guide or inspire them, to make the familiar themes of Christmas new again. Here is a sampling of Advent reading available to modern sojourners who are Bethlehem-bound:

“Wonderful Counselor: A Fortnight of Christmas Meditations” by Larry Libby and Steve Halliday (WaterBrook Press). Two Oregon authors offer 14 brief chapters focused on one of the names of the Messiah mentioned in Isaiah 9:6. The resulting essays and short fiction ask and answer questions about what it means that Jesus is called “Wonderful Counselor.” The writing is straightforward, sometimes funny and always thoughtful.

“On the Way to Bethlehem” by Hilary McDowell (Upper Room Books). The author, a playwright and poet, asks the reader to imagine being a traveler on the road to Bethlehem. Six weeks’ worth of daily readings incorporate Scripture, reflection and prayer around each part of the journey, from packing the suitcase and saying goodbye to reaching the destination and turning homeward. McDowell’s traveler is beset with doubts and worries but determined to “see the real stable” and discovers that she carries with her the calm she seeks.

“Peace,” McDowell writes, “is not a serenity, a hiding place, a relief from trouble, but it is attained by those messengers of God who are willing to bring it to pass by walking barefoot across the jagged rocks of life … still to keep walking and, in Christ’s strength, see the journey through.”

“The Heart of Christmas” by Max Lucado and others (Thomas Nelson Publishers). A half-dozen well-polished sermons by six noted preachers invite readers to see the familiar themes of Christmas from fresh perspectives. John Maxwell asks, “What do you do when you follow a star and find a stable?” He looks to the magi for answers. “When wise men find a stable,” Maxwell writes, “they look for God.”

“Christmas With God” by Rebecca Barlow Jordan and others (Honor Books). This small volume is packed with more than 90 short inspirational stories, so many there’s no need to ration them to make them last through Advent. Each vignette begins with a Bible verse and introduces a character or two who share the struggle to keep Christ at the center of the season. In “Hope Is Alive,” a weary clergyman imagines a world without Jesus while in “The Twelve Days of Giving,” a mother teaches her children that toys are not the be all and end all of perfect presents.

“Christmas Abundance: A Simple Guide to Discovering the True Meaning of Christmas” by Candy Paull (Thomas Nelson Publishers). In a collection of poetry, thought-provoking quotes and short reflections, Paull suggests ways of appreciating the secular aspects of Christmas in a Christian context. She invites the reader to indulge in the sights, sounds and smells of the season without losing the golden thread of Jesus’ birth that runs through it all.

She poses a list of Advent questions that could keep a reader thinking for months to come: What new thing is being born in my life at this time? What needs to be let go? Who do I need to forgive? She responds, in part, by quoting poet Rainer Maria Rilke: “Our task is to listen to the news that is always arriving out of silence.”

“All for the Newborn Baby” by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Nicola Bayley (Candlewick Press). Don’t dismiss this quickly as a children’s book. Like the best of that genre, it rewards readers of all ages. Root draws on Christmas carols and legends from around the world to weave a simple lullaby that Mary might have sung to the baby Jesus.

The spare but touching lyrics are the only words to accompany Bayley’s lovely illustrations, which combine the vibrant color of stained-glass windows and the exquisite detail of illuminated manuscripts. These pictures truly are worth a thousand words, all the more so for the way they illuminate a season running over with easy sentiment.

DEA END HAUGHT