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Watch for the Light

Readings for Advent and Christmas

By Dorothy Day, C. S. Lewis, Oscar Romero, Philip Yancey, Eberhard Arnold, Johann Christoph Arnold, J. Heinrich Arnold, Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Alfred Delp, Søren Kierkegaard, Annie Dillard, Kathleen Norris and others

4.14 Stars on Goodreads Read Reviews

Selections from the world’s greatest spiritual writers provide inspiration for Advent and Christmas.

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About The Book

Though Christians the world over make yearly preparations for Lent, there’s a conspicuous lack of good books for that other great spiritual season: Advent. All the same, this four-week period leading up to Christmas is making a comeback as growing numbers reject shopping-mall frenzy and examine the deeper meaning of the season.

Ecumenical in scope, these fifty devotions invite the reader to contemplate the great themes of Christmas and the significance that the coming of Jesus has for each of us – not only during Advent, but every day. Whether sampled at leisure or used on a daily basis, Watch for the Light gives the phrase “holiday preparations” new depth and meaning.

Includes writings by John Donne, Meister Eckhart, Dorothy Day, T. S. Eliot, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Eberhard Arnold, G. M. Hopkins, Martin Luther, Edith Stein, Thomas Aquinas, Dorothee Soelle, Philip Yancey, and others.

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Acclaim

This stunning collection of some of the best spiritual writers of all time came out in 2001 from the exceptionally thoughtful, high-quality publishing house founded by a simple-living community. What a delight to have seasonal readings from theological voices like Jürgen Moltmann, mystics like Bernard of Clairvaux, poets — from Sylvia Plath to T.S. Eliot to Jane Kenyon — contemplatives such as Henri Nouwen, and storytelling writers like the late Brennan Manning.

Byron Borger, Hearts and Minds Books
It’s hard to go wrong with writers such as these. . . . Born of obvious passion and graced with superb writing, this collection is a welcome – even necessary – addition.

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Reader Reviews Write a Review

I love Watch for the Light and Bread and Wine...are there any others in this series...for ordinary time, for example? They are such helpful...

Amy Bruch
This devotional has guided my husband and me through Advent throughout our thirteen year marriage. It is a gem.

Caren Benson Swanson
This book used and loved for many Christmases.

Elaine L Baker
....Don't tell anyone, but I keep reading it to get me through January and February.

Rebecca Alwin
Watch for the Light was for me a wonderful approach to Advent. Each reading shed new light on familiar passages in a way that excites the mind and... Read More

Review of Watch for the Light

Watch for the Light was for me a wonderful approach to Advent. Each reading shed new light on familiar passages in a way that excites the mind and the heart and sets a specific goal for the season that transcends the world's approach. "Watch for the Light" is aptly named.

Richard Purchase

Richard Purchase
Watch for the Light is TOTALLY my favorite devotional, period, not just for Advent. My wife and I have read it every Advent since 2008 when I... Read More

Review of Watch for the Light

Watch for the Light is TOTALLY my favorite devotional, period, not just for Advent. My wife and I have read it every Advent since 2008 when I purchased it in college. I recommend it to everyone at my church where I work, and have given it away several times. It's the reason I signed up to receive Plough Quarterly!

Shane

Shane