We have some great book recommendations to read over the winter break on the birth of Christ and the themes surrounding this miraculous event. We specifically picked out books we love, as well as, those that aren’t long reads, just enough time to finish before school begins again! Here’s three books we recommend for you in no particular order :
- Hidden Christmas : The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ by Timothy Keller
Timothy Keller is a well-known theologian and Christian apologist with over twenty books under is belt (we also recommend his book The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism). In this particular book about the “profoundly moving and intellectually provocative examination of the Nativity story”. The book description is as follows :
Every Christmas displays of Baby Jesus resting in a manger decorate lawns and churchyards, and songs about shepherds and angels fill the air. Yet how many of us have examined the hard edges of this biblical story? In Hidden Christmas, Timothy Keller takes readers on an illuminating journey into the surprising background of the nativity. By understanding the message of hope and salvation within the Bible’s account of Jesus’s birth, readers will experience the redeeming power of God’s grace in a deeper and more meaningful way.”
For those a bit tired of the shallowness of Christmas in society, this book comes as a breath of fresh air as readers are drawn deeper into the meaning and implications of the Savior’s birth. We believe this book serves as an excellent start into the search for the deeper meaning of Christ’s coming, life on earth and even death and resurrection.
- Love Came Down at Christmas : Daily Readings for Advent by Sinclair B. Ferguson
If you’re looking for short daily reads, we recommend this book of devotionals by Scottish theologian, Sinclair B. Ferguson. Though we’re well within Advent season, these daily devotionals can be read and still have so much meaning in any season. With 24 devotionals each ending with thought provoking questions and touching prayers, brings to life the incarnation of love and birth of Christ. The book description is as follows :
Christmas is all about love. It’s in the music we hear and the movies we watch. It’s the reason behind our gift-giving and our get-togethers. And Christians have an even deeper, even more thrilling Christmas love to celebrate: love incarnate, Jesus Christ.
This Advent, best-selling author Sinclair Ferguson invites you to slow down amid the busyness and be refreshed by this perfect love. As you meditate phrase by phrase and day by day through one of the Scripture’s most treasured passages – 1 Corinthians 13 – you’ll see that “love is” the Lord Jesus himself, and you’ll be inspired to love like him during the Christmas season.
However you’re feeling—weary or frantic, lonely or lovesick—your heart will be refreshed as you wonder again at the truth that love came down at Christmas in the person of Jesus Christ.
- The Characters of Christmas: 10 Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus by Daniel Darling
A lighter read than the theological nature of the previously mentioned books, The Characters of Christmas gives a number of different perspectives to the very famous and well beloved story of Christ’s birth. Indeed Christ is and should be the center, however this book focuses on the surrounding cast, their importance in this event, and how they relate. With this book, you can perhaps come to imagine yourself in the shoes of Joseph or Mary or even the innkeeper and many others. Unfortunately, I can’t find my copy (hence it not being in the photo above), but I was able to find an online description from the publisher. It is as follows :
Learn Something New This Christmas
We hate to admit it, but after years, sometimes even decades, of reading the same Luke 2 story of Christmas, we get a little bored—we lose some of the awe we ought to have when discussing the greatest miracle in history. That’s why The Characters of Christmas was written, to help you take a fresh look at the Christmas story by getting to know the minor characters that played a part in Jesus’ birth, such as Zechariah and Elizabeth, the Shepherds, and Herod.
As you slow down, engage your imagination, and enter into the stories of these women and men, you’ll see the most important character—Jesus Christ—with new eyes. And with discussion questions and a Christmas song suggestion at the end of each chapter, it’s perfect for engaging your whole family.
Break free from the familiar, and discover something you never knew about the story you’ve always heard.