you came
a tiny
vulnerable
baby
lungs screaming for
life,
fingers grasping for
something to hold on to,
your whole being
completely depending on
us (!) to
feed you
change you
clothe you
protect you
love you
and we were
gobsmacked.
For several years now, pastor/poet Thom Shuman has written daily devotions for Advent, sending them out through his popular blogs and books.
In this collection of readings for the four weeks of Advent, Thom introduces us to, among others, ‘Dusty the Church Dog’, Mr Pete the ‘Drum man’, and to his son, Teddy, and wife, Bonnie.
In this collection Mary, the mother of Jesus, goes for a contemplative skate on a frozen pond where ‘praises piggyback until her soul topples over’, and John the Baptist tries to explain his purpose to a very perplexed Senator and chairman of the board. These are personal and universal, imaginative and biblically rooted reflections.
‘Reading one of Thom’s books is like walking and talking with a friend. Someone who understands the fragility and failings of being human (and himself) but who continues to laugh, and to hope and work for the coming of the Light. I can’t think of a better companion to journey through Advent with.’
– Neil Paynter
Thom Shuman is the author of The Jesse Tree: Daily Readings for Advent (Wild Goose Publications) and is a contributor to many Wild Goose anthologies. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and is an Associate member of the Iona Community. His website ‘Occasional Sightings of the Gospel’ (‘quirky, sometimes irreverent, hopefully relevant reflections on where God is working in the world and in our lives’) is much-visited by readers all around the world.
Click on the link below to have a look inside the book.
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