Meditations for Advent: Preparing for Christ’s Birth

by Vassilios Papavassiliou

Publisher:

Ancient Faith

, 2013

Overview

Vassilios Papavassiliou, author of the popular Meditations for Great Lent, takes us through the hymnography, Scripture readings, and iconography for the 40 days leading up to the Nativity of Christ, showing how a full understanding of the Incarnation can enrich our spiritual lives. This wonderful devotional resource is a perfect way for anyone to spiritually prepare for the Advent season.

With the Logos edition, you can both streamline and enhance your devotional reading. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Bolster your meditations on Advent by cross-referencing and comparing with an extensive library of Orthodox resources. With Logos’ tablet and mobile apps, you can also take your study wherever you go.

Key Features

• Outline of key differences between western and eastern observations of Advent
• Introduction to the Nativity Fast as practiced in the Orthodox Church
• Brief overview of every week of the Advent season
• Scriptural meditations on Advent themes and commemorations

Contents

• A Guide to the Season of Advent
• Prepare, O Bethlehem
• The Temple of God
• We Have Found the Messiah
• Barrenness and Fertility
• Faith and Expectation
• Become Like Children
• Rod of the Root of Jesse
• The Angel of the Lord and the Mountain of God
• The Angel of Great Counsel and the Fiery Furnace
• Jonah and the Sea Beast
• From the Manger to the Grave
• Recognizing God
• The Star of Bethlehem
• The New Adam
• The Light Shines in the Darkness

Top Highlights

“It would therefore be no exaggeration to say that Advent is one great Bible study that sheds light on the meaning of the Old Testament as a preparation for the New.” (Page 11)

“Rather, it is a spiritual preparation that challenges us to change our lives as a result of this divine revelation, to ‘be doers of the word, and not hearers only’ (James 1:22). We are invited to be changed by our worship and our hearing of the word of God.” (Page 21)

“The Star of Bethlehem was no star, but a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. He testifies to the Son of God, who bears witness to the Father.” (Page 118)

“If you look carefully at almost any traditional Orthodox icon of the Nativity, you will notice that the crib in which the baby Jesus is laid is depicted as a tomb, and the swaddling clothes resemble a burial shroud. We read in the Gospel (Matt. 27:57–60) that Joseph of Arimathea takes the body of the crucified Jesus and buries it in a ‘new tomb’—a tomb in which no one had been laid before. The Church makes a comparison between the virgin womb and the virgin tomb, between the cave in which Christ is born and the grave from which He rises again.” (Pages 103–104)

“In becoming one of us, in taking on human existence in everything but sin, He subjects Himself to human tragedy, to suffering and death. Already, from the moment of His birth, we see Christ offering Himself to the reality of our own pain and mortality, with no power, no authority, no means of defense.” (Pages 127–128)

Product Details

• Title: Meditations for Advent: Preparing for Christ’s Birth
• Author: Vassilios Papavassiliou
• Publisher: Ancient Faith Publishing
• Publication Date: 2013
• Pages: 136

About Vassilios Papavassiliou

Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou is a priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. He was born in London in 1977 and holds degrees in pastoral and social theology, classics, and Byzantine music. He is the author of Meditations for Great Lent, Meditations for Advent, Thirty Steps to Heaven, and Journey to the Kingdom: An Insider’s Look at the Liturgy and Beliefs of the Eastern Orthodox Church and numerous articles on Christian Orthodox faith and theology.