Advent is a season of waiting, but it is not passive waiting. Rather, it is an active waiting. Watching. Hoping. Advent is a creative season, in which we anticipate the birthing of God's presence in the world and commit ourselves to be midwives of God's presence into the world.
We hope you will consider reading along with us as we dive into The First Advent in Palestine: Reversals, Resistance, and the Ongoing Complexity of Hope. There will be occasional gatherings to discuss the book throughout the season.
From the back cover: When we picture the first Advent, we see Mary and Joseph huddled by a manger. We picture Gabriel, magi, and shepherds tending their flocks. A shining star against a midnight sky. But this harmonized version has lifted the Advent story out of its context--those who experienced the first Advent had to travel through great darkness to reach the hope that shining star announced. Trusted scholar and community organizer Kelley Nikondeha takes us back, to where the landscape of Palestine is once again the geographic, socioeconomic, and political backdrop for the Advent story.