ANYONE who writes anything specifically for Advent is in some ways on a hiding to nothing. The declared, and laudable, intention of many of the writers under review here is to slow us down, and to make us take time to reflect on the scriptures and to try to hang on to some semblance of stillness and reflection and attentiveness in the madness that is the pre-Christmas rush. Four weeks or so really does not seem enough time to get ready prayerfully for anything, but perhaps, in their different ways, these books can help us to try.
Reflections for Daily Prayer uses one of the more obvious and, therefore, one of the best, starting points: the Daily Office. Some readers may already be familiar with this material, as it has become an annual feature. The format here is basically unchanged, happily: a rather stellar line-up of Anglican writers offers a short meditation and a prayer for each day of the year, excepting Sundays, referencing the readings appointed for Morning Prayer in Common Worship.
In addition, there are orders of service printed for a brief form of Morning Prayer and Compline, and a selection of essays on prayer and Lent. This is both a useful way into a form of daily prayer for the uninitiated and also an enriching source of material for those who already pray the Office. And it serves one of the most important functions of any prayer book: the hope is that it will help to instil habits of prayer and reflection that endure long after the book’s life has expired.
For two of these offerings we go to the United States. Rich Villodas is a pastor in Queen’s, New York, and in Waiting for Jesus offers the reader a series of 25 reflections and prayers, together with suggested scripture passages, effectively for use from 1 December. Each day is intended to give 15 minutes’ worth of material. First, a biblical reflection unpacks one of the four themes chosen by the author (waiting, peacemaking, rejoicing, and beholding). Second, there is material for reflecting more deeply on the particular theme of the day.
We move to Kansas for The Advent Tree, where Kara Edison is a Methodist minister. Her book is inspired by a family tradition from her childhood, when day-by-day images were made and added to a wall, making up a kind of thematic tapestry. Accompanying this were Bible readings and reflections. And so, in this book, which provides material all the way through Christmas to Epiphany, each day’s reflection is accompanied by an image (larger images for children to colour in may be downloaded). This might be a very good way of involving a congregation of young families: children could bring their material to a display in church, and gradually build up a colourful montage of what Advent and Christmas means.
Over the Atlantic to Northern Ireland. After many years working as a nurse, Catherine Campbell has devoted her life to writing a variety of books expressing her love of the Lord, and Journey with Me through Christmas is the latest. In this very nicely produced volume of 25 chapters, the author retells a scripture passage and follows it with pithy reflections and prayers. A very good exercise in retelling the apparently familiar.
An experienced spiritual director and broadcaster, Gemma Simmonds is a Roman Catholic theologian and religious, with ecumenical interests in the Church in Wales and the Community of St Anselm at Lambeth Palace. Donkey Roads and Camel Treks is her latest offering. There is a strong sense in this book of movement, pilgrimage, going forward to meet the Lord; and this is inspired in no small part by memories of an actual pilgrimage in the Holy Land in 2019. There is the familiar format of meditation, questions, and prayer, but, in addition, the biblical passages for each day are printed out in full, thus making the book much more valuable for those needing something more portable. Suggestions for group use are included. Full marks again to BRF for print quality: this does actually matter.
I looks forward every Lent to what the latest offering is from the York Courses. Material of substance, ecumenical content, multimedia formats and great adaptability make their material useful in many contexts. This Advent, there is a four-part course, put together by the Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines. The title of Who am I? initially provoked flashback memories of long distant sessions at theological college, of ever-increasingly pointless sessions of introspection in the name of “self-awareness”. Were we to be in for more of this? Not at all: this course is striking for the absence of that kind of thing: any discussion of the individual is always in relation to others, and in relation to the world that we inhabit in all its beauty and horror.
This course is about what is to be human in the fullest sense, what the Bible is saying about human nature, and what that means for us in the world today. Audio and visual material is available of discussions between Baines and Nick Spencer and Chine McDonald of the Christian think tank Theos, which offer a spur to group discussion. This kind of course is ideal for a pastor wanting to put on something for Advent, but pressed for time to come up with material. It’s all here.
Last, we go back many centuries with O Come Emmanuel. The shape here is given by the seven Advent “O” antiphons, 1700-year-old sentences that plead for the Lord to come in densely allusive and moving imagery. Traditionally, they were chanted before and after the Magnificat at Evening Prayer (a practice encouraged in Common Worship), and recently the texts have attracted the attention of contemporary composers.
The book here is divided into eight sections: one for each of the antiphons and the eighth for the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, which they were designed to frame. The contributing authors take a section each, and offer three brief reflections on a short scripture reading, followed by an invitation to reflect, and a prayer. Suitable for individual or group use, the book is richly illustrated throughout by original artwork from Sun Young Kim.
Helpful suggestions offer ways for the reader to use the antiphons further. Perhaps the best way would be to use them in Evening Prayer, their original context. And perhaps that would be an opportunity to think about using Evening Prayer more regularly. And perhaps that could be done along with Morning Prayer (the subject of the first volume under review here). And perhaps that would help in some tiny way to rebuild the spiritual substance of a Church that sorely needs it.
The Revd Peter McGeary is the Vicar of St Mary’s, Cable Street, in east London.
Reflections for Daily Prayer: Advent 2025 to Christ the King 2026
Rosalind Brown, Joanna Collicutt, Isabelle Hamley and others
Church House Publishing £17.99
(978-1-78140-496-6)
Church Times Bookshop £16.19
Waiting for Jesus: An Advent invitation to prayer and renewal
Rich Villodas
Ebury Publishing £12.99
(978-1-84604-903-3)
Church Times Bookshop £11.69
The Advent Tree: Meeting Jesus in God’s big story
Kara Eidson
Westminster John Knox £15
(978-0-664-26931-9)
Church Times Bookshop £12
Journey With Me Through Christmas: An Advent devotional
Catherine Campbell
IVP £12.99
(978-1-78974-584-9)
Church Times Bookshop £11.69
Donkey Roads and Camel Treks
Gemma Simmonds
BRF £9.99
(978-1-80039-347-9)
Church Times Bookshop £7.99
Who Am I? An ecumenical course in four sessions
Nick Baines
York Courses/SPCK £14.99
(978-1-915843-54-8)
Church Times Bookshop £13.49
*For digital editions and group member packs, visit: spckpublishing.co.uk
O Come Emmanuel: Reflections on the Advent antiphons
David Hoyle, Jane Williams, Philip North and others
Church House Publishing £9.99
(978-1-78140-519-2)
Church Times Bookshop £8.99
