Honest Advent

Awakening to the Wonder of God-with-Us Then, Here, and Now

By: Scott Erickson, Morgan Harper Nichols - introduction

Narrated by: Scott Erickson, Tyra Kennedy

25 Devotional Readings for Advent and Christmas.

In a world that's difficult to make sense of, and a season that's so often overtaken by consumerism, here you'll find heart-stirring illustrations and thought-provoking meditations designed to show you the raw, powerfully sacred story of Christmas in a new light.

Has the joy of the holiday season become painfully dissonant with the hard edges of life? Do you feel weary from the way Christmas has become a polished, predictable brand? You aren't alone. For too many of us, Christmas has lost its wonder. What if we stopped treating the Christmas story as something that happened a long time ago and started believing that it's a story that's still happening today?

From celebrated artist and storyteller Scott Erickson comes Honest Advent, 25 days of illustrations and meditations that will help you rekindle the wonder of this season. Honest Advent creates a space for you to encounter the Incarnate Christ in unexpected places: like a pregnancy announcement in an era of political unrest and empirical bloodshed, the morning sickness of a Middle Eastern teenager, and the shocking biology of birth that goes far beyond the sanitized brand of Christmas as we know it today.

Within the pages of Honest Advent, Erickson teaches us the valuable lessons he's learned about:

• Finding hope and light in the darkest winters
• What it means to embrace the unexpected
• How God uses everyday vulnerability to help us understand ourselves, and our faith, better

Through powerful benedictions, prayers, and questions for honest reflection, you'll discover how the wonder of God-with-Us is still happening today: in your unexpected change of plans, your unaccomplished dreams, your overcrowded lodging, and your humble stories of new beginnings.

Praise for Honest Advent:

"Scott Erickson's beautifully crafted book helped me see God-with-Us with fresh eyes. Honest Advent is no shallow seasonal gift book; it's an invitation to explore the divine flourishes of everyday human vulnerabilities. A transformative read, regardless of the time of year."

--Jonathan Merritt, author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch

"Beautiful. Evocative. A wake-up call to the mystery of life."

--John Mark Comer, author of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

The images that highlight the theme of each devotion are available in the audiobook companion PDF download.

A thoughtful reminder of the wonder of advent

good listen from a real perspective, knowing and feeling the Christ child as God with us.

Heard about this on a podcast

This is a great book, not only for Advent, but any time. The chapters are short and the author truly conveys the humanity of Christ’s birth.

The simplicity of advent in every depiction of humanity.

I have read this book 4 times and every time I get something new out of it. I love Scott’s honest and vulnerable way of expressing how much God loved us that he sent his son Jesus Christ.

Delightful

A wonderful modern outlook on Advent that helps you reflect on the season and what it really means.

authentic, genuine, real

I am grateful to Scott Erickson for bringing me closer to Jesus through his reflection and artwork. What a powerful and inspirational way to journey through advent!