In the ancient world, fasting came before feasting. The great festival of God’s Incarnation, the Christ-Mass, was being celebrated in the Church by about 220 A.D. It was natural to the Early Church that a season of self-examination and repentance would lead up to this festival. By the fourth-century A.D., the four Sundays preceding Christmas were set aside to prepare for the Coming of Christ. They called this season “Coming,” Adventus in Latin, Advent.
Over 1600 years later, the Church still celebrates the four weeks before Christmas as a time of special focus on the spiritual life. This year, I’m offering a devotional guide for the Advent season. Inspired by Herman Melville and Eugene Peterson, I call it The Harpooner.
The Harpooner guides you through this holy season. Short Bible readings, traditional prayers, and a brief homily will help prepare you for Christ’s visitation. It’s available in ebook form as a PDF or an ePub file. It can be read on your e-reader, smartphone, computer, or tablet. The print version is available in paperback. The devotional is 25 chapters long, with an introduction, about 72 pages. You can get it here, or at Amazon.com/author/mckenzie
Thomas McKenzie is the author of The Anglican Way, a book he describes as a traveler’s guide to the Anglican tradition, as well as The Harpooner, an Advent reader featuring harpoons—how awesome is that. He graduated from the University of Texas and attended seminary at the Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. He was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1998 and planted the Church of the Redeemer in Nashville in 2004, where he is the still pastor. He’s also keeps samurai swords in his office, and wears a skull ring.
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