Behold a Great Light: A Daily Devotional for the Nativity Fast through Theophany

by Stephen De Young, Basil Ross Aden, Elissa Bjeletich Davis

The forty days of fasting before Christmas are meant to prepare us for the Feast of the Nativity, but the busyness of the secular celebration can interfere with our best efforts to center our hearts on Christ. Behold a Great Light is a daily devotional designed to help readers contemplate the mysteries of the Incarnation from the beginning of the Nativity fast on November 15 through Christmas and Theophany, ending with the Synaxis of St. John the Baptist on January 7. Popular Ancient Faith authors, bloggers, and podcasters bring their own unique perspectives to these meditations, which are paired with selections from the Scriptures and the hymns of the Church.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Christian, Christmas

Kindle Edition

Published August 29, 2023

Reviews

[Debbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Advent devotionals I've read in a very long time. Some of the entries brought me to tears and almost all of them were thoughtfully written. Even though this devotional will go through to Theophany I wanted to write my review for 2023. Beside, I've not had nearly enough time to read it as I did before Christmas

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This new collection of Advent meditations is destined to be a classic. Using the hymns of the church, each short reading addresses an aspect of the day - the saints, the readings, and the hymns. Definitely one that I will use again and again.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behold a Great Light is the perfect companion to help you to grow in your prayer life, understanding of the scriptures, and knowledge of the church while preparing for the Nativity of Christ. This daily devotional contains scripture verses and reflections that explore church history, the lives of the saints, and traditions that all culminate in the Incarnation of Christ. Using this book as a guide, it will only take a few minutes each day to focus on the coming of Christ. I enjoyed the differences in thought and reflection between the eight different authors. During the busyness of the Nativity Fast, this daily devotional will help you to focus on Christ and His Church while enriching the awe and joy of the season.

[Dannelle Kouf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it. I'll use it again next year. It begins 40 days before Christmas and goes through theophany which is about 2 weeks after christmas

[Arjaye-Rose Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful advent devotional which I enjoyed reading and learning more from. I loved the readings each day with hymns, scriptures etc. A book I will read every advent and look forward to reading in the years to come with my children as they get older too. I loved focusing on this throughout advent and focusing on Christ.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the newest devotional from Ancient Faith Press, 8 Orthodox authors have written seven short meditations that can be read on each of the days from the Nativity fast through Theophany. The book opens with writings from Fr. Stephen Freeman, and is closed with another Father Stephen, De Young.

The authors give their reflections on both the spiritual importance and the calendar correlation for this season of Orthodox worship. A sampling of my favorite meditations include: December 8th “Turning Eastward” by author Brandi Willis Schreiber. Her imagery pulls the reader inwards creating space to immerse in the season. I also very much enjoyed the December 17 reflection called “Wonders Unfolding” by host and author Elissa Bjeletich Davis. It hits home as a busy parent who while often full of wonder, gets distracted with the pulls of anger or resentment. I think the authors have been well paired with the topics, for instance Laura S Jansson, Nov 28, writes about St Elizabeth and pregnancy (she is a doula and childbirth educator). Dr. Nicole Roccas writes about despair, suffering, also grief and pain (Sunday after the Nativity, Dec 28, Dec. 30), a topic she has written about in her other publications.

Chapters are short enough to read in about 15 minutes. Each meditation begins with a scriptural quote and concludes with a relevant hymnal text (from vespers, matins, and troparion/kontakion of feast days) relating to the date or topic. Some chapters focus on a specific Saint (St John the Forerunner, St Elizabeth, and St Spyridon are examples) and other chapters focus on feast days (Protomartyr Stephen, The Holy Innocents, Circumcision of Christ) or scripture (Luke 1:38, Ezekiel 44:1-3, and Isaiah 9:5-6) that relates to the coming of Christ.

What I like about the format of this Nativity devotional is that I can easily read a chapter or two after my kids have gone to bed. I also like the reminder of both scripture and hymns that relate to each of the meditations. Some of them are more familiar than others, and those that aren’t have certainly been helpful in reminding myself of the importance of this season.

[Charlie Stayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behold the Great Light is a wonderful daily devotional to help us prepare for our Lords Nativity. The book is a collections of Contemplations brought together by some of the names that any Ancient Faith Publishing fan would be familiar with. Authors like Fr. Basil Aden, Fr. Stephen De Young, Fr. Stephen Freemen, Brandi Willis Schreiber and many others this devotional is truly a gift. Each Author takes a week through the Nativity Fast to Theophany. Each Chapter has a Scripture quote, a reflection from the author, and a hymn our prayer. The book is an easy read, yet has some deep reflections. Most chapters take less than 10 minutes to read. It was a joy to review this book and it will be one of my daily readings from now on during this Fast of our church. I highly recommend this book for all Orthodox Christians and anyone who has a need for spiritual fulfillment during this period of our Liturgical calendar. Do not fail to add this one to your shelf of Orthodox readings.

[Ryan Rench · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an Orthodox devotional that starts Nov. 15. I was curious and picked it up with several other Nativity devotionals, and I have always been a fan of intentional piety. I wouldn't fault that part of it just because it's Orthodox. In fact, I wish we Baptists would approach our worship with more intention and depth.
This book includes non-canonical writings that seem to be revered almost as deeply as Scripture, but for the days that cover the Canon, it basically reads like a standard Bible study devotional. Other days include veneration for the Icons, a too-high exaltation of the Virgin Mary, and a lot of elevation of the Saints. Certainly this is wholly Orthodox, but in my first in-depth look at some of what the common person might be reading, it was an interesting window into their teachings.
I also liked how it continued past Dec. 25. All told, I try to learn from everywhere I can, and I'm all for deeper thinking among Baptists.

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation of readings for advent was hit and miss for me. I’m glad there were several contributors because I didn’t connect with the style of some of them. Not being Orthodox, there were some new-to-me stories, hymns, and interpretations. I found it very intriguing, and the length of the entries was perfect. I’ll probably pick this up again next year.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic devotional. I actually finished it early. I found myself just absorbing these lessons. I loved all the different voices and perspectives. I think this is something I’ll read every year!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! Interesting perspectives on the Nativity fast and twelve-ish days following the Nativity of Christ. I liked the changing authors. Will read again.

[Navel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent daily devotional taking the Orthodox Christian from the Nativity fast through Theophany.

Each reflection by a clergyman or layman opens with a relevant passage from Holy Scripture and closes with text from a related hymn from one of the Church's services.

Some of the layman reflections meander. This would have been a better book with reflections solely from clergy or saints.

[Maria Parvulescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a nice devotional for this season. Readings were short which made them easy to keep up with. I’m not a huge fan of having several authors though as the whole thing changed tone abruptly with each change in author (each one wrote about a week’s worth then it would switch to the next author) and I definitely enjoyed the writings of some authors much more than others.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of scriptures, stories, and songs of the services for the Nativity Fast through Theophany (Epiphany). I looked forward to each day's devotion to inspire, teach, and guide my journey to the Christ Child's birth. Excellent variety of contributing Orthodox priests, writers, and Orthodox thinkers.

[Twitchmatic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I was looking for in a daily devotional during the Nativity Fast. Eight different authors each take a week. Each day is 1.5-2 pages, has a title / theme / scripture / reflection / liturgy quote.

Easy to absorb, lots to reflect, accessible, insightful and perfect :)

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic Orthodox devotional. The insights and reflections by the different authors was so helpful during the Nativity Fast. Highly recommended!

[Caroline Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect fasting companion with insight from several wonderful authors- really helped to remind me of the reason for the gaffât each day when I read the ascribed passage.