Meditations for Advent: Preparing for Christ's Birth

by Vassilios Papavassiliou

The author of the popular Meditations for Great Lent takes us through the hymnography, scripture readings, and iconography for the forty days leading up to the Nativity of Christ, showing how a full understanding of the Incarnation can enrich our spiritual lives.

Genres: Christian, Spirituality

136 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2013

Reviews

[Melissa Swistek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and easy walkthrough of the Orthodox season of ‘advent’ - preparing for the Nativity of Christ. This book is split between the Sundays leading up to Christmas and the readings and hymns of prophesy for the coming Christ.

I particularly enjoyed the later half of the book, walking through the Old Testament references to the pre-incarnate Christ and prophesy of the virgin birth.

I found this to be more satisfactory as a companion read for someone who is currently an Orthodox Christian - rather than a satisfactory explanation of Orthodox Advent practice to the heterodox reader.

Christ is born! Glorify him!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely meditations for Advent and preparing for the Nativity. The ancient hymns of the Church and spiritual meanings of biblical readings point to the Incarnation. Advent is a picture of the Church's journey of preparation throughout all time and we are inserted into that timeline every day of our faith walk. The first Christmas becomes more than a historic event because it is here and now, real and present. "Today the Virgin gives birth and today heaven and earth have been made one."

[LeAnn Irene Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good contemplation

There were many gems I found of new information I hadn't come across before, with being a new Orthodox Convert, going through my first Orthodox Christmas. I liked the addition of readings for some feast days as well as scripture and the commentary section to set the stage for that days meditation. I have always been pleased with anything I have read by this author.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short book with explaining the Advent season for Orthodox Christians, but Christians of all stripes would probably enjoy reading. While some of the feast days that occur during Advent are present, it seemed that other information was left out, perhaps keeping the book on the short side. Really enjoyed the reflection concerning the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos.

[Twitchmatic · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great companion for Advent with context, insight and snippets from the liturgy. I was expecting more of a “sync-up” with the dates leading up to Christmas but how’s its broken down and categorized works as well.

Some great reflections!!

[Rebekah Theilen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Feast of the Nativity is a celebration of divine weakness overpowering human strength, of good conquering evil, of the light of divine knowledge dispelling the darkness of ignorance.”

[Kris A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having thoroughly enjoyed Meditations for Great Lent, I was eagerly looking forward to the second volume in Fr. Vassilios' Meditations series, and it did not disappoint. Delving into the depths of Holy Scripture and the Church's liturgical and iconographic tradition, the author takes us through the 40 day period leading up to Christmas, bringing to light the hidden gems of spiritual wisdom that characterise the often-overlooked Advent period. As I have come to expect from this author, the style is simple, to the point, but without being patronising or dumbed-down. As such, while this book analyses relevant Biblical and liturgical texts in greater detail than the first volume, it manages to do this without being heavy, convoluted or difficult to read. Highly recommended!

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

2021 UPDATE: Still a wonderful read for the Advent season. Different things stood out to me this year than the previous year, making it still a classic.

A wonderful little gem of a book! I was really able to dive deeper into Advent and the meaning of the Nativity of Jesus Christ because of this book. It’s short enough to read through multiple times during the Advent period, yet I’m sure there are different things that the reader could take away from the book each time. I will absolutely read this again!

[Mother Seraphima · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice meditation on Advent and Nativity. Fairly simple, yet beautiful with verses from the services. If you are already familiar with many of the service texts if the Nativity and the prefeast, you may not "learn anything new" but it is a great recap. If you are not familiar with these verses, then it will likely open up a new depth of understanding of the importance of Christ's Incarnation and the celebration of the Nativity.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found parts of this short book very insightful. It is one of the few Orthodox books on Advent of which I am aware.