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A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance
One of America’s most trusted theologians offers spiritual inspiration for every week of the year
A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance offers an essay for every week in the seasons of the Christian year: From Advent and Christmas to Lent and Easter through the entire calendar.
Other than its major holidays, many people are not familiar with the rhythms of the church year, an ancient spiritual cycle of time. Yet all religions have such calendars ― and they shape our understanding of faith. In the West, we live in tension with the secular calendar (mostly an inheritance from the Roman Empire) and the Christian liturgical calendar, a cycle of sacred stories that compose a larger narrative of love, hospitality, mercy, justice, and gratitude. Bass reclaims and presents fresh perspectives for every biblical text in the church year; from musing on A Wrinkle in Time in Advent, to remembering her father’s old-fashioned blue Christmas decorations, and offering a revolutionary reading of the Last Supper.
With fresh insights on familiar stories, these essays surprise and inspire, challenge and comfort, and will be savored year after year. Beautifully designed, the book is also a perfect gift.
A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance offers an essay for every week in the seasons of the Christian year: From Advent and Christmas to Lent and Easter through the entire calendar.
Other than its major holidays, many people are not familiar with the rhythms of the church year, an ancient spiritual cycle of time. Yet all religions have such calendars ― and they shape our understanding of faith. In the West, we live in tension with the secular calendar (mostly an inheritance from the Roman Empire) and the Christian liturgical calendar, a cycle of sacred stories that compose a larger narrative of love, hospitality, mercy, justice, and gratitude. Bass reclaims and presents fresh perspectives for every biblical text in the church year; from musing on A Wrinkle in Time in Advent, to remembering her father’s old-fashioned blue Christmas decorations, and offering a revolutionary reading of the Last Supper.
With fresh insights on familiar stories, these essays surprise and inspire, challenge and comfort, and will be savored year after year. Beautifully designed, the book is also a perfect gift.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published November 4, 2025
224 people are currently reading
3841 people want to read
About the author
Diana Butler Bass
33 books252 followersDiana Butler Bass is an author, speaker, and independent scholar specializing in American religion and culture. She holds a PhD in religious studies from Duke University and is the author of seven books, including the bestselling Christianity for the Rest of Us, released by HarperOne in 2006. It was named as one of the best religion books of the year by Publishers Weekly and Christian Century, won the Book of the Year Award from the Academy of Parish Clergy, and was featured in a cover story in USA Today. Her much-anticipated next book, A People's History of Christianity, will be released in March 2009 from HarperOne. She is currently Senior Fellow at the Cathedral College of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Bass regularly consults with religious organizations, leads conferences for religious leaders, and teaches and preaches in a variety of venues.
Bass blogs at Progressive Revival on Beliefnet and Sojourners' God's Politics. She regularly comments on religion, politics, and culture in the media including USA Today, Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, CNN, FOX, PBS, and NPR. From 1995 to 2000, she wrote a weekly column on American religion for the New York Times syndicate. She has written widely in the religious press, including Sojourners, Christian Century, Clergy Journal, and Congregations.
From 2002 to 2006, she was the Project Director of a national Lilly Endowment funded study of mainline Protestant vitality—a project featured in Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. Bass also serves on the board of directors of the Beatitudes Society.
She has taught at Westmont College, the University of California at Santa Barbara, Macalester College, Rhodes College, and the Virginia Theological Seminary. She has taught church history, American religious history, history of Christian thought, religion and politics, and congregational studies.
Bass and her husband, Richard, live with their family in Alexandria, Virginia. She is a member of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in downtown Washington, D.C.
Bass blogs at Progressive Revival on Beliefnet and Sojourners' God's Politics. She regularly comments on religion, politics, and culture in the media including USA Today, Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, CNN, FOX, PBS, and NPR. From 1995 to 2000, she wrote a weekly column on American religion for the New York Times syndicate. She has written widely in the religious press, including Sojourners, Christian Century, Clergy Journal, and Congregations.
From 2002 to 2006, she was the Project Director of a national Lilly Endowment funded study of mainline Protestant vitality—a project featured in Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. Bass also serves on the board of directors of the Beatitudes Society.
She has taught at Westmont College, the University of California at Santa Barbara, Macalester College, Rhodes College, and the Virginia Theological Seminary. She has taught church history, American religious history, history of Christian thought, religion and politics, and congregational studies.
Bass and her husband, Richard, live with their family in Alexandria, Virginia. She is a member of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in downtown Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 21, 2025
This book guides you through weekly meditations aligned with the Christian calendar. While I hadn't previously given much thought to the ebbs and flows of Advent, Lent, Easter, and other seasons, Diana Butler Bass is precisely the author to lead one through the calendar year in such a reflective, thoughtful way. This book caused me to pause, assess, and ponder. It's meant to be read over and over, and I'd bet readers will come away with a different experience each time. Diana's writing is both accessible and deeply rooted in spirituality and scripture. Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy. Fans of Diana's other works will find this new book an ideal addition to their collection.
November 4, 2025
A Beautiful Year is a Beautiful book,
I've read many of Diana Butler Bass' books, as well subscribing to her sub stack and have listened to her on many podcasts. I've always enjoyed her insight and perspective on Church History, not only regarding past events but also current events.
Over the years I have read many devotionals and have found that many of them are somewhat lacking, at least in my experience. I was just speaking with a friend of mine this week, regarding the dearth of devotionals that speak to my particular reconstructed, progressive faith. In doing so, I did mention Diana Butler Bass' soon to be released book, A Beautiful Year as one that has truly left me fulfilled. This book is certainly to be book that will be read year after year.
What makes this book both unique and, dare I say, Beautiful is that it is based on the Church Seasonal/Liturgical Cycle. As someone who grew up in a mainline denomination I am of course very familiar with the liturgical cycle I found this very informative and frankly, a breath of fresh air.
One of the many reasons i enjoy Diana Butler Bass' books is she also inserts personal stories into her writings. Also another due to it being a soon to be released book it also addresses the current state of Christianity in America and current events.
This is a book that I did not know that I needed until I read it. A Beautiful Year fills a need and a void in my devotional reading and perhaps it will for you as will.
Do yourself a favor and pick this up when it's available.
I received an ARC through net galley
I've read many of Diana Butler Bass' books, as well subscribing to her sub stack and have listened to her on many podcasts. I've always enjoyed her insight and perspective on Church History, not only regarding past events but also current events.
Over the years I have read many devotionals and have found that many of them are somewhat lacking, at least in my experience. I was just speaking with a friend of mine this week, regarding the dearth of devotionals that speak to my particular reconstructed, progressive faith. In doing so, I did mention Diana Butler Bass' soon to be released book, A Beautiful Year as one that has truly left me fulfilled. This book is certainly to be book that will be read year after year.
What makes this book both unique and, dare I say, Beautiful is that it is based on the Church Seasonal/Liturgical Cycle. As someone who grew up in a mainline denomination I am of course very familiar with the liturgical cycle I found this very informative and frankly, a breath of fresh air.
One of the many reasons i enjoy Diana Butler Bass' books is she also inserts personal stories into her writings. Also another due to it being a soon to be released book it also addresses the current state of Christianity in America and current events.
This is a book that I did not know that I needed until I read it. A Beautiful Year fills a need and a void in my devotional reading and perhaps it will for you as will.
Do yourself a favor and pick this up when it's available.
I received an ARC through net galley
November 12, 2025
On the surface, this is a simple book of 52 meditations that track the Christian liturgical year. It’s much more than that, though.
I’d previously read two of Butler Bass’ books, A People’s History of Christianity, and Freeing Jesus. Readers of either of those (and, I suspect, of many of her other books) will recognize the themes that emerge here.
I enjoyed all the mediations. Initially I read them mostly for their devotional value, and they are brilliant in that regard. One thing that keeps me coming back to read Butler Bass is her persistence in looking beneath the familiar Sunday school lessons to find fresh insights and interpretations. She finds what Toni Morrison referred to as the “holes” in the story. Sometimes she finds a surprising turn that upends my understanding and keeps me pondering long after I’ve put the book down. Even when her reading and mine coincide, she has a way of digging out an “Aha!” nugget that brings something I’ve already seen into focus in a new way.
This is much more than a devotional book. It begins with a short meditation on the nature of time: since time as a human construct the ways that a human society constructs its understanding of time shapes the humans within it. I began at the beginning, and read through Christmas, but as I proceeded, I could see more and more clearly the relationship between that “before the beginning” mediation and the arc of the book. The story of God is not linear; neither is the Christian liturgical year. Since I was reading the book in mid- to late October, which is smack in the middle of Ordinary Time—that long period between Pentecost and Advent, whose Sunday lectionary readings are filled with some of the most familiar passages from Jesus’ years of ministry, and often seem as dull and sunburnt from overexposure as the summer listeners in the pews—I decided to skip forward to the Ordinary Time passages and read the sections for the season I was experiencing, then circle back and read the Epiphany-Lent-Easter seasons. That was eye-opening for me.
What began to emerge for me was an extended meditation on the very nature of Christian faith. Put together, the discrete stories comprise episodes in that longer and layered story of God in the world in a way that subtly but explicitly rejects the tenets of white Christian nationalism that is rampant in contemporary American religion. White Christian nationalism centers power and rage. The story that emerges here centers something quite different. It’s not that the Bible stories Butler Bass includes are free of struggles for power, or of rage, envy, fear, and exclusion. It’s not that horrendous things—things powered by these evils—do not happen in that world, or that they don’t happen today in our world. They do, and Butler Bass references some of the terrible things going on around us. But at the center of this narrative is an experience of being seen, of inclusion, of love, and generosity. In Butler Bass’ telling these stories together and separately testify to the sacredness and communality of human experience in time.
This is a book that will reward a straight-through reading as well as a dipping in and out, in addition to its prima facie use as a guidebook through an entire year. In fact, I recommend a reader do all three! It would also be a good book to discuss in a book group, or with a group of friends.
While it’s a book that will have particular significance to its Christian readers, it also will appeal to many people outside that faith. Essentially, it’s a book for people who are curious: curious about a Christian understanding of time, curious about how stories shape people; curious about what a non-nationalist Christianity looks like. It’s a book to turn to in an increasingly dystopian situation such as the America in which Butler Bass wrote, and I am reading the book, an America that is in a great struggle between authoritarianism and democracy. If you read nothing else in the book, read her introduction and the section on Christ the King.
I hear that the print edition has illustrations, and some lovely features in its page layout. These are not things that come with a digital ARC, but they are things that add to the enjoyment of a good book.
My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for a digital ARC.
November 29, 2025
Beautiful reflections on the Christian liturgical year. I appreciate Diana Butler Bass' approach to what can be a difficult subject for many. Is Christianity still relevant? What does the church year add to our lives in the 21st century? Many of us crave rhythms and rituals. We dabble in astrology or explore the wheel of the year. We create practices and traditions which meet our needs. Bass suggests the ancient rhythms of the church year (and newer adaptations) are available to use. People have found solace, inspiration, and challenge in the pattern, perhaps today's readers will find it valuable as well. Bass writes as a companion, pointing out interesting sights along the way without being heavy-handed. The reader feels accompanied, not bludgeoned. Thank you to the author and her narration for guiding me through the year with compassion and insight. Although I received this as an audioARC, I have already purchased 6 physical copies for myself and friends. Thanks as well to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley.
December 12, 2025
As a new year begins, whether a liturgical year or the secular calendar (they don't begin and end at the same point in a year), many Christians decide to dive deeper into their faith. They may look for some kind of devotional. It might be a daily devotional or something that's specific to a season, like Advent or Lent. Others may want something that they can turn to once a week, to help stimulate their spiritual sensitivity. There are many such books available. In fact, new ones come out nearly every year. They range from very conservative to very liberal. For those who are looking for something that will guide them through the year, offering wisdom that speaks from a more progressive Christian perspective will be grateful that Diana Butler Bass has chosen to publish "A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance."
Diana Butler Bass has been writing for the past two decades or more about the intersection of faith and contemporary life, bringing her training as a church historian together with great writing skills to speak words of wisdom for contemporary Christians. I have read and reviewed most of her books and have known her as a friend for nearly twenty years. So, I know her heart and the journey she has taken from her roots in Methodism, which gave way to a period of her life spent within evangelicalism, which led to disillusionment and a rediscovery of her Mainline roots. As I've read her books and spent time in conversation with her, I've resonated with her story because it parallels my own. So, even when I find myself in disagreement with something she has said or written, I have a sense of where what she writes emerges from. Thus, I appreciate her willingness to explore and speak to the concerns on the hearts of many inside and outside the church.
Her latest book, which comes from a new publisher, is a bit different from her previous books. A Beautiful Year takes the form of a year-long devotional/book of meditations (fifty-two in all) that is organized according to the Revised Common Lectionary. Being Episcopalian, she knows the rhythms that the lectionary provides as one moves through the liturgical year, beginning with Advent and moving through Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Although there are sufficient meditations to engage with for a full fifty-two weeks, there is not a one-to-one correspondence between meditations and seasons. For example, she offers seven meditations for Advent, including one for Christmas Eve. As for the season of Pentecost/Ordinary Time, which covers nearly half the year, there are only nineteen meditations. The advice given is use as you would like, moving around the meditations as they suit you.
The meditations themselves are drawn from her Substack blog (is it a blog?) The Cottage, which many subscribe to. Each of the reflections picks up on insights that have come to her at a particular moment. She spends time in theological reflection and speaks to important concerns of the day. The subtitle is helpful in that it speaks of meditations on "Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance." Knowing Diana, that last word is important. The life of faith, as many, including Diana, have lived, requires a willingness to persevere and endure. As a public theologian, she has faced considerable pushback, and yet she stays in the fray. That has produced wisdom that is deeply rooted in her faith. Yes, she is progressive/liberal, but deeply rooted in her Christian faith, which allows her to entertain ideas that some might shy away from.
In her conclusion, having walked through the liturgical year, picking up on its various messages, addressing difficult texts and topics, she concludes that "Christianity isn't linear time. Rather, time wends through rituals and readings to be experienced all over again." (p. 314). It is true, the Sunday after Christ the King Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent, and everything starts over. While the calendar doesn't change, she acknowledges that we change as time passes. Thus, "some years, the stories speak with urgency; other years, they may bore with their repetition." So, we may experience things familiar and then be surprised as we encounter something new. Thus, she writes that "The Christian year isn't a line. It isn't a circle. It is a spiral of spiritual wisdom from Jesus through the millennia to us" (p. 315). As we work through A Beautiful Year, we gain the benefit of the wisdom that Diana Butler Bass accumulated during her years of walking through the liturgical year.
Diana Butler Bass has been writing for the past two decades or more about the intersection of faith and contemporary life, bringing her training as a church historian together with great writing skills to speak words of wisdom for contemporary Christians. I have read and reviewed most of her books and have known her as a friend for nearly twenty years. So, I know her heart and the journey she has taken from her roots in Methodism, which gave way to a period of her life spent within evangelicalism, which led to disillusionment and a rediscovery of her Mainline roots. As I've read her books and spent time in conversation with her, I've resonated with her story because it parallels my own. So, even when I find myself in disagreement with something she has said or written, I have a sense of where what she writes emerges from. Thus, I appreciate her willingness to explore and speak to the concerns on the hearts of many inside and outside the church.
Her latest book, which comes from a new publisher, is a bit different from her previous books. A Beautiful Year takes the form of a year-long devotional/book of meditations (fifty-two in all) that is organized according to the Revised Common Lectionary. Being Episcopalian, she knows the rhythms that the lectionary provides as one moves through the liturgical year, beginning with Advent and moving through Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Although there are sufficient meditations to engage with for a full fifty-two weeks, there is not a one-to-one correspondence between meditations and seasons. For example, she offers seven meditations for Advent, including one for Christmas Eve. As for the season of Pentecost/Ordinary Time, which covers nearly half the year, there are only nineteen meditations. The advice given is use as you would like, moving around the meditations as they suit you.
The meditations themselves are drawn from her Substack blog (is it a blog?) The Cottage, which many subscribe to. Each of the reflections picks up on insights that have come to her at a particular moment. She spends time in theological reflection and speaks to important concerns of the day. The subtitle is helpful in that it speaks of meditations on "Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance." Knowing Diana, that last word is important. The life of faith, as many, including Diana, have lived, requires a willingness to persevere and endure. As a public theologian, she has faced considerable pushback, and yet she stays in the fray. That has produced wisdom that is deeply rooted in her faith. Yes, she is progressive/liberal, but deeply rooted in her Christian faith, which allows her to entertain ideas that some might shy away from.
In her conclusion, having walked through the liturgical year, picking up on its various messages, addressing difficult texts and topics, she concludes that "Christianity isn't linear time. Rather, time wends through rituals and readings to be experienced all over again." (p. 314). It is true, the Sunday after Christ the King Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent, and everything starts over. While the calendar doesn't change, she acknowledges that we change as time passes. Thus, "some years, the stories speak with urgency; other years, they may bore with their repetition." So, we may experience things familiar and then be surprised as we encounter something new. Thus, she writes that "The Christian year isn't a line. It isn't a circle. It is a spiral of spiritual wisdom from Jesus through the millennia to us" (p. 315). As we work through A Beautiful Year, we gain the benefit of the wisdom that Diana Butler Bass accumulated during her years of walking through the liturgical year.
November 5, 2025
A Beautiful Year by Diana Butler Bass
52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance
#1 New Release
in Spiritual Growth Self-Help
One of America’s most trusted theologians offers spiritual inspiration for every week of the year
A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance offers an essay for every week in the seasons of the Christian year: From Advent and Christmas to Lent and Easter through the entire calendar.
Other than its major holidays, many people are not familiar with the rhythms of the church year, an ancient spiritual cycle of time. Yet all religions have such calendars — and they shape our understanding of faith. In the West, we live in tension with the secular calendar (mostly an inheritance from the Roman Empire) and the Christian liturgical calendar, a cycle of sacred stories that compose a larger narrative of love, hospitality, mercy, justice, and gratitude. Bass reclaims and presents fresh perspectives for every biblical text in the church year; from musing on A Wrinkle in Time in Advent, to remembering her father’s old-fashioned blue Christmas decorations, and offering a revolutionary reading of the Last Supper.
With fresh insights on familiar stories, these essays surprise and inspire, challenge and comfort, and will be savored year after year. Beautifully designed, the book is also a perfect gift.
Good information.
I recommend this book.
A Beautiful Year by Diana Butler Bass is a 4 -star book.
I am looking forward to reading more books Diana Butler Bass.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions shared here in this review are my own.
52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance
#1 New Release
in Spiritual Growth Self-Help
One of America’s most trusted theologians offers spiritual inspiration for every week of the year
A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance offers an essay for every week in the seasons of the Christian year: From Advent and Christmas to Lent and Easter through the entire calendar.
Other than its major holidays, many people are not familiar with the rhythms of the church year, an ancient spiritual cycle of time. Yet all religions have such calendars — and they shape our understanding of faith. In the West, we live in tension with the secular calendar (mostly an inheritance from the Roman Empire) and the Christian liturgical calendar, a cycle of sacred stories that compose a larger narrative of love, hospitality, mercy, justice, and gratitude. Bass reclaims and presents fresh perspectives for every biblical text in the church year; from musing on A Wrinkle in Time in Advent, to remembering her father’s old-fashioned blue Christmas decorations, and offering a revolutionary reading of the Last Supper.
With fresh insights on familiar stories, these essays surprise and inspire, challenge and comfort, and will be savored year after year. Beautifully designed, the book is also a perfect gift.
Good information.
I recommend this book.
A Beautiful Year by Diana Butler Bass is a 4 -star book.
I am looking forward to reading more books Diana Butler Bass.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions shared here in this review are my own.
October 18, 2025
This book is a good fit for those who wonder about the Christian story, whether they’ve never heard the progressive version before or are seeking inspiration for staying on the path of resilience. It’s not about a prosperity gospel, it’s not about a strongman (or men), it’s not about a threat of eternal damnation. Bass is a progressive theologian respected by academics, church leaders, and readers engaged in spiritual journeys. From the publisher’s description “ . . . a cycle of sacred stories that compose a larger narrative of love, hospitality, mercy, justice, and gratitude.” I was hooked in the first chapter, which quotes from Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time. The introduction says you can read this series of reflections based on the liturgical year in 52 weekly segments, or read the entire book all it once. I’m planning to use the former method and have not read the complete book. I’m confident I’ve read enough pages to justify the 5 star rating. In mainline Christian churches, the liturgical year begins with Advent, the 4th Sunday before Christmas. It ends when the Christmas season starts on December 25. Reading it all at once will work, too. The themes are timely for today’s world, however you read it. Thanks to #Netgalley and #St. Martin’s Essentials for the free ARC ebook in exchange for this objective review.
November 3, 2025
This book really is beautiful—like that one friend who’s always put-together, even when they’re “just running to Target.” Bass delivers 52 gentle meditations on faith and the Christian year, which means you can technically read one per week and feel spiritually accomplished without actually finishing a 400-page theology tome. (Small victories!)
The reflections themselves are thoughtful, kind, and sometimes surprisingly poetic. I especially loved the parts where Bass connects everyday life to ancient traditions—there’s something very grounding about realizing Advent isn’t just for candle hoarders. It’s clear she knows her stuff and writes with sincerity.
That said, it’s a lot of calm wisdom. Like, soothingly slow-burn calm. If you’re expecting a fast-paced devotional thrill ride (or at least a little chaos between Lent and Easter), you might find yourself wishing for a plot twist involving a rogue disciple.
In short: A Beautiful Year is like a warm cup of tea for your soul—but maybe not your caffeine fix. Lovely, reflective, and perfect for dipping into weekly… preferably while pretending you totally follow the liturgical calendar.
Recommended for: contemplative readers, quiet Sunday mornings, and anyone who enjoys feeling peaceful and mildly guilty for not knowing which week of Epiphany we’re in.
Many thanks to St. Martin's Essentials for this review copy!
The reflections themselves are thoughtful, kind, and sometimes surprisingly poetic. I especially loved the parts where Bass connects everyday life to ancient traditions—there’s something very grounding about realizing Advent isn’t just for candle hoarders. It’s clear she knows her stuff and writes with sincerity.
That said, it’s a lot of calm wisdom. Like, soothingly slow-burn calm. If you’re expecting a fast-paced devotional thrill ride (or at least a little chaos between Lent and Easter), you might find yourself wishing for a plot twist involving a rogue disciple.
In short: A Beautiful Year is like a warm cup of tea for your soul—but maybe not your caffeine fix. Lovely, reflective, and perfect for dipping into weekly… preferably while pretending you totally follow the liturgical calendar.
Recommended for: contemplative readers, quiet Sunday mornings, and anyone who enjoys feeling peaceful and mildly guilty for not knowing which week of Epiphany we’re in.
Many thanks to St. Martin's Essentials for this review copy!
November 6, 2025
If you read her book Gratitude, or really any of her other books, you will have an inkling of what to expect from Diana Butler Bass in this volume of meditations. She explains her choice of subject matter for this book as a longing to follow not our Roman calendar of marching days, but a faith calendar exploring what Jesus can mean if we take a different, a more open stance toward the story that we learned growing up.
This book is really aimed at my generation, I believe. I am seventy-six. I was born into a world where churches were being built and Sunday Schools were packed with children. I and my entire cohort have a hard time understanding why young people are no longer streaming through our front doors, looking for the things our parents were looking for.
Change frightens us. But change is not a bad thing, it’s just different. In this volume of 52 meditations, Butler-Bass is inviting us to really explore some of our sacred texts, and to see them with new eyes. She is asking us to open ourselves to God’s “what if”.
There are 52, corresponding to the number of weeks in a year, but they are not assigned to dates, or even months. Read them in any order you want. But leave behind your assumptions. Let Diana’s new eyes be your new eyes. You may find you or self with a new and stronger faith when you’re done.
This book is really aimed at my generation, I believe. I am seventy-six. I was born into a world where churches were being built and Sunday Schools were packed with children. I and my entire cohort have a hard time understanding why young people are no longer streaming through our front doors, looking for the things our parents were looking for.
Change frightens us. But change is not a bad thing, it’s just different. In this volume of 52 meditations, Butler-Bass is inviting us to really explore some of our sacred texts, and to see them with new eyes. She is asking us to open ourselves to God’s “what if”.
There are 52, corresponding to the number of weeks in a year, but they are not assigned to dates, or even months. Read them in any order you want. But leave behind your assumptions. Let Diana’s new eyes be your new eyes. You may find you or self with a new and stronger faith when you’re done.
November 3, 2025
A Beautiful Year; a new twist on the devotional format. Diana Butler Bass structured this 52 week set of “meditations” on the liturgical calendar. She begins with a history of the calendar itself, as well as mentions of what is happening, currently. Quotes from literature interspersed, Diana opens the door for us to question and ponder how current events (especially in the United States) parallel to those in history, ie. Now vs. Constantine’s Christianized Rome. The introduction expands into her “why” of using the liturgical calendar, and an explanation of her flavor of Christianity.
The rest of the book tells stories of the Bible, personal stories, and historical stories. In this way, she weaves the new in with the old, bridging the connection, and highlighting how the concepts and words of the ancient Christian text are applicable throughout the centuries.
I’ll listen to this again, and maybe again. I was able to listen to this book on a faster speed, but my brain enjoys fast prose. The author herself narrates the audiobook, with beautiful inflection and pacing that is accessible to listeners of all backgrounds. Special thanks to MacMillan audio and NetGalley for this Advanced Listening Copy.
The rest of the book tells stories of the Bible, personal stories, and historical stories. In this way, she weaves the new in with the old, bridging the connection, and highlighting how the concepts and words of the ancient Christian text are applicable throughout the centuries.
I’ll listen to this again, and maybe again. I was able to listen to this book on a faster speed, but my brain enjoys fast prose. The author herself narrates the audiobook, with beautiful inflection and pacing that is accessible to listeners of all backgrounds. Special thanks to MacMillan audio and NetGalley for this Advanced Listening Copy.
September 18, 2025
I am a huge fan of Diana Butler Bass and find her works to be enlightening and challenging at the same time. This devotional is a gem that succeeds in doing both. As a retired pastor, I had a love hate relationship with the lectionary. The lectionary is a three year cycle of texts, that will take a congregation through the major themes of the bible in a Christian year. My struggle has always been in what they neglect.
Butler Bass has put together 52 weekly meditations following the lectionary and the Christian Year. We begin in Advent, followed by Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost or ordinary time. She does not limit her meditations to the number of weeks in each section, but instead seems to want to make us grapple with some of the main stories and themes of these seasons.
I found the meditations delightful, and I look forward to reading them again during the seasons of the church that they were intended.
Thanks to Diana Butler Bass, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinions.
Butler Bass has put together 52 weekly meditations following the lectionary and the Christian Year. We begin in Advent, followed by Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost or ordinary time. She does not limit her meditations to the number of weeks in each section, but instead seems to want to make us grapple with some of the main stories and themes of these seasons.
I found the meditations delightful, and I look forward to reading them again during the seasons of the church that they were intended.
Thanks to Diana Butler Bass, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinions.
October 25, 2025
Growing up as a Catholic I feel like I had a pretty good handle on the seasons of the church year, but this book taught me a few things that were new to me. I once heard someone say “you should go back and read your favorite books multiple times in your life, because even though the book won’t change, you and your perspective on life will”. In the conclusion of this book Diana stated that beautifully “the stories will take you to a new place…. You change and the stories just might change you.” I enjoyed her take on the church seasons, literature, and current events. And I definitely think this is a book to be slowly read and re-read, because as you change your view of scripture might too. I read this book all in one sitting, but this is the type of book that definitely will feel more meaningful if you read one chapter a week and line it up with the church year. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.
November 25, 2025
A Beautiful Year by Diana Butler Bass, is a wonderful devotional book based upon the liturgical calendar of worship. The book is structured in a 52 week format to coincide with the seasons of the liturgy, starting with Advent and moving ahead. The historical interpretations in this book, as well as depth of research done in writing this book, is astounding. I learned a great deal about the liturgies and the history behind churches who follow this format. The author also correlates various historical events, as well as current day events to parallel those in history and see why the use of a liturgical calendar has such depth and meaning. The author intersperses personal stories within her devotional format, bringing a comforting touch to the reader. I highly recommend this book to all.
Thank you for NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Thank you for NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
September 12, 2025
Diana Butler Bass has developed a strong reputation in the world of mainline Protestantism as a church historian, researcher, and commentator. This newest book contains 52 short chapters, one for each week of the year. Each chapter is a reflection on a scripture passage; the book follows the church year and includes historical information about the ways that Christians have celebrated the liturgical cycle. If one is looking for an inspirational devotional, this book might miss the mark -- but if one is looking for new ways to understand scripture, there's much to be mined here. I found her insights relevant, her quotations useful and her writing fresh. This would be a great resource for ministers and chaplains.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
November 9, 2025
I have long admired Diana Butler Bass and her writing and preaching so I was excited to get a pre-publication copy of A Beautiful Year. As a former Catholic I was used to the liturgical seasons and I enjoy the perspective that Bass brings to the rhythms of the year. This book is meant to be experienced in pieces and I will do so throughout the year but for purposes of this review I read ahead a bit. Bass does not disappoint and I am eager to walk my way through this devotional in the upcoming year.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 3, 2025
"Without a story, we are lost.Are we lost in time? What time is it anyway?"
This is a book of 52 meditations- one for each week of the ( liturgical) year where author Diana Butler Bass updates and discusses things that matter in relation to the Biblical passage presented as well as how it can affect us at the present moment.
I sped through it to be able to write this review but I plan on using it as a meditation each week of 2026 and perhaps every year. Bass' work anchors my bookshelf and I go back to her work over and over even retired to be inspired. I highly recommend this book and would give it 10 stars if I could. One of my best of 2025. 5/5
This is a book of 52 meditations- one for each week of the ( liturgical) year where author Diana Butler Bass updates and discusses things that matter in relation to the Biblical passage presented as well as how it can affect us at the present moment.
I sped through it to be able to write this review but I plan on using it as a meditation each week of 2026 and perhaps every year. Bass' work anchors my bookshelf and I go back to her work over and over even retired to be inspired. I highly recommend this book and would give it 10 stars if I could. One of my best of 2025. 5/5
November 14, 2025
Diana Butler Bass brings life to the rhythms of the Christian life with 52 essays that correspond to the protestant liturgical calendar. As a newly minted United Methodist, I knew very little about the church calendar, but Bass makes it so accessible to ordinary folks. Her theological background gives great depth to the essays, and a lifetime of experience and loving people makes each word a treasure. I'm going to go through it again week by week during 2026. I know it will be a beautiful resource and an anchor for the coming year!
November 5, 2025
*Won this in a Goodreads Giveaway*
This was a really good read. I’ve been struggling with my faith for a while, which is why I entered the giveaway in the first place. This book helped me in many ways, even though I’m still finding my footing. I’ll definitely be rereading it soon.
This was a really good read. I’ve been struggling with my faith for a while, which is why I entered the giveaway in the first place. This book helped me in many ways, even though I’m still finding my footing. I’ll definitely be rereading it soon.
December 24, 2025
Read it fast on Kindle, listened on audible, bought the hardcover
I needed a beautiful year. Rural work took me far from any liturgically filling church. Butler Bass fills that space when I don't want to drive 3 hours round trip.
I needed a beautiful year. Rural work took me far from any liturgically filling church. Butler Bass fills that space when I don't want to drive 3 hours round trip.
October 23, 2025
A good book about the biblical text throughout the year.
Currently reading
November 10, 2025I’ve been reading Butler Bass on Substack for about a year and love her weekly Sunday musings. They’re based on the church’s liturgical calendar and acknowledge our American political chaos. I’m looking forward to reading this through 2026 and welcome friends who want to join me on the journey.
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