Repeat the Sounding Joy: A Daily Advent Devotional on Luke 1 - 2

by Christopher Ash

In this Advent journey through Luke 1 ‚"‚€‚" 2, Christopher Ash brings these familiar passages to life with fresh insight, colour and depth.

As you soak up the Scriptures, you'll experience the joy of Christmas through the eyes of those who witnessed it first hand‚"‚€‚"from Mary and Elizabeth to the Shepherds and Simeon. This devotional will help you to celebrate afresh the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah in history, and learn what it means to wait for him with joyful expectation today.

Each day's reading includes a short reflection, a prayer, a carol, and space to journal, helping you to treasure the Lord Jesus in your heart in the hectic run-up to Christmas.

Genres: Christian, Christmas, Devotional, Nonfiction, Theology, Holiday, Christianity

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2019

About the author

Christopher Ash works for the Proclamation Trust in London as director of the Cornhill Training Course. He is also writer in residence at Tyndale House in Cambridge, and is the author of several books, including Out of the Storm: Grappling with God in the Book of Job and Teaching Romans. He is married to Carolyn and they have three sons and one daughter.

Reviews

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daily Advent study – with a passage of scripture, a 2-3 page reflection on one aspect of it, a carol/hymn and a prayer: for example day 11 is Zechariah’s song in Luke 11: 67-75, a reflection on God’s Ancient promises and how they would be fulfilled in the person of Jesus, See Amid the Winter’s Snow (“See the tender lamb appears, promised from eternal years”).

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

“God our Father, who made humankind to be your likeness upon earth, we praise you that in your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we gaze upon that likeness and shining perfection. We adore this flawless Jesus, who lived such a life of unbending devotion to you, so that he might give his life as our perfect sacrifice and Saviour. We thank you that his was indeed a perfect childhood, and a sinless life, and all for us. And we thank you in Jesus name. Amen.”

[Grace Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice devotional for advent! Good mix of scripture, reflection, song, and prayer. I wish he chose more well known hymns and that there were some discussion questions.

[Sarah McCartney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a brilliant advent devotional. It filled me with joy, opened my eyes to parts of Luke’s gospel I had never thought about before and left me longing “Come Lord Jesus!’

[Tori Samar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid Advent devotional that works each day through the first two chapters of the gospel of Luke (my favorite gospel!). My favorite consideration was that when John the Baptist leaps for joy in his mother’s womb, “we learn that the whole of the Old Testament, as it were, jumps for joy in the presence of the One to whom it has pointed, for whom it has longed for all these centuries of waiting.” As someone who has grown increasingly enamored of studying how the Old Testament points to Jesus, I love how Ash expressed this idea.

[Rohan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished one of these over the Advent season (thanks Anna!)

Loved the thoughts on Simeon and Anna as faithful waiting ones, who we learn from as we wait too.
Also the real unexpectedness of a saviour being BORN, you'd think a saviour would need to be strong, but no, this one's strength comes through weakness.

The songs too were fun, having a go singing even if you didn't know the melody!

[Jonathan Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a superb set of advent readings and devotional thoughts going through Luke 1&2.
Classic Ash: brilliant and biblical.

[Unchong Berkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, short but rich. I loved that each day’s meditation ended with a hymn and a prayer. I read it alongside my dear college girlfriends and we shared our thoughts periodically with one another over GroupMe. That was a sweet experience.

“For the Holy Spirit is the personal Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, and he puts a hopeful waiting into the hearts of the people of God.”

[Julie Biles · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treasure is this beautiful Advent devotional! Christopher Ash led us through the narrative of the Incarnation as told in the Gospel of Luke. This may be my favorite Advent devotional to date!

My second reading of this book was shared in December 2020 with a few friends using a video messaging app to create a virtual book group. Each individual contributed weekly a brief summary of what struck her about that week's reading. The spiritual insights expressed by others opened my eyes and heart to much greater depth and bredth of meaning than I was able to mine on my own. I hope to reread this devotional in 2021.

I have just completed my third reading of Repeat the Sounding Joy, in December 2021. This rich Christ-centered Advent devotion caused me, again, to daily meditate on the incarnation of God. Jesus was born a man but fully God. God with us!

2024-Fourth reading was even better than the first two!

[Rachel Winkler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good Advent devotional. Ash does an excellent job of focusing on the significance of the incarnation, its necessity for God to accomplish His purpose of redeeming His people, and the application of these truths to the Christian’s life. Without getting into technicalities and using lots of theological language, Ash brings out the truth of Christ’s two natures, His active and passive obedience, and the Trinitarian work of creation, incarnation, and redemption. I also really loved that Ash frequently pointed the reader to expectant waiting on the Lord for His second coming just as Israel waited expectantly for His first coming. The final prayer Ash writes in the book sums up the entire devotional well:

“God our Father, who made humankind to be your likeness upon earth, we praise you that in your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we have upon that likeness in shining perfection. We adore this flawless Jesus, who lived such a life of unbending devotion to you, so that he might give his life as our perfect sacrifice and Saviour. We thank you that his was indeed a perfect childhood and a sinless life, and all for us. And we thank you in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts:
• A short and straightforward one for Advent this year.
• I don't have much to say about this one, except that it was helpful to take a few minutes each day to revisit a familiar text (first two chapters of Luke's gospel) and be reminded of promise and fulfilment in the first coming of Christ.
• This year has felt incredibly tiring on many fronts. I like how this book emphasises active and expectant waiting, with the understanding that our God fulfils his promises.

"Keep waiting. Keep strengthening one another's hands in God as you wait together. Look out for the brother or sister whose faith is struggling, who wonders if they can go on waiting. Tell them they can. Pray for them, as they pray for you."

[Eelinh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this Advent devotional guide. He breaks down Luke 1-2 into 24 parts for each day of Advent. Each section is accompanied by a short but rich meditative writing, which revealed fresh insight I'd not seen or not paid a lot of attention to through my regular reading of the Christmas account.

[Linda Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

❄️❄️❄️1/2
I was lucky to read an Advent study and preparation for Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Christ. Thanks to all my sweet ladies. Merry Christmas. #advent #study #Christmas #waiting #hope #peace #love

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good devotional with good breadth but not much depth

Each year I try to read a different advent devotional. This one focused exclusively on Luke 1-2 and was a slower-paced walk through those two chapters. It was a good read, but not satisfying. I gleaned some thoughts and the author did point out a perspective that I would not have considered on a few of the selections, but otherwise, it was too shallow. I did enjoy the hymn selections at the end of each day’s reading — it was often less familiar verses of well-known Christmas songs or poems of which I was unfamiliar.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid Advent warmth from Christopher Ash. I enjoyed walking slowly through two chapters of Luke's gospel, in sequence, rather than a slightly dizzied cherrypicking across the whole Bible. Special solace: "No word from God will ever fail." - Luke 1:37

[Jennifer Bowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best Advent devotional I've ever read! Jim and I read this aloud together and it took us until mid-January to finish it, but it was totally worth it.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thankful my coworker and I read this together!

[Nicole Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this Advent Devotional!! Good length for each day, and loved taking a slow walk through the first 2 chapters of Luke. This did what an Advent Devotional should do - help you slow down and reflect on the amazing truth of Christmas amongst the chaos!!

[Rebecca Trump · Rating 4 out of 5]

Repeat the Sounding Joy by Christopher Ash is a devotional for advent. I truly enjoyed this study of Luke 1 & 2. It moved me, made me think deeper in the surroundings of Jesus’ birth and was uplifting to my soul. I truly enjoyed this study and the hymns that accompanied each daily devotion.

[Bradley Somers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a biblically sound reflection of Luke 1,2. Used it as a daily family advent read. It was written with contemporary introduction and applications, contextual exegete, ending each day with a Christmas Hymn and a prayer. The writing at sometimes had an unnatural flow for reading aloud but overall a sound guide for advent.

[Joshua Reitano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Christopher Ash's preaching, so I was excited to learn of this Advent devotional walking through Luke 1-2. The book itself is a handsome artifact, and I love the straightforward layout of the devotional. The chapters are digestible meditations of usually just a few verses. Each one closes with a carol, a prayer, and some space to journal some applications. This immediately races to the top of my Advent devotionals and I expect to use it again in future years.

From the publisher...
In this Advent journey through Luke 1 – 2, Christopher Ash brings these familiar passages to life with fresh insight, colour and depth.

As you soak up the Scriptures, you'll experience the joy of Christmas through the eyes of those who witnessed it first hand, from Mary and Elizabeth to the Shepherds and Simeon. This devotional will help you to celebrate afresh the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah in history, and learn what it means to wait for him with joyful expectation today.

Each day's reading includes a short reflection, a prayer, a carol, and space to journal, helping you to treasure the Lord Jesus in your heart in the hectic run-up to Christmas.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why I read this book: It was made available through Truth for Life, and I've been searching for a good Advent devotional.

Format: softcover

Synopsis: Repeat the Sounding Joy is a 24 day Advent devotional that takes the reader through Luke chapters 1 and 2. Each day starts with a passage from Luke, a commentary on the passage, ending with lyrics from a carol or hymn, a short prayer, and space to write out your own thoughts.

What I Thought: For many years I thought of advent as something the Catholic church did, and that it wasn’t something I should be celebrating as a Christian in the Baptist denomination. I don’t remember why or when I started researching it, but in the years since then, I’ve been searching for a theologically sound Advent devotional. This is it! The best Advent devotional I’ve ever read.

Every day, I was pointed to Jesus, the reason for His birth, the prophecies He fulfilled, and salvation through His death on the cross. The song lyrics tended to be only a verse or two, or just a chorus. Some I knew, and some I didn’t. Reading the lyrics of familiar carols without the distraction of the music was thought provoking for me. Reading pre-written prayers isn’t something I’m very comfortable with. However, I did find them useful for focusing my thoughts on what I had just read, and starting my own prayer. I didn’t use the journal, partly because I prefer to use a separate paper so I can read the book again without being distracted by whatever I wrote before, and partly because I simply didn’t have the energy to write anything out.

The Bottom Line: If you celebrate or are interested in celebrating Advent, you should give Repeat the Sounding Joy a read!

[Carolyn Litfin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this Advent devotional (on Luke 1 and 2) from The Good Book Company and Christopher Ash! It’s a great way to prepare our hearts for Christmas and is full of rich reflections and encouragements as we also await the second coming of Christ!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Advent devotional. We used this for our family this year. Nice length for nightly reflection and meditation.

[Roger Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall really enjoyed this book. Ash’s work definitely helped my affection be on the Lord. Thankful. Will read again in a few years!

[Chandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this focused devotional on Luke 1-2 during Advent. I'll plan to read this again next year!

[Stephen Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and frequently stirring Advent devotional. Ash is a top-notch pastor and theologian and writes both in a manner that the common person can understand and engage but that also is theologically stirring and deep. The exegetical working through Luke 1-2 rather than just topical is phenomenal. My favorite part was his consistent emphasis not just on the reflection of the incarnation, like many devotionals, but also consistent looking towards the return of Christ.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Advent Devotional does not begin with the first Sunday in Advent; rather, it runs from December 1-24. Based on the first two chapters of Luke, and moving in chronological order, each day's reading comprises a Scripture passage, a meditation on that passage, a hymn, and a closing prayer. While the lyrics are well matched to each day's topic, American readers will probably not recognize most of the hymns chosen by this British author.

[Glenn Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed adding this book to my devotional time during Advent - or at least the last 24 days of Advent ;-)

It contains 24 devotionals based on the first 2 chapters of Luke - and thus fit in well being used from the 1st to the 24th of December. Each devotional contains the Scripture passage, the devotional from the Author, a verse or more from a relevant Hymn, and a Prayer. I found the prayers helped me focus on what was covered :)

Highly recommended.

[Sarah Tummey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several Advent devotionals over the years and this is my favourite so far. Taking us slowly through the first 2 chapters of Luke, from 1 December to Christmas Eve, there are thoughts on topics like childlessness and rescue from enemies. I heard Christopher Ash mentioned in Christy Nockels' podcast and based on this book, I'd definitely like to read more of his writing.