Cosmic Christmas

by Max Lucado

Was the birth of Jesus a quietly profound event? Or could it have included heavenly battles, angel armies, and a scheming Satan? Come along as Lucado takes us on a journey into his imagination-pulling back the curtain as we see what might have taken place on Cosmic Christmas .

Genres: Christmas, Christian, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Religion, Fiction, Fantasy

111 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 1997

About the author

With more than 150 million products in print and several NYT bestsellers, Max Lucado is America's bestselling inspirational author. He serves the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Denalyn, and their mischievous mutt, Andy. His most recent book published in August 2024 and is titled What Happens Next.

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Reviews

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and it is a MUST READ every Christmas! It is a beautiful re-telling of what happened Christmas Eve!! One of Max Lucado's best!

[Auntie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story by Max Lucado! It came out every Christmas and finally, I sat down and read it in one sitting. The message of the book is that in addition to events happening down here on earth during the birth of Christ (and following) there were also events happening in heaven. Max speculated on the actions of angels and demons as God's will unfolded. It was one more way to meditate on the reason for this amazing season of celebration.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on the birth of Christ. I never thought about it from a Heavenly perspective before. I should have thought of the possibility that Satan wouldn't want Jesus born and would try and stop the birth. It also gives insight into Gabriel's role from the annunciation to guard duty. An interesting read that gives food for thought. Happy reading!

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written from the perspective of Gabriel the angel, Cosmic Christmas, brings the story of Christmas (the greatest story ever told...because it's a true story) alive in a completely different way.

[Heather Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I shared this with my 13 year old this Christmas and we both loved it. I really appreciated reading the fictionalized flip side of the Christmas story from the perspective of angels and demons. It particularly brought Ephesians 6:12 to life illustrating the battle going on beyond our vision. We get so wrapped up in our human nature that it’s good to remember just how wide the world really is.

[Trevor Dailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically a reread, but I never logged this before.

Fascinating read and listen which takes at look at the supernatural happenings leading up to the nativity scene.

First time listening to the audiobook. A quick listen, but that's part of its charm. Worth your time.

Read via Hoopla.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great simple read with a whole new perspective on what took place on Christmas.

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely my favorite Christmas book of all time!

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Max Lucado but this one was not my favorite. Don’t get me wrong - it was interesting, but I just did not find the same take-aways that I usually do. This was definitely a different take on the Christmas story. Here we are told the Christmas story from the viewpoint of Gabriel the Archangel. This gives the angels perspective on the familiar narrative. There is a battle between God and Lucifer, much of it unseen from the earthly view. An interesting way of looking at the Christmas story.

[Jackson Vines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christian fiction written from the perspective of Gabriel. Some truths + some imaginative takes on the unseen realm’s involvement in the Christmas miracle. Super short read for Christmas morning, not gonna blow you away or disappoint you.

[Malia Saldaña · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so interesting. I was captivated the whole time. I would highly recommend this book.

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was in a book box passing through here, and it was a quick enough read that I could read it AND send it on its way within the weekend, so I did. An interesting take on the story of the nativity, told from Gabriel's point of view. I enjoyed it for what it was, and would be willing to explore other titles by this author if they crossed my path.

[Kahlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting Christmas read! It was nice, short and the audiobook adaptation was great! The music and difference voices really brought it to life and told the Christmas story in a different and very engaging way!

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow! That was an amazing book! I will forever look at the Christmas story differently. Through the eyes of the angel Gabriel, Max Lucado spins a speculative tale of what could have occurred in the spiritual world at the time of Jesus's birth. Cosmic Christmas was a quick read and a wonderful story! I'd happily read it again and again and again! :D

You can read my full review here: https://stargazersforhim.wordpress.co...

[Kim Lusardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry Max Lucado fans! I'm not one for religious writing, although this is alright. I wouldn't recommend it to many people though.. Although I don't like this book, I do like his children's books.

[Penelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY RATING GUIDE: 5 Stars. A thought provoking read at Christmas filled with hope and What Ifs?
1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= This was okay/cute; 3.5= I enjoyed it; 4= I liked it a lot; 5= THIS WAS GREAT; IT INVITED ME TO STOP AND THINK! (I seldom give 5 Stars).

COSMIC CHRISTMAS by Max Lucado considers the events which may have occurred in the heavens as God prepared and activated His plan for salvation for the people of earth.

COSMIC CHRISTMAS suggests the possible conversation between God and Satan in the heavenly throne room. It suggests the confrontations between Satan and Gods angels, which may have occurred, as the latter journeyed from heaven to earth to complete their mission for God on the Eve of the very 1st Christmas, two thousand years ago. The final pages of COSMIC CHRISTMAS clearly states which portions of the story are supposition (fiction) and which are supported by scripture pertaining to the birth of Christ.

I found COSMIC CHRISTMAS a very thought provoking read, especially during this time of the year. COSMIC CHRISTMAS lead me to ponder the amazing grace of the Creator, the extent and services of His angels, the fallen state of Satan and his eventual eternal destiny, the battles that are waging daily in a dimension humans cannot see, and all the details that had to mesh successfully for the 1st Christmas to succeed - Mary’s miraculous conception of Christ, the 1st step in God’s plan for the salvation of humankind. COSMIC CHRISTMAS is a fascinating and very quick read, one that encourages pondering anew certain aspects of the scriptures.

[Brianna Justice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was uncomfortable with this book. It’s a retelling of the Christmas story in Luke through the Angel, Gabriel’s perspective. There is a lot of fictional things about what was happening in the heavenly realm. The author addresses the fictional versus biblical things at the end. He does acknowledge that the important things are from scripture.
It bothers me, however, to mingle such fiction about the angels and God the Father and putting words in His mouth.
There is also a part where Gabriel says that Mary is “pure”. I’m unsure if he means in a different way but that bothers me as no one has a completely pure heart. None is righteous, no not one.
I give it a 2 for the parts of truth that were in the book.

[Jenny Leiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read but a bit strange. This is about what it might have been like from a heavenly perspective when Jesus was born. I had expected more of a celebration, but this took the perspective that the angels didn’t know what was going on. I came away with some good reminders, such as “even something good can be bad if it distracts and prevents us from doing what God has called us to do” and “we don’t always understand God’s plan but He calls us to obedience anyway.” Not direct quotes; just my take on it.

[Cal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super epic! Lots of action and full of meaning.

Loved that the author inserted verses into the speech of God and other heavenly beings (+ Lucifer too) which really brought the credibility and made it much more believable.

The story of Jesus’ birth was wild to start with, now picture angels fighting demonic forces around Mary and Joseph who are on a wagon, oblivious, traveling to Bethlehem :P

It’s a great story for families to enjoy together! My brother and I listened to it in the kitchen and we were very entertained.

[Ragan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how to organize my thoughts on this one because I love Max Lucado's writings, but this one didn't jive with me. I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt and say that part of the reason was that I listened to it, and the audio was sooooo cheesy that it was distracting. I love the idea of a book about the spiritual warfare of Christmas, but to me, it wasn't enough, and there were so many details that weren't accurate historically. E.g., even if they knew the concept of "laryngitis" in that day, they would not have used that term!

[Betty Strohecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a truly interesting look at the birth of Jesus. It begins in the heavenly throne room with God giving Gabriel the message to take to Mary, while Satan appears to taunt God for wanting to save humanity. Gabriel knows that Lucifer will try to keep him from his mission.

Max Lucado is an excellent inspirational writer who explains his reasoning behind this work, giving scriptural references as well as his inclusion of fiction.

[Rose Of Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. I was a bit concerned in the beginning of the book as the story felt like a cheap fanfiction of Bible characters but o my, by the end this little book made me cry tears thankfulness to God.

My christian walk has been quite difficult lately and yesterday I prayed that God help me with my lack of humility. This book reminded me that God humbled Himself to live with us and died a horrible death to save us.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book quite a few years ago, but when my Mom suggested another read at Christmas, I thought it would be perfect to help get my book count up! 😁
It is a short book about the mission of Gabriel to tell Mary of her pregnancy and to protect her throughout her pregnancy from the unseen evils who do not wish for Jesus to be born! It is an interesting perspective on the story of Christmas and what could have been happening on the parts of angels and demons as the birth drew near.

[Sonya Demaree · Rating 4 out of 5]

My preacher did a Christmas sermon series with this book in mind, and I’ve been meaning to read it ever since. It’s a quick read and a good one, I’ll have to bring it out again at Christmastime. From what I’ve read, Lucado isn’t one to use fancy words or complicated stories, but he conveys what he wants to convey and lets God do the rest of the work. You get out of it what you want to get out of it. Thank the Lord for His wonderful plan and victory over death!

[Angie Shoemaker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. But it just didn’t captivate me. Maybe it was too much speculation? Or maybe reading This Present Darkness when I was a teenager burned me out permanently on reading fanciful tales of angels and demons fighting? Whatever it was, I found myself too critical as I read it to enjoy the tale as it was written.

[Larry Bunting · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional little book and story! A story told by Gabriel, an archangel of God. It was hard to put this book down. This book is worth reading at Christmas or any other time of year. In the heavenly realm of all things, who can say that there may be truths in this book that we are just not aware of.

[Kim]

This book goes along with Revelation 12, the battle going on in Heaven when Jesus was born. Lucado uses part imagination mixed with truth to bring about the story of Jesus birth. This is not a long read at all, but one I highly recomment to read during the month of December. So many truths to think about from the willingness of Mary, to the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We started reading this in our Sunday School Class during Advent but I decided I didn’t want to wait and ordered my own copy. I enjoyed this version and it will be an Advent staple for me every year.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Christmas book. The reality of what Satan would do to prevent Christ from being born. A really great and probably as close to realistic as a human can imagine about the cosmic, phenomenal powers of our God. Short read and a perfect read for the holidays.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this every few years. Usually out loud to an audience of children either my own or my Awana class. This year it was to my Awana kids. It's always such a wonder to watch them lean in to a story with eager anticipation even though they already know the ending. What a privilege.