The Christmas story is so familiar that I feel I have to present a new angle each year in order to keep people's attention, let alone move them on in their faith. So I usually find myself doing a lot of reading in October and November as I start to plan the Christmas preaching themes. Books I've looked at this year include:
The Liberation of Christmas by Richard A. Horsley (New York: Continuum, 1993). A radical re-reading of the infancy narratives in a social context. To give you a flavour: "The Magnificat and other poems in the lucan birth narratives are not so much pious prayers as they are revolutionary songs of salvation." (p107) It's a thought-provoking read, and I'm not sure if I want to turn my congregation into Che Guevaras just yet, but it's well worth the £5 I spent on a second-hand copy. I believe a newer edition is available.
The Birth of the Messiah by Raymond E. Brown (Doubleday, 1999) is yet another comprehensive Brown masterpiece. I am constantly amazed by the breadth of Brown's knowledge and the depth of his insights. At 752 pages this is hardly a quick read, but it presents the infancy narratives - and the attendant problems - in a way that single-gospel commentaries, anxious to move on to Jesus' adult ministry, seldom achieve. A third of the book is taken up by the appendices, dealing with issues of historicity, such as Jesus' Davidic descent, and the place of birth. Brown is very readable, and I was easily sidetracked even as I was looking through the book to write this blog!
I'm using the lectionary for the first time ever, starting this advent, so I purchased a copy of Jane Williams'
Lectionary Reflections: Year A (SPCK, 2004) to help me make some connection between the readings. The book is just what I was looking for, giving me ideas without writing my sermons for me. It's helped me see the value of the lectionary cycle.
The Liberation of Christmas by Richard A. Horsley (New York: Continuum, 1993). A radical re-reading of the infancy narratives in a social context. To give you a flavour: "The Magnificat and other poems in the lucan birth narratives are not so much pious prayers as they are revolutionary songs of salvation." (p107) It's a thought-provoking read, and I'm not sure if I want to turn my congregation into Che Guevaras just yet, but it's well worth the £5 I spent on a second-hand copy. I believe a newer edition is available.
The Birth of the Messiah by Raymond E. Brown (Doubleday, 1999) is yet another comprehensive Brown masterpiece. I am constantly amazed by the breadth of Brown's knowledge and the depth of his insights. At 752 pages this is hardly a quick read, but it presents the infancy narratives - and the attendant problems - in a way that single-gospel commentaries, anxious to move on to Jesus' adult ministry, seldom achieve. A third of the book is taken up by the appendices, dealing with issues of historicity, such as Jesus' Davidic descent, and the place of birth. Brown is very readable, and I was easily sidetracked even as I was looking through the book to write this blog!
I'm using the lectionary for the first time ever, starting this advent, so I purchased a copy of Jane Williams' Lectionary Reflections: Year A (SPCK, 2004) to help me make some connection between the readings. The book is just what I was looking for, giving me ideas without writing my sermons for me. It's helped me see the value of the lectionary cycle.
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