The Greatest Gift {Ann Voskamp's Book for Christmas}

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As children we eagerly await its arrival.  As adults we may groan at the thought of the busyness of the season surrounding it. We may be enthralled with it as it signifies what we have always needed.  Christ Himself come down as a mere baby to save the world.  The ultimate super hero story.

But behind the story lies another story.  Stories.  We all come with a back story.  It is no different with Christ. He has a family tree. He has a background.  Ann Voskamp's newest book, The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas, gives the Son of God's back story.  With twenty-five devotional type readings Ann leads you down the road to redemption.  Starting with Adam eating from a tree...ending with the birth of the One who would hang on a tree.  Ann tells the story of the Messiah's lineage in an elegant way demonstrating how we can wait for the coming of Christ during the season of Advent.

Ann's words are moving.  Would you expect anything else from her?  Here is a quick peek...

"The coming of Christ was right through families of messed-up monarchs and battling brothers, through affairs and adultery and more than a feud or two, through skeletons in closets and cheaters at tables...And Jesus claims exactly these who are wandering and wondering and wounded and worn out as HIS. He grafts you into His line and His story and His heart, and He give you His name, His lineage, His righteousness. He graces you with plain grace."

or this...

"You can stand around a Christmas tree with a family tree like Joseph's, with cheaters and beaters and deceivers, with a family like Jacob's, who ran away and ran around and ran folks down. But out of a family line that loss like a mess, God brings the Messiah. What was intended to harm, God intended all of it for good, and no matter what intends to harm you, God's arms have you. You can never be undone."

Each entry has a scripture reading, Ann's devotional thought for the day, a suggestion of an action you can take based on the reading, a quote from another writer, and reflection questions.  There is also  a download of ornaments for you to create a Jesse Tree during the Advent season as you read the devotionals. Here is the link.

I recently printed and finished off the ornaments.  Please see this post for how I went about it.  

This book is not to be missed!  My heart was moved and changed by what I read.  I am eager to share it with my family in December. Such a blessing!