The Advent of Peace : A Gospel Journey to Christmas

Christmas is one of our best loved festivals. During the long dark days of winter, it gives the focus of a celebration to lift our hearts and spirits, and the food that goes along with it plays an enormous part. But the Christmas season isn't just about shopping, parties, presents and over-indulgence. Advent, the period leading up to Christmas, can also be an important time of spiritual as well as practical preparation. In this, Christina Rees's second collection of writings and recipes following Christian festivals, she explores the wonderful season of Advent and Christmas through the themes of Welcoming, Wondering, Giving, Receiving and Celebrating. With spiritual wisdom and recipes to guide us through the festive season (including Christina's original American turkey stuffing recipe as enjoyed and adapted by Delia Smith!), she provides inspiration for fantastic meals for family and friends, and insight for maintaining a fresh and positive perspective in the midst of all the seasonal activities. Feast + Fast – Food for Advent and Christmas is a rich and creative offering, perfect for anyone seeking joy and love that lie at the heart of Christmas.

This book offers a lively, engaging and accessible look at the theme of the Incarnation, the mysterious event at the heart of Christmas, using personal stories, illustrations from popular culture and the arts, as well as daily Bible readings. The starting-point is what the 'Word made flesh' means for us and how the first Christmas should still have an impact on our everyday lives. We will be taken on an absorbing journey to help us recognise the person of Jesus in the people we meet, the conversations we have, and even in our relationship with nature and the arts. By the end of our journey, we will not only recognise Christ in others but also in ourselves, as we model ourselves on him and share his love, compassion and peace with our neighbours, whoever they are and whatever their backgrounds.