Preparing for Jesus is either a sequel or a prequel depending on your perspective. From a publishing perspective, it’s Wangerin’s follow-up to his 1993 book of Lenten reflections, Reliving the Passion. According to the church calendar, however, things arrive in a different order!

This book contains a series of daily meditations on the Christmas story that take you from December 1 (not always the first day of Advent, but close enough) through to Epiphany. Wangerin loves to take readers into the story, filling in the bits we don’t know like a good story teller. The way he describes the encounter between Mary and Simeon in the Temple will live in your imagination every time you read Luke 2.

This was my second time through Preparing for Jesus, and it was worth the second read. Every evening Wangerin’s stories, teachings, and exhortations brought me back faithfully to the biblical narrative we celebrate every December and January.

Wangerin Jr., Walter. Preparing for Jesus: Meditations on the Coming of Christ, Advent, Christmas, and the Kingdom. Zondervan, 1999.