The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem

It is undoubtedly a challenge to bring a fresh perspective to biblical texts that many Christians have heard in church and read countless times. But Hamilton (24 Hours That Changed the World), founding pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kans., brings careful research, the perspective of an experienced minister, and an eye for detail to his work that will appeal to many. Beginning with the Gospel reading appropriate to his meditation, he draws on historical information as well as his own travels to take the reader on a spiritual walk, beginning with the angel Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary that she will bear God’s son and ending with the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem. Threaded with the stories of people he met along his way, and of others who have represented God’s purposes in his own life, Hamilton also attempts to separate biblical facts, from a Protestant point of view, from traditions he appears to consider more speculative. While the writer doesn’t break much new ground, the book serves as an inviting window into familiar texts that many Christians may be at risk for taking for granted—always a helpful exercise. (Sept.)