BRIGHT EVENING STAR: Mystery of the Incarnation

"That was a strange thought: God, who is all power, gave away power!" Thus L'Engle encapsulates what she calls the "mystery" of God's incarnation in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. In what is part spiritual autobiography and part theological treatise, L'Engle writes with her familiar, felicitous prose. Throughout, she reflects on "God's rejection of power," describing the Incarnation as a radical, marvelous paradox. At book's end, readers may agree with L'Engle that "the Incarnation is so far beyond our factual comprehension as to be laughable," yet her writing will also have broadened their understanding of this mystery. (Oct.)