Theologian and biblical scholar NT Wright provides a brief devotion (scripture translation, commentary, and exploratory question) beginning on the First Sunday of Advent and concluding up to Christmas. The books are great for groups or individual journeys towards Advent. What I enjoyed about these devotions is Wright’s ability to lay some theological depth within a short time with weekly them and each day questions ultimately building up for us to answer for ourselves the question “Who is this Jesus – for me, for the church, for everyone? And how am I ever-deepening that experience?”
The Apostles version is open to any liturgical year and varies from the classical scripture for this season. As a result, I found this one to be my favorite.

Week One: A Time for Thanksgiving
Week Two: A Time for Patience
Week Three: A Time for Humility
Week Four: A Time for Joy

This was a very good read during the Advent season. It's nice to have something to read and mull over during the busy holiday season. To take time to rest in the Word. While this didn't replace my Bible reading for the day, it did enhance it and helped me to focus on something I may not have otherwise.

When I was first reading this, it seemed to go too quickly, then after Christmas had already past and there were still readings to read, it felt like it moved somewhat slowly. That was the impression that I had, but I do think having a few readings after Christmas was helpful, as it subtly points out that just because the day of Christmas has come and gone, doesn't mean the story is over and we are still supposed to anticipate the final coming of the Lord.

This book definitely made me take time to slow down and think, which is not a bad thing. The only negative is I was reading this alongside of another Christian religious book and I think that book may have overshadowed this one in my mind. This was not a bad book, far from it, but I think it may have lost something in comparison to the other. The other one is not Advent centered and was written more robustly, so seemed to have more to say. They both had different things to say, not more or less than the other. That was a mistake on my part.

I would recommend this for the Advent season with the Bible and not while reading other religious works if you can help it. This is a gentle, more quiet work and needs to be read without other books to distract from it. Only my opinion however, take it however you like. Due to the unintentional comparison, this is a 3.5 star book for me, rounded down to 3 stars. I am sure for others it will be higher and on a re-read, which this book deserves, it will be higher for me as well. This is to be set aside for next Advent, definitely.

My thanks to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

N.T Wright provides a beautiful devotion for the Advent season. This devotional is one that will help us - take hold and experience Advent like never before. Each devotion is rich and designed to draw us nearer to our great Savior! And it definitely will do just that. The devotions are fairly short and thoughtful, leaving us with one question to consider. This is a devotional that will strengthen our relationship with Jesus Christ, and help us go deeper in our union with God.

This book is an approachable read to get you prepared for the advent season. This is a non-denominational book and the readings are short, but relevant. This is a fairly traditional spiritual text in that it is inspiring, engaging, and approachable, but it is manageable - there is just enough to motivate and recenter readers during what can otherwise be a hectic time.

Having read a previous book by NT Wright, I already admired his scholasticism and thoughtful approach to writing. When I had an opportunity to read Advent for Everyone, I had to dig in, never mind the fact that I read it in the summer months instead of when it was initially intended to be read.

While this is a text meant for Advent reading, it is different from any other Advent book I've encountered. It is not focused on the traditional texts, instead, as shared in the Introduction, Wright is concerned with us reflecting on our faith and developing into more mature people who love Jesus and recognize we're caught between two Advents:

"We celebrate Jesus' first coming, and use that sense of fulfilment to fuel our hope for his second coming and to strengthen us to work for signs of that kingdom in our own day. We live between the first Advent and the second. That is one way of saying what it means to be a follower of Jesus."

As such, these readings may wrestle with what true leadership looks like, what it means to persevere, and what humility and faith look like. I suggest that this book could be worked through at any time as a way to reflect on our faith and dig deeper.

These 28 readings are meaty, not deigning to be content with pandering, feel-good messages that other Advent devotionals might settle for. The biblical text for the day is included in the book; an applicable story is sandwiched between the verses and the extrapolation of the text in order to bring added insight and connections. After a solid, thoughtful analysis, the day's reading ends with two questions to guide discussion or reflection. As they are short questions, you will get out what you put in; if you delve into the topic, those questions will lead to rich conversation.

I found this to be a solid, meaningful book, and while the Christmas season can be one where the materialism and glitz are clamoring for our attention, an Advent read like this one will keep you centered on living your days richly, albeit counter to the hustle and bustle that tries to take over.

I was given a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a sensible collection of reflections for the Advent season. True to Wright's "For Everyone" series, this is an approachable, good for beginners book. Ideal for personal study and reflection, it could also be used in a Bible study/book group setting.

While we often think about focusing on Lent in preparation for Easter, we're often less intentional with Advent. We light a new candle each week, and dive into the craziness and busyness of the season. N.T. Wright's new devotional gives us a chance to slow down and consider Christ's arrival, and what it means for all of us. I'm a big Wright fan, so I was inclined to like this anyway. But it's another solid, approachable, and thoughtful approach to this important season. Definitely recommended.

Wright's engaging writing style, creative storytelling, and valuable insights make for a winning combination. Written in the same style as his "For Everyone" Bible commentaries, which are written to engage lay level readers, this devotional is a thought-provoking guide through Advent. This is a book I see myself returning to during future Advent seasons.

Tom Wright is undoubtedly one of the greatest living public theologians - his writing is accessible to everyday Christians, but he sacrifices neither theological integrity nor depth. He continues to provide solid scholarship. I particularly appreciate that the former bishop is both an evangelical and mainline Church of England clergy. Each of his daily devotions are insightful, particularly into the early church, as many of the scripture readings he has chosen are from the epistles. However, these devotions do not seem to have much to do with the traditional Advent themes like waiting and preparation for the Incarnation. In fact, his reference to Advent in the last devotion almost came as a jolt - having had few other explicit references to the Advent season. So, if you are looking for an Advent devotional that focuses on themes commonly connected to Advent, you might go away disappointed. Nonetheless, it provides theologically sound and insightful commentary.

Only when we remind ourselves of God's holiness do we fully appreciate the significance what Jesus achieved. The appropriate response to all this is gratitude and worship. True gratitude both for the present world and for the world to come, is the deepest and truest form of worship, reaching places which the entire sacrificial system never could.

Advent is about worship. Anticipating what God will do and waiting for what is to come. Advent is broken down into 4 weeks.

A time of Thanksgiving
A time for Patience
A time for Humility
A time for Joy

I appreciate that each week is centered around worship, it prepares our heart for what God is doing and who he is.

A short devotion to prepare our hearts not only for the Advent season but anytime when we may be reminded of what worship really is.

A Special Thank You to Westminster John Knox Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Reading NT Wright is always an enriching experience. This volume is no different. Pulling from resources around the Bible, a path is charted through the heart of the Gospel, culminating in the reward for our waiting: the Christ child. It is more than a focus on the manger, it's also a call for unity in the body and an attitude of grace. Wright brings the body together to follow the star which shone over Bethlehem into the very personality of Christ, shone in his followers.

ADVENT FOR EVERYONE
N. T. WRIGHT

“A Journey with the Apostles” is the subtitle given by N. T. Wright to a devotional specifically directed to the Advent season – four weeks of daily reading followed by the author’s own thoughts, helping the reader understand the preparation for Jesus’ birth.
The Advent, the “Coming,” refers to Jesus’ arrival, and Christians live in hope of Christ’s second coming. The author, an expert of theological teaching as only he could be, wrote this brief devotional with the goal of instructing Christ’s followers to personify the Advent community (not to be misunderstood with “Adventist”). Wright elaborated this work so that believers may be “people of light in a dark world, people of hope in times and places of despair.”
Advent for Everyone is not your common devotional, with a little reading and a prayer. Its structure requires dedicating of enough daily time to study what N. T. Wright transposes from the biblical passages, which are quite more than a short verse. Just as is his timbre, so Wright’s way of writing always strives to simplify his prose, smoothing its understanding.
Attention is given on a weekly basis to the following themes of the season: thanksgiving, patience, humility and joy. Each daily segment ends with challenges of reflective introspection to the reader, or to discuss in Bible study groups. Highly recommended to people “who truly follow Jesus.”

Originaly Published at:
Biblion Online Magazine (PT): http://www.biblion.pt/devocionais/
Biblion Online Magazine (EN): http://www.biblion.pt/devotionals/
Biblion #6 Interactive Edition (Nov-Dec2017 – Portuguese): http://www.biblion.pt/biblion-6-interativa-pt/
Biblion #6 Interactive Edition (Nov-Dec2017 – English version): http://www.biblion.pt/biblion-6-interactive-edition-en/
BiblionApp (iOS and Android) – Portuguese-only: http://biblionapp.mobapp.at/
Effective: November 1st, 2017

An enjoyable read for the lead up to Christmas.
This is an interesting read for those who believe that Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever as the focus is on waiting for the first and second coming of Christ.
I found it a challenging read and encourage you to make it part of your preparation for this special season.
I was given this book by NetGalley and the publisher. This is my voluntary review.

A collection of devotional writings that clearly guide the reader through the season of Advent, written in the "for everyone" signature style of N. T. Wright, who is both an astute scholar and churchman. Wright makes the teachings of the Bible accessible, relatable, and practical for our time, while also warming the heart toward Jesus. If you're looking for a companion as you journey toward Christmas, pick up this book.

This is great! Advent for everyone is a perfect title - the writing is accessible and lyrical, thought-provoking and clear and I look forward to using it both as a personal devotional and with my children over Christmas. I particularly liked the reflective questions at the end of each day's reading.

Advent For Everyone is one great book for Advent – in fact it is the one book I will be using for my Advent with my family – this season – after all the ones I have read this is the one I chose to read – why you ask? Well for instance in the forward it said that, " Advent means "coming "or "arrival " isn't that so interesting ? I never knew that. Then the authors book goes like this – Scripture which is standard – when they go on and talk about the Scripture – A talk like that tells you some good information on it – then they tell you a personal story about the subject and it is the few pages long – which is unusual for Advent books we read , but no questions or reflections – that is the end , I still enjoyed it so very much – so will you.