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God Rest Ye Merry: Why Christmas Is The Foundation For Everything (2012)

by Douglas Wilson(Favorite Author)

4.2 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

159128127X (ISBN13: 9781591281276)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Canon Press

review 1: Christmas is over for most. Here's a post mortem.Christmas goes beyond sentiment. Jesus entered a real world of sheep manure in a cave. He humbled himself to exalt men. Tinsel and the bells and cards are all fine and dandy as long as we remember and root them in the joy that flows from Christ's humiliation for us.Christmas is political. A king came to us whom we must accept or reject. Herod rejected Him. So do many earthly kings today and they will regret it one day. The public square is involved in Christmas. Herod and all Jerusalem had reason to be troubled as long as they grasped power for themselves. But rulers and wisemen who bow to Him and give instead of take are joyful and blessed.Christmas is about stuff. God the Son became a physical creature to redeem the physic... moreal world. He is on a salvage operation to restore His kingdom. If you have to have your stuff then it has to go (a la Rich young ruler). Otherwise Christ means for you to have it, enjoy it and use it to serve others. Stuff and buying stuff is not the enemy. Idolizing it is. But we need stuff (a physical world) to express love. These are the main themes and they are right on target. The writing and flow seem uneven throughout the book as I suspect this is a patchwork of blog posts past.
review 2: Doug Wilson has a knack at coming at common things from an uncommon angle. In this little book he takes a look a the incarnation, and Christmas celebration in his characteristic way. He argues FOR the giving of gifts and extravagance, he argues for the recognition of Christmas as a necessarily political event. He then properly frames puritanical thought regarding Christmas, and uses that thought to, surprisingly, justify Christmas celebration.Doug does a lot of fun things with this book, and ultimately after reading it I am excited to celebrate Christmas with more joy than I probably ever have in the past. I loved his continual use of scripture and Christmas hymn quotations throughout the book. The flow of the book was so natural, and the quotations were never forced like Doug was stretching or laboring to prove something to you. It was simple proclamation, festive and joyful.At the end of the book are some daily meditations for Advent. I have not read them all yet, but the ones I have read were enjoyable and helpful.All in all, this was a worthwhile read for anyone who seems trapped between that place of 'knowing that Christmas is a good thing' and 'having reservations about the craziness of Christmas.' This work sorts a lot of that out in a winsome manner. less

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