Christmas Matters

the empty tomb in a way that is sure to leave us changed.” —Jennifer Phillips, author of Hope When It’s Hard and coauthor of Unhitching from the Crazy Train “The Christmas season is one of the most anticipated and memory-filled seasons of the year. It can also be the most exhausting and stressful season of the year. Anna Nash and Katy Shelton now offer us a remedy for the stress and exhaustion of our favorite season through their devotional book, Christmas Matters. This powerfully inspirational book helps us focus our thoughts on Christ, the only part of the Christmas season that truly matters. With attention-grabbing stories, focused biblical truth, and daily rituals of reflection, Christmas Matters is the perfect companion for the Christmas season. I highly recommend!” —Sara W. Berry, coauthor of the best-selling book Tap Code and the award-winning book The Summer of 1969; author of Gathering Stones “Christmas Matters is a work from a fresh perspective. This Advent daily devotional is for anyone who hopes to connect with the true spirit of Christmas amid the seasonal chaos of shopping, wrapping gifts, sending cards, cooking, and visiting relatives. Each day’s offering leads the reader along a path that not only culminates in “Triumph” but also provides thought-provoking reflections that help us to see the face of Christ in the crush of the shopping mall crowd and helps us to hear the voice of Jesus over the din of the same old Christmas carols we’ve been listening to since Halloween. Seeing and hearing Christ in this season is important because the birth of Jesus does make a difference every day—if we “Anticipate,” “Receive,” “Hope,” and “Proclaim,” as these daily readings show us. Nash and Shelton have opened the door to the relational character of Christ with us, not to tell us who He is in theological terms but to encourage us to discover who we are with Him as Christ Child, Friend, Teacher, Healer, and Redeemer. Meeting Christ through Luke’s eyes and hearing Him in the physician’s eloquent voice through his Gospel, as pondered by the writers, is an opportunity to view Christmas from an intimate perspective and an invitation that will reward us for Christmases to come if we accept it.” —Betsy Iler, Editor, Lake magazine