Advent is the season in which we watch, wait, and prepare to bear witness to the coming of the true light of God's presence in Jesus Christ. Through worship, Scripture, and prayer, we train our eyes to see God's presence so that in the hubbub of the "holidays", we are prepared to celebrate a "holy day"-when God came down among us in human flesh.
In When God Comes Down, James A. Harnish explores the lives of people who witnessed the miracle in the Incarnation. He invites us to reflect on their stories and, in our reflection, to become witnesses with them to the one light that will never be overcome.
When God Comes Down, is a five week study appropriate for both group and individual use, provides one lesson for each week of Advent and for Christmas. Each lesson includes a reference to a key passage of Scripture, reflection, discussion questions, brief prayers, and a focus for the coming week.
When God Comes Down is a five-week study, providing one lesson for each week of Advent and one for Christmas. Each lesson includes a key Scripture, a brief reflection, discussion/reflection questions, a brief prayer, and a focus for the coming week. In this study, Harnish explores the meaning of the incarnation…God with us in human flesh.
Often our Advent/Christmas journey is focused on us – our memories, feelings, relationships and experiences. This study puts the focus on God’s action in Jesus Christ. It encourages participants to think more deeply in terms of the biblical, theological, and spiritual meaning of the Nativity and to apply it to their own lives.
The study looks at the stories of the primary biblical characters in the birth stories through whose lives the miracle of incarnation happened: Zechariah, Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Harnish also looks at a traditional character in nativity plays, one who is not mentioned in the Bible, the innkeeper. Through all these characters, he helps us claim for ourselves the reality of God's presence with us.
James A. Harnish is the author of numerous books and Bible studies, including A Disciples Path, Strength for the Broken Places, Simple Rules for Money, and You Only Have to Die. He is an acclaimed pastor and ordained elder in The United Methodist Church who has led congregations throughout Florida, most recently Hyde Park in Tampa where he served for twenty-two years. In 2014, after forty-two years of active ministry, he retired from full-time ministry and moved to Winter Haven, Florida, where he lives with his wife, Marsha, and enjoys writing, reading, and playing with his grandchildren.
