Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ

by Fleming Rutledge

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2018

Overview

“Advent,” says Fleming Rutledge, “is definitely not for sissies.” As the midnight of the Christian year, Advent is rife with dark, gritty realities. In this book Rutledge spotlights the rich significance of the Advent season not just as transitional but as vibrant and profound in its own right.

With her trademark wit and wisdom, Rutledge explores Advent as a time of such paradoxes as waiting and hastening, suffering and hope, justice and mercy, now and not-yet. Showing how Advent at once celebrates Christ’s incarnation and his second coming, Rutledge masterfully unfolds the ethical and eschatological implications of this special season.

Key Features

• Explores the theological themes of the Advent season
• Provides writings, sermons, and additional resources
• Connects Christ’s incarnation to his future return

Contents

• Writings
• Waiting and Hastening the Kingdom Yet to Come (Pre-Advent)
• The Universal Grip of the Enemy (Pre-Advent)
• Justice and the Final Judgment (Pre-Advent)
• God’s Apocalyptic War (The Feast of Saint Michael)
• The Coming of the Lord (Last Sunday of the Church Year: The Feast of Christ the King)
• Advent Begins in the Dark (Advent I)
• The Armor of Light (Advent II)
• Bearing Witness on the Brink (Advent III)
• King of the Last Things (Advent IV)
• A Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent

Praise for the Print Edition

With her trademark eloquence and theological rigor, Episcopal priest Rutledge (The Crucifixion) reflects on the liturgical season of Advent, challenging the conventional interpretation of Advent as preparation for Christmas.... Rutledge intends this book as a “valedictory message to serious young preachers,” and it will also appeal to anyone looking for challenging, insightful, and inspiring sermons that wrestle with the grim reality of suffering and “the problem of evil” while also offering hope.

—Publishers Weekly

Fleming Rutledge’s Advent preaching bursts upon us with the same elemental force as the preaching of John the Baptist. Rutledge’s fine crafting of language may be subtler than John’s, but she carries forward his incisive, apocalyptic message of judgment and hope. This is essential preaching for a church wallowing in self-referential sentimentality and caught in captivity to the compromises of the present political order. This is preaching that tells the truth about the world’s suffering and proclaims that God acts to rescue us. Do not drift anesthetized through another season of Advent; read this book.

—Richard B. Hays, George Washington Ivey Professor of New Testament, Duke University

My not-so-secret hope is that Fleming Rutledge’s Advent would become required reading in our seminaries and the focus of vestry book clubs, elder retreats, and worship leader workshops. Because that would give me hope for an apocalyptic renewal in the church—that we would learn again how to live as an Advent people, hoping in a God who acts and is making all things new. Taking this book to heart would teach us how to live wisely, faithfully, and prophetically in the Time Between

—James K. A. Smith, Calvin College; author of Awaiting the King and You Are What You Love

Product Details

• Title: Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ
• Author: Fleming Rutledge
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 400
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Topic: Theology

Benefits of Logos Edition

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

About Fleming Rutledge

Fleming Rutledge is an Episcopal priest involved in a nationwide ministry of preaching and teaching. Her books have been celebrated across denominational borders.

Sample Pages from the Print Edition

Reviews

Key Features

• Explores the theological themes of the Advent season
• Provides writings, sermons, and additional resources
• Connects Christ’s incarnation to his future return

Contents

• Writings
• Waiting and Hastening the Kingdom Yet to Come (Pre-Advent)
• The Universal Grip of the Enemy (Pre-Advent)
• Justice and the Final Judgment (Pre-Advent)
• God’s Apocalyptic War (The Feast of Saint Michael)
• The Coming of the Lord (Last Sunday of the Church Year: The Feast of Christ the King)
• Advent Begins in the Dark (Advent I)
• The Armor of Light (Advent II)
• Bearing Witness on the Brink (Advent III)
• King of the Last Things (Advent IV)
• A Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent

Praise for the Print Edition

With her trademark eloquence and theological rigor, Episcopal priest Rutledge (The Crucifixion) reflects on the liturgical season of Advent, challenging the conventional interpretation of Advent as preparation for Christmas.... Rutledge intends this book as a “valedictory message to serious young preachers,” and it will also appeal to anyone looking for challenging, insightful, and inspiring sermons that wrestle with the grim reality of suffering and “the problem of evil” while also offering hope.

—Publishers Weekly

Fleming Rutledge’s Advent preaching bursts upon us with the same elemental force as the preaching of John the Baptist. Rutledge’s fine crafting of language may be subtler than John’s, but she carries forward his incisive, apocalyptic message of judgment and hope. This is essential preaching for a church wallowing in self-referential sentimentality and caught in captivity to the compromises of the present political order. This is preaching that tells the truth about the world’s suffering and proclaims that God acts to rescue us. Do not drift anesthetized through another season of Advent; read this book.

—Richard B. Hays, George Washington Ivey Professor of New Testament, Duke University

My not-so-secret hope is that Fleming Rutledge’s Advent would become required reading in our seminaries and the focus of vestry book clubs, elder retreats, and worship leader workshops. Because that would give me hope for an apocalyptic renewal in the church—that we would learn again how to live as an Advent people, hoping in a God who acts and is making all things new. Taking this book to heart would teach us how to live wisely, faithfully, and prophetically in the Time Between

—James K. A. Smith, Calvin College; author of Awaiting the King and You Are What You Love

Product Details

• Title: Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ
• Author: Fleming Rutledge
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 400
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Topic: Theology

Benefits of Logos Edition

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

About Fleming Rutledge

Fleming Rutledge is an Episcopal priest involved in a nationwide ministry of preaching and teaching. Her books have been celebrated across denominational borders.

Reviews