Review: The One We’re Waiting For
Advent is a season of waiting. For children, the advent of Christmas is filled with dreams of days off from school, yummy treats, and, of course, presents. Pinterest boards are filled with ideas of ways to count down the twenty-five days till Christmas, and the struggle is real to figure out how to take the focus off the gifts and shift it towards the true Gift of Christmas.
Taylor Combs has written a new Advent devotional, intending to do just that. In his new book, The One We’re Waiting For, he counts down through the line of Jesus as the reader counts down the twenty-five days till Christmas, starting on December 1. This is not a traditional Advent devotional, where the specific Advent Sundays are celebrated, but more along the lines of a Jesse tree.
Combs is a pastor in a liturgical tradition, and he has included this tradition in each day’s story. Every story ends with a repeated liturgy pointing us towards “the one who is coming”. This addition of a daily liturgy creates a rhythm to each day’s reading that is unique to this Advent devotional. In addition to this daily liturgy, a song suggestion and a few discussion questions are also provided.
Husband and wife, Aedan and Natalie Peterson, illustrated both the book and the ornaments. The gentle colors give the pictures a soft, watercolor look. They are colorful and creative and include elements of the coordinating ornaments. My favorite illustration goes with the story of Abram and God’s promise to give him more descendants than the stars in the sky. The dark blue sky with the twinkling stars and an astonished Abram kneeling create a beautiful rendering of this promise. This is a thoughtfully produced book that has a beautiful gold-embossed hardcover and includes many full-page illustrations.
Prior to the first Bible story, Combs explains the season of Advent and offers suggestions on how to use this book. I appreciate the inclusion of blank lined pages at the back for you to record special memories throughout the years. The stories start with the Fall in the Garden of Eden and work their way down the line of Jesus through the Old Testament and towards the birth of John, and finally the birth of Jesus.
Ornaments are included in the back of the book for you to cut out, and there is also a way for you to download and print ornaments if you do not want to remove them from the book. Suggestions for turning these ornaments into more of a keepsake are also thoughtfully included. One idea might be to split the ornaments up into four groups and take each Sunday of Advent to create the ornaments for the week as a way to introduce and prepare for the next week’s readings.
The included ornaments are a thoughtful detail in an age when most publishers would simply provide a link for you to download and print at home yourself. B&H Publishing has a webpage dedicated to this book, which includes a download of the sketches by the Petersons. These are beautiful sketches, and if you have an aspiring child artist, these could easily inspire conversations about what it takes to create an illustration from beginning to end.
The One We’re Waiting For is a unique addition to the Advent offerings for parents. The element of a daily liturgy alone offers something that many family Advent devotionals do not.
She savors quiet moments with a cup of tea when she’s able to catch those words and find the courage to write them down.
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