Hope for the Holidays is more than just a catchy phrase that you might find in a Hallmark greeting. Hope is vital to our lives, and it is often the most prevalent during the season of Christmas. This book speaks about the message of hope that we find in the Christmas story as we celebrate Jesus' birth. In this book, we will explore the ways we can experience hope for the holidays. In each chapter, we will look at the different characters in the Christmas story and how they offer a message of hope to us in our own lives.

"Andrew Lay leads us into Advent/Christmas and, creatively, listening to the old, familiar texts, finds fresh meaning for today’s Christians. Lay restores the holy to the holidays in this fine presentation of the blessing of the Incarnation." (Bishop Will Willimon, professor of the practice of Christian ministry, Duke Divinity School, author of Accidental Preacher: A Memoir)

"Hope for the Holidays offers hope for Advent and common days. It is very interesting, informative, and inspirational. In examining John the Baptist, Joseph, Mary, the Shepherds, and Wise Men, we are led to see that God is involved in the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary ways. The author has a unique ability to make real these ancient characters of our faith. We see and feel their struggles for faith in dark moments. We see how their attempts to make sense of life reflect our own, and we come to understand that God is with us as well. If God could bless and use them, why not us? If God gave hope then, why not now? I give thanks for the privilege of having my faith renewed through this remarkable writing and heartily commend it to you." (Bishop Richard Looney, retired bishop of The United Methodist Church)

"In this well-written book, Andrew Lay fleshes out John the Baptist, Joseph, Mary, Isaiah and the Shepherds, the Wise Men as heralds of hope. As if arriving at Bethlehem’s manger, these explorations culminate, in the Epilogue, in the Word Made Flesh to which these heralds point. All along, Lay invites his readers to narrate their own lives in light of the Christmas hope to which its first celebrants pointed. Questions at the end of each chapter help readers make the connection between the biblical story and their own, and also make the book useful for group or individual use. There are many Advent studies and devotional volumes available, but Lay leads us by a fresh, thoughtful, and pastoral route to the heart of the Christmas hope. I strongly commend Hope for the Holidays to all who, like the Wise Men themselves, wish to “return by another way,” to their lives after the holidays are over; to lives filled with the hope that enfleshed Word brings daily." (William McDonald, professor of religion, chair - religion and philosophy, associate dean - humanities and fine arts, Tennessee Wesleyan University)

About the author

Andrew Curtis Lay is a lifelong Methodist. He earned his bachelor's degree at Tennessee Wesleyan University, where he has also taught as an adjunct professor of religion. He also completed his master of divinity degree at Asbury Theological Seminary. Andrew is currently serving as the associate pastor of Keith Memorial United Methodist Church in Athens, Tennessee. He and his wife, Ally, love music, ministry, and the outdoors.