Journey to Bethlehem

Where can you find the best Christmas writing? In Journey to Bethlehem, Leland Ryken delivers a treasury of classic Christmas devotionals.

Style and Beauty

Ryken hopes to counteract the “lightweight Christmas books that flood the market.” He has curated an anthology of 30 classic writings that have stood the test of time. He is clear that this book is not about the institution that we know as Christmas. Rather, it is about the events and meaning of the nativity and incarnation. These are masterpieces about the most wonderful time of the year.

The book is divided into sections: (1) Christmas hymns, (2) classic prose devotionals, and (3) Christmas poems. Ryken provides a short analysis of each work, giving pointers on style and beauty. It is clear that Ryken appreciates the written word, and he is passionate about beautifully proclaiming the incarnate Word. You will see with new eyes.

Wonder and Worship

Reading with Ryken breathed new life into the classics, and I was happy to have him point me to unfamiliar works. I was especially moved by Ben Jonson’s A Hymn on the Nativity of My Savior - with its apparent simplicity but progressing complexity. In the Bleak Midwinter is a personal favorite, and I was satisfied in understanding how its surprise ending actually works.

This book is rich and will reward rereading. Writers will find it to be an absolute pleasure, and lovers of reading will find buried treasure. They are words of wonder and worship.

I received a media copy of Journey to Bethlehem and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.