While much has been written to bridge the two millennia since the time of Jesus and the modern day, much of the focus has been on interpreting scripture to suit the modern age. In this examination of the Advent season and the Gospel According to Luke, Dr. Farmer suggests the opposite: that the author's contemporary perspective is critical to understanding the text's enduring importance today. Through research, humor, poetry, and historical correlation, the lessons of Luke reach a wider audience, befitting the apostle's original target audience. Framing Luke's account in the modern emphasis on fairness, justice, empathy, and appreciation for diversity, this book offers a passionate yet compassionate argument for the truth of the events in Jesus' life story, designed to answer great questions and ease dark, dangerous feelings of isolation or sadness.

The composition and approach of this book borrows from so many disciplines that it almost defies categorization. The rigorous citations and footnotes call to mind a textbook's thorough, academic approach, yet the conversational humor and empathy for so many different generations and perspectives are approachable, welcoming, and personal. Divided into thirty "days," the main text is structured as a paced meditation on the Advent season, analyzing Luke's books in a largely sequential, sermonic style. Dr. Farmer's insights are compassionate and tempered in a way that neither dilutes nor sweetens, candidly showing that there are things that can be improved and worked on from believer to institution. While the thematic presentation is seasonal, this is an enlightening and contemplative read regardless of spirituality, church involvement, or time of year.

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