Advent is a time to name what we are most yearning for. We may be seeking relief from stress, healing in grief, comfort for loneliness, or reassurance in sadness. In this season, we not only wait for the birth of Christ, but for the new life and light that it will shine into our own struggles with loss and despair.

Four Weeks: Reflections for Advent is a collection of brief writings that explore the complicated experience of the holiday season, both its causes for anticipated celebration and also its amplified feelings of loss.

Four Weeks includes a reflection for every day of the season of Advent, focusing on the themes of each week: hope, peace, joy, and love. It also includes one for Christmas Eve and Day. Readers have the option of reading it as a daily devotional or at a different pace if desired.

Rev. Jeff Nelson is ordained in the United Church of Christ and serves on its national staff after 15 years as a pastor. He is also a certified spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition. An active writer and blogger, his writing has appeared at New Sacred, the Christian Century blog, the Shalem Institute blog, The High Calling, and The Englewood Review of Books.