Where’s the baby? The Gospel of Mark doesn’t have a nativity story—so where’s the Advent message? It’s in every aspect of Jesus’ life, to his death and beyond.
The Incarnation—God come to earth in human form to be baptized, teach, heal, eat, and die—is what we celebrate at Christmas, and Mark shows us just how radical and celebration-worthy it is!
Holy Disruption presents a fresh understanding of the holiness of Christmas grounded, not in a conventional cozy Christmas message, but through Mark's disquieting gospel which invites its readers to experience God's disruptive but transformative love for us and our world.
Tracy
S. Daub is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She
has served three congregations in Western New York and has been the Pastor of
University Presbyterian Church in Buffalo, NY, for the past twenty years. She
has served as Moderator of the Presbytery of Western New York and co-led
seminars on faith and culture to El Salvador and Tanzania. Daub and her
husband have two young adult children and live in Buffalo, New
York.
"I love books that help me see the Bible, Jesus, God, and myself in a new light, and that's exactly what Holy Disruption does with vigor and depth. Whether you read it alone, in a group, or with your whole congregation, Holy Disruption will blow away distractions and bring Jesus and his gospel into clear focus. Christmas will never be the same for you again. I highly recommended this book!" -Brian D. McLaren, author of Do I Stay Christian?
"Daub has uncovered in Mark's Gospel powerful resources for the waiting, the wonder, and the expectation of Advent. She calls us to a renewed faith, not one pasted up with sentimentality but one girded by a vision of Jesus doing the serious and disruptive work of redemption in our world of challenges and crises. She provokes us to reconsider the promise of Advent, encouraging us to lean forward into that hope and to live, as the old night prayer puts it, 'that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.' Savor these beautiful and challenging meditations." -Thomas G. Long, Bandy Professor Emeritus of Preaching, Candler School of Theology
"Daub offers a well-written and thoughtful study that offers a unique approach to the season of Advent and lends itself to be read both individually and with a group discussion. Are you looking for a different way to think about the incarnation, God's gift of Jesus to our world? Refresh your Advent with this engaging study of five themes in the Gospel of Mark." -Elizabeth Caldwell, Harold Blake Walker Professor Emerita of Pastoral Theology, McCormick Theological Seminary, and coauthor of Growing in God's Love: A Story Bible