These sermons are taken from various stages in Bo Giertz pastoral career, from his time as a parish pastor, his time as a bishop, and his time in retirement. He adapted the homiletical style of Henric Schartau (whose homiletical style informs the novel “The Hammer of God”). Schartau would preach in a manner that expounded on the text before applying it to people who might find themselves in three different spiritual conditions, sometimes this is referred to as an Ordo Salutis. These three would be that of an unbeliever, a newly awakened Christian or young believer, and that of a mature believer. This has met with some controversy over the years as it was often identified with pietism, however Bo Giertz is aware of the pitfalls of this approach and turns the method in a matter that emphasizes the strengths. When it comes to the order of grace, Bo Giertz would say that it is not the order that matters but the grace. "What keeps me reading is this: I hear the voice of a true shepherd in these pages. Here is a pastor who is not out merely to impress me with his verbal skills, or his theological IQ, or to establish some sort of spiritual street cred. He truly cares about the souls of those entrusted to him. He will not wink at sin nor will he leave us under the burden of its weight. Over and over, he presses us into Christ, where grace and life abound. If you want to hear how a true shepherd of Christ preaches, then A Year of Grace is the book for you."- Chad Bird Need grace? Get a hold of Bo Giertz's A Year of Grace: Collected Sermons of Advent through Pentecost. Raised an atheist, converted as a young man, Giertz, well-known author of The Hammer of God, has an incomparable way speaking directly in these sermons. Not only does he hold us accountable to God's expectations, but even more importantly he winsomely and powerfully presents Jesus as God's mercy for us, no matter how much we may seek to run from Jesus. Giertz's preaching will secure you in God's love and so help you face life head-on. Bror Erickson is to be commended for rendering these messages into English.--Mark Mattes, editor of Lutheran Quaterly Hey Preachers! Are you looking for examples of scriptural sermons that attack sin and set the bound conscience free? Craft of Preaching recommends "A Year of Grace" by Bo Giertz. This collection of sermons not only models faithful proclamation, it drives you to Christ on every page. Check it out!--The Craft of Preaching "We can always depend on Bror Erickson for good things from Bo Giertz. The latest treasure is a collection of sermons from Advent through Pentecost, A Year of Grace: Selected Sermons of Advent Through Pentecost (Vol. I) by Bo Giertz, trans. Bror Erickson (1517 Publishing, 2019). Giertz was a powerful preacher. His sermons are orthodox, evangelical, textual, and profoundly pastoral. I suggest to my students that they read good sermons not merely to salvage an illustration here or there much less to attempt to pass off another's hard work as their own, but to be refreshed by good preaching. Good sermons beget good sermons. You will not go wrong by reading and pondering these sermons by the sainted bishop of Gothenburg, the beloved author of The Hammer of God." --Dr. Pless Craftofpreaching.com Bo Giertz (1905-1998) spent his youth as a militant atheist before his conversion in college set him to become an apologist for the Christian faith, a beloved novelist, pastor and bishop in the church of Sweden.