The day after Halloween, everything around us―ads, store displays, music, and the like―put us on notice: Christmas is coming. With the announcement of Christmas's imminent arrival comes work, work, and more work. We mutter under our breath for lazily storing the Christmas lights in a tangle; we wring our hands over finding good gifts and planning the perfect Christmas meal; every major checklist item includes dozens of decisions and subtasks, each with their own obstacles and pressures to complete. The biggest checklist item: completing all your work with Christmas cheer. In this pressuring cooker of Christmas preparations, The Sinner/Saint Devotional: Advent and Christmas walks you through these church seasons, shifting your focus from work and checklists and putting it on the work Jesus did and does for you. Each devotion includes an opening Scripture passage, a devotional thought, a closing prayer, and a suggested Scripture reading for further reflection. They present you with the Gospel of Advent and Christmas: how Christ has come for us and will come for us again. You will be reminded repeatedly that these seasons are not mere past events to remember, but comfort for today. Comfort from the God who keeps his promises and sent his Son for the forgiveness of our sins. Oftentimes, the contemporary Christian knows little about Advent and the ultimate goal of Christmas. Many see the season as a time to reflect on what Jesus did long ago or to consume. Journey with Kathy Morales and Kyle G. Jones as they masterfully walk you through the Christian calendar for four weeks of Advent and then Christmas. Showing how Christ is for you. Uniquely. Particularly. Continuously. FLAME, Grammy Nominated Christian Rap Artist Christians often take the bait the devil sets during the holiday season. They point out, with righteous indignation, the societal ills of the season like shallow materialism and political correctness. The devil smiles at this because Christ is reduced to a soundbite or a pawn in a cultural war. The devil smirks because the sinner is left with law upon law. What the sinner actually needs is what Morales and Jones provide in this devotional, Christ. Christ in a manger. Christ on the cross. Christ on the page. Christ in ears. Christ for the sinner. Christ for you. Rev. Dr. Michael Berg Assistant Professor of Theology Wisconsin Lutheran College Kathy and Kyle have given us a gift. This devotional is a beautiful invitation to slow down and be present during the final chaotic weeks of another year. These pages help us to wait with hope as we digest the slowness of God and the quick love He has for us. I cannot recommend this enough. - Tanner Olson Founder, Written to Speak Kathryn (Strauch) Morales holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wisconsin Lutheran College. She is the co-author of The Sinner/Saint Lenten Devotional, and a contributor for 1517. Chad Bird is a Scholar in Residence at 1517. He holds master’s degrees from Concordia Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College. He has served as a pastor, professor, and guest lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew. Chad has authored several books, speaks regularly at conferences and congregations, and cohosts the popular podcast, “40 Minutes in the Old Testament.” Chad and his wife Stacy make their home in Texas, where they have been blessed with four children and three grandchildren.