In this enthralling prequel to Being the Body of Christ, Marci Alborghetti again places us at the center of the scripture story. Here we meet the people of the original Advent. We share Anna s bewilderment upon hearing her daughter will bear a Son. We feel Joseph s anguish as he sees a pregnant Mary for the first time. We ride on camelback with wise but uncertain Balthasar, seeking answers in a star. We witness Herod s thunderous rage and malevolent silence as he forms a murderous scheme.

These and other scripture figures become powerfully and often triumphantly real as they respond to God s plan. Each chapter includes thoughtful questions, prayers, and suggested actions that resonate with our own experiences.

Told with imagination and verve and yet always faithful to the Scripture, this brilliant narrative captivates from the start, as we recognize something of ourselves in each story.Marci Alborghetti;, Marci Alborghetti