The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem - Inspirational Christian Book for Advent & Christmas Devotions | Perfect Gift for Bible Study & Holiday Season

Like many reviewers here, I read this book as part of a group study. I enjoyed this book very much. Hamilton has a way of taking material that we've all read or heard and putting it in a fresh light. By breaking the journey down into into its component parts, he is able to introduce fresh ideas and input into tradition. For instance he analyzes Mary's encounter with Gabriel and Joseph's encounter with his own messenger. Hamilton details Mary's journey and relationship with her cousin Elizabeth, and the actual journey to Bethlehem.What I found most intriguing was Hamilton's willingness to speculate into the details of Mary and Joseph's lives which the Bible does not detail. Hamilton mixes Jewish tradition in with some Christian theories that date as far back as the second century regarding who each of these characters really were and what their journey means to us in modern times. Hamilton describes how the early Christian church sought to keep Mary a pure virgin throughout her life. He explains how Jewish customs on engagement did not necessarily exclude marital relations. These concepts are very different from our 21st century understanding of Biblical events and thus become a challenge for us to accept. Hamilton does not force us to accept his theories, but rather he places them before us with his evidence not unlike an attorney representing a client before a jury. When this is put before a book study group, many different opinions can be shared.Hamilton has been challenging his congregation and his readers through several various books and The Journey is ready to takes its place amongst his other works. The reader comes away with a deeper understanding of the significance of Christmas and the Christmas season. It helps keep our minds focus on why we celebrate Christmas and gives us an alternative to the hustle and bustle of the holiday shopping season. Christmases come and go, gifts lose their luster as time goes by, but the journey of Mary and Joseph as related in The Journey are a timeless gift for all of humanity.Hamilton has a crisp, engaging writing style. The book is not overly long, but it is not too brief, either. He critiques the characters and events, offers his interpretation, then moves onto the next part. By doing this he makes his books enjoyable yet meaningful. To me this simplistic complexity is what makes Hamilton an author I will continue to read. The Journey is not my first encounter with Hamilton, but I have not read all of his works. Even though we are moving away from the calendar-designated Christmas season, the real Christmas season is a year-round event that all can appreciate and participate in.