Uncovering the Unexpected: Exploring the Unconventional Characters of the Christmas Story

Jonathan Sartell: This is a well-written book which delves into the stories of the people involved in the Advent of Jesus Christ. There's so much we don't consider about the many people involved, the impact this event had on their lives, and the ways they reacted and yielded to God's wonderful plan to fulfill His promise to redeem us from our sin.

United States on Nov 30, 2023

angela: I purchased this book to help me lead our church's young adult class. I absolutely love the book! Such good information that I never knew plus it's an easy read. I definitely would recommend it!

United States on Nov 13, 2023

MCS1968: This author also has a matching Easter book - both are quite wonderful and will put "flesh" on the characters in the biblical accounts of these two major events. Great for a group study.

United States on Apr 08, 2023

TiffyH: Diving more in depth into the Christmas story you thought you knew. Fantastic!

United States on Dec 15, 2021

Joseph: In "The Characters of Christmas," Daniel Darling lets us see the birth of Jesus through the lens of all the other people in His story: from obvious choices like Mary and Joseph, to more obscure ones like the innkeeper and Herod, who tried to have Jesus killed.

Darling is a natural storyteller and the chapters are both entertaining and insightful. Though many of us have read and/or heard the story of Christmas umpteen times, this book inspired new thoughts in me, like the sacrifices Joseph made to spare Mary and lovingly raise Jesus.

I read this alone but am planning to go through it with my family during Advent. I think it would work well as a group read, too, with discussion questions at the end of each chapter, as well as thoughts for reflection and suggested Christmas songs.

I recommend the book and think it makes for a great way to "get into the season."

United States on Oct 29, 2020

Russell Hartman: This book focuses on the Christmas story, but from the perspective of the individual characters in the story. Quite unique and gave me a far better insight into the story than the one I usually hear year in, year out. Highly recommended.

Australia on Dec 30, 2019