Doom and Deliverance: The Nature of Advent

In her book Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ, Fleming Rutledge tries to remind us of just how dire the circumstances were in which the scenes of Advent took place. While we often domesticate the season down to a nativity scene, this story is a a reminder again of our complete need of rescue from our God:

In 2017, Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, was suffering from a prolonged crisis as a result of civil war.

The government and all its agencies had ceased to operate. All services—medical care, sanitation,…