Advent: Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ

Fleming Rutledge's exploration of Advent emerges from her decades of preaching through the church calendar and her conviction that this liturgical season has been domesticated beyond recognition. Writing as an Episcopal priest and theologian known for her rigorous engagement with Scripture and doctrine, Rutledge argues that contemporary Christianity has sentimentalized Advent into mere Christmas preparation, losing its essential character as a season of apocalyptic expectation and divine judgment.

The book reclaims Advent's traditional emphasis on the four "last things": death, judgment, heaven, and hell. Rutledge demonstrates how the season's ancient liturgies and lectionary readings consistently point toward Christ's second coming rather than simply his birth in Bethlehem. She argues that Advent's proper focus is eschatological — concerned with the ultimate vindication of God's justice and the final defeat of evil. Through careful exegesis of biblical texts and engagement with theologians from Augustine to Barth, she shows how the incarnation itself only makes sense within this larger framework of God's decisive intervention in history. The work weaves together biblical theology, liturgical scholarship, and pastoral concern to recover what she sees as Advent's authentic voice of prophetic urgency.

Rutledge's treatment has resonated particularly with pastors and liturgical churches seeking to move beyond therapeutic Christianity toward a more robust theological vision. Her work stands in the tradition of Anglican theological seriousness while speaking across denominational lines to those concerned with the church's prophetic witness. The book offers both scholarly depth and practical wisdom for preaching and worship planning.

This book serves pastors, seminary students, and serious lay readers who want to understand Advent's theological significance beyond cultural Christmas traditions. It will particularly appeal to those in liturgical traditions seeking to deepen their engagement with the church calendar. Readers looking for devotional material or Christmas inspiration should look elsewhere — this is theology that demands careful attention and challenges comfortable assumptions about the season's meaning.