\["For families wanting a fresh Christmas experience", "Revives interest in the familiar Christmas narrative", "You will deepen your understanding of Jesus' birth"\]

Rediscover the Christmas story through the lives of its minor characters.

Daniel Darling

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Introduction: Jesus, the Grandest Story of All

1. Joseph, the Unsung Hero of Christmas

2. A Christmas Miracle: Zechariah and Elizabeth

3. Mary, the Simple Girl at the Center of Everything

4. The Song of the Angels

5. Room for Jesus: The Innkeeper

6. The First to Know: Shepherds

7. Seeking and Finding: The Wise Men

8. Herod, the Monster of Christmas

9. The Oldest Bucket List: Simeon and Anna

10. The Surprising People in Jesus’ Family

11. The Even More Surprising People in Jesus’ Family

Afterword: Imagine Yourself …

Acknowledgments

Notes

About the Author

More from the Publisher

Learn Something New This Christmas

We hate to admit it, but after years, sometimes even decades, of reading the same Luke 2 story of Christmas, we get a little bored—we lose some of the awe we ought to have when discussing the greatest miracle in history. That’s why The Characters of Christmas was written, to help you take a fresh look at the Christmas story by getting to know the minor characters that played a part in Jesus’ birth, such as Zechariah and Elizabeth, the Shepherds, and Herod.

As you slow down, engage your imagination, and enter into the stories of these women and men, you’ll see the most important character—Jesus Christ—with new eyes. And with discussion questions and a Christmas song suggestion at the end of each chapter, it’s perfect for engaging your whole family.

Break free from the familiar, and discover something you never knew about the story you’ve always heard.

__DANIEL DARLING__ is an author, pastor, and leader. He was recently appointed as the director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dan is a bestselling author of several books, including The Original Jesus, The Dignity Revolution, The Characters of Christmas, The Characters of Easter, and A Way With Words. He is the general editor, along with Trillia Newbell, of a small group study on racial reconciliation, The Church and the Racial Divide and is a contributor to The Worldview Study Bible.

Dan is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications. He is a columnist for World Magazine, and a regular contributor to USA Today. His work is often featured in Christianity Today and The Gospel Coalition and his op-eds have appeared in The Washington Post, CNN, Washington Times, Time, Huffington Post, National Review, First Things, and other leading outlets. Publisher's Weekly called his writing style "substantive and punchy."

Dan speaks and preaches around the country and is regularly interviewed on radio and television, including MSNBC's Morning Joe, CNN, and Fox. He is the host of a popular weekly podcast The Way Home where he interviews Christian leaders, politicians, and journalists. He holds a bachelor's degree in pastoral ministry from Dayspring Bible College, has studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served churches in Illinois and Tennessee. He and his wife Angela have four children.

__Learn Something New This Christmas__

We hate to admit it, but after years, sometimes even decades, of reading the same Luke 2 story of Christmas, we get a little bored—we lose some of the awe we ought to have when discussing the greatest miracle in history. That's why The Characters of Christmas was written, to help you take a fresh look at the Christmas story by getting to know the minor characters that played a part in Jesus' birth, such as Zechariah and Elizabeth, the Shepherds, and Herod.

As you slow down, engage your imagination, and enter into the stories of these women and men, you'll see the most important character—Jesus Christ—with new eyes. And with discussion questions and a Christmas song suggestion at the end of each chapter, it's perfect for engaging your whole family.

Break free from the familiar, and discover something you never knew about the story you've always heard.

Endorsements for The Characters of Christmas

We get to enjoy Christmas only once a year, so let's enjoy it to the hilt! Daniel Darling will help you savor your Christmas more richly with The Characters of Christmas. What I love about this book is how Dan helps us get past the Christmas story stereotypes. Instead, he shows us "something wonderfully ordinary" about each person in the story—except for Jesus, the extraordinary Friend of ordinary sinners like us.

__Ray Ortlund__  
Renewal Ministries  
Nashville

An elegant, rich mixture of how almighty God used common people with uncommon faith to invade humanity and display His grandeur. The Characters of Christmas provides a fresh introduction to those who helped make Christmas famous. You'll never think of Joseph, Mary, Herod ("The Monster of Christmas"), and the surprising members of Jesus' family in the same way. Several of Dan's chapters would make dinner table reading in the weeks leading up to the celebration of Jesus' arrival.

__Dennis Rainey__  
Cofounder, FamilyLife

This book offers fresh insights on a familiar story that will bring meaning to the season.

__Nancy Guthrie__ Author and Bible teacher

One of the most wonderful qualities of Scripture is how utterly human its characters are. People with complex stories of deep sorrow and unquenchable hope are pursued and found by the God who made them, and restored by the Messiah who redeems them. Dan Darling does a wonderful service here to both the biblical text and the reader by mining the details and illuminating the significance of the key figures found in the story of the Savior's birth. Read this one every year.

__Russ Ramsey__  
Pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville Tennessee  
Author of The Advent of the Lamb of God

In The Characters of Christmas, Daniel Darling invites us to look fresh at the Nativity story through the stories of the ordinary characters who represent each of us so well. Pick up this book and put yourself in the shoes of Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, the shepherds, and others, and you'll find your gaze redirected to the One who brings meaning to our Christmas: Jesus.

__Asheritah Ciuciu__ Bestselling author of Unwrapping the Names of Jesus and founder of One Thing Alone Ministries

Often the personalities in Scripture we think we know the best are the ones we least understand, most especially the characters of the Christmas stories. Dan listens to their lives in a fresh way in the pages of this book and every Christmas from now on will be better for it.

__Michael Card__  
Songwriter, Bible teacher

Daniel Darling retells the familiar Christmas story with wonderful freshness and warmth, relating how the characters to whom we point are themselves pointing to Another. This is more than another sentimental reimagining of shepherds in bathrobes and angels with plastic wings; it is a celebration of the glory of God being poured out of earthen vessels that make His grace shine by the reality of how unlikely they are to be carriers of it.

__Bryan Chapell__  
Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA)

__Learn Something New This Christmas__

We hate to admit it, but after reading the same Luke 2 story of Christmas for years—or even decades— we get a little bored. We lose some of the awe we ought to have when contemplating the greatest miracle in history. That's why The Characters of Christmas was written, to help you take a fresh look at the Christmas story by getting to know the minor characters that played a part in Jesus' birth.

You'll read about:

- Joseph
- Zechariah and Elizabeth
- Mary
- The Angels
- The Innkeeper
- The Shepherds
- The Wise Men
- Herod
- Simeon and Anna
- Jesus's Surprising Ancestors

And as you slow down, engage your imagination, and enter into the stories of these men and women, you'll see the most important character—Jesus Christ—with new eyes. And with discussion questions and a Christmas song suggestion at the end of each chapter, it's perfect for engaging your whole family.

Break free from the familiar, and discover untold treasures in the story you thought you knew.

__Learn Something New This Christmas__

Every year we sit around our over-ornamented trees, read the Christmas story (usually from Luke 2), and talk about Jesus and Mary and Joseph. But what about the other guys? What about the shepherds and the wise men, Simeon and Anna, and Herod? What's the deal with those characters? And what can they teach us about Jesus? That's what The Characters of Christmas is all about. Each chapter explores a different perspective on the coming of Christ by looking through the eyes of an oft-overlooked character in the story. You'll learn interesting background information, discover new aspects of the story, and consider questions you never thought about before. You'll be amazed at how God used ordinary, everyday people to bring His Son into the world.

Break free from the familiar this year, and discover something you never knew about the story you've always heard.

"The Characters of Christmas" by Daniel Darling offers a fresh perspective on the Nativity story, exploring minor characters' roles. Includes discussion questions and song suggestions for family engagement.

\["Ready to learn something new this Christmas?","As you get to know new, fresh characters from the Christmas story, you'll begin to see more of Jesus","Break free from the familiar, and discover something you never knew about the story you've always heard"\]

Break free from the familiar with this unique and insightful look at the Christmas story

Valerie Brett

Purchased this for our weekly home group. Due to time pressures we summarised the readings but a great resource. Sparked some interesting discussions

Good

The Characters of Christmas

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