Journey to Bethlehem

A 30-Day Anthology of Classic Christmas Writings 

For centuries, Christians have treasured the same classic hymns and passages at Christmas. While these works have stood the test of time, believers can be tempted to adopt them as commonplace and fail to consider their deeper meaning.  

Journey to Bethlehem presents an insightful selection of Christmas classics from the greatest English and American poets to important historical church figures such as Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and Spurgeon. Ideal for reading during the month of December, yet applicable for use year-round, each of the 30 readings consists of a classic work, literary analysis, takeaway summary, and Bible passage.

Literary expert Leland Ryken analyzes hymns, poems, and prose, highlighting how each passage is edifying and stylistically satisfying. Readers will experience a new fondness for these classic works as they meditate on the mystery of Christ’s incarnation.

1. Opening Credits
2. Dedication
3. Part 1: Christmas Hymns
4. Chapter 1: Joy to the World (Isaac Watts)
5. Chapter 2: Angels from the Realms of Glory (James Montgomery)
6. Chapter 3: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (Charles Wesley)
7. Chapter 4: Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning (Reginal Heber)
8. Chapter 5: It Came upon the Midnight Clear (Edmund Sears)
9. Chapter 6: Once in Royal David's City (Cecil Frances Alexander(
10. Chapter 7: As with Gladness Men of Old (William Chatterton Dix)
11. Chapter 8: Hark! The Herald Angel Sing (Charles Wesley)
12. Chapter 9: O Little Town of Bethlehem (Phillips Brooks)
13. Chapter 10: Silent Night (Josef Mohr)
14. Part 2: Classic Prose Devotionals
15. Chapter 11: Mary, Our Example (John Calvin)
16. Chapter 12: Bethlehem, the Town God Chose (Bernard of Clairvaux)
17. Chapter 13: Journeying with the Wise Men (Lancelot Andrews)
18. Chapter 14: The Paradoxes of the Incarnation (Augustine)
19. Chapter 15: A Christmas Prayer (from Lessons and Carols)
20. Chapter 16: The Greatest Birthday (Charles Spurgeon)
21. Chapter 17: Nicene Creed
22. Chapter 18: On the Incarnation (Athanasius)
23. Chapter 19: The Excellency of Christ Seen in Christmas (Jonathan Edwards)
24. Chapter 20: The Birth of Jesus (Martin Luther)
25. Part 3: Christmas Poems
26. Chapter 21: The Magnifat (the Virgine Mary)
27. Chapter 22: A Humn on the Nativity of My Savior (Ben Jonson)
28. Chapter 23: In the Bleak Midwinter (Christina Rossetti)
29. Chapter 24: The Consecration of the Common Way (Edwin Markham)
30. Chapter 25: A Christmas Carol (G. K. Chesterton)
31. Chapter 26: A Christmas Hymn (Richard Wilbur)
32. Chapter 27: No Room for Jesus
33. Chapter 28: Wilt Thou Love God as He Thee? (John Donne)
34. Chapter 29: On the Morning of Christ's Nativity (John Milton)
35. Chapter 30: Journey to the Magi (T. S. Eliot)
36. Closing Credits