Jesus’ birth came after 400 years of silence. God sent no prophet to speak words of reconciliation or judgment. No words of endearment or rebuke. No Moses to rescue his people from enslavement. No Isaiah to unveil centuries of future history. No Malachi to bolster faith.
And then God spoke. Immanuel–“God with us” was born. A story for the ages.
When Matthew and Luke wrote their accounts of God entering human history, they never dreamed we would be reading their stories 2,000 years later. Although the authors carefully set their story in time and place with phrases like, “During the time of King Herod” and “Caesar Augustus issued a decree,” they left out the nuances of their culture and the political climate of the time, things already known by their readers. In fact, they went without saying.
This book is meant to provide all that went without saying to the contemporary readers. In compelling story form, Patti Hill raises the curtain on life in first-century Judea and Galilee. Serve in the temple with Zechariah. Be present at Mary and Joseph’s betrothal. Agonize with Joseph over Mary’s alleged infidelity. Trudge into the hills with the shepherds. And enter Jerusalem with the wise men.
Read Out of the Silence as a novel or read a chapter a day during the month of December to be immersed in the Christmas story all through the season. Patti Hill is the acclaimed author of eight novels, including Like a Watered Garden and Goodness and Mercy.
