Advent for the Broken-Hearted

By Joanne Guarnieri Hagemeyer and Mari E. G. Hagemeyer

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit" Psalm 34:18 NRSVUE

This is an Advent devotional to meditate on the themes of sorrow and suffering which are often left out of the Christmas story.

For many people, the Christmas season doesn't feel very joyful. Instead, this is a time of stress, struggle, and grief. When everything shuts down for Thanksgiving, some of us will not have a place to go, or have a table spread for us. When Thanksgiving is over, and our cultural focus fixes on Christmas, some of us will not have a happy family to return to, or have the ability to buy thoughtful gifts for the people we love. Some of us will be alone, and some of us will be left hungry, in our bellies, or in our hearts, or perhaps both.

Maybe this is you, opening this book and wondering if there is anyone who really sees you, who understands what you are going through right now. You may resonate with this saying, from Proverbs:

He who sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on a wound. Proverbs 25:20 (RSV)

We wrote our devotional to help you read and understand the Christmas story in a new way. Each week's study includes material from the Hebrew Bible as well as from the Christian Testament, exploring aspects of Jewish history, the Law, and Jesus's life and teachings which help illuminate and expand our understanding of the downplayed tragedies in the Christmas story.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0G47RGN64
• ISBN13: 9798276279794
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 156 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 8.0"