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Waiting on the Word: A Poem a Day for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany
Advent is a season of waiting and anticipation in which the waiting itself is strangely rich and fulfilling. Poetry can help us fathom the depths of Advent's many dark and light, emptiness and fulfilment, ancient and ever new. For every day from Advent Sunday to Christmas Day and beyond, the bestselling poet Malcolm Guite chooses a favourite poem from across the Christian spiritual and English literary traditions and offers incisive seasonal reflections on it. In the spirit of the season, he blends the familiar and the new, ranging from from spiritual classics such as Edmund Spenser, John Donne, George Herbert and Christina Rossetti, to contemporary voices Luci Shaw and Scott Cairns. His own acclaimed sequence of sonnets for the great Advent antiphons are also included.
176 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 223 reviews
January 6, 2019
The subtitle of this book is A Poem a Day for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. What a pleasant surprise. I am not generally a fan of books that 'explain' poems. I am much happier just reading and rereading a poem. I often distrust poetry analysis. Malcolm Guite expertly explains each poem, yes, but his analysis leads to love. Rather than discuss them academically, he makes you feel that you are just sitting around the Christmas tree discussing things you love. It was really that brilliant. His own Antiphon Sonnets are also quite lovely. This will be a yearly read. I did fall behind at all which I often do with Advent reading.
January 7, 2024
Advent to Epiphany read with some surprising poems included. One to revisit.
2023-2024 revisited. Thankful for the days he has recorded to immerse myself in ear and eye reading.
2023-2024 revisited. Thankful for the days he has recorded to immerse myself in ear and eye reading.
January 6, 2016
Malcolm Guite, in his Waiting on the Word devotional did for my understanding of poetry what rich, creamy butter does to a piece of dry toast. Can't say enough good about this tasty morsel of literary fare. Worth its weight in gold and then some.
April 22, 2025
Guite is Mr. Tumnus! Guiding us into the season through poetry, unveiling the mysteries as a friendly companion and host
/ 4.5
/ 4.5
January 5, 2025
A lovely book to read through the Christmas season. I enjoyed the different types of poetry and how Malcolm Guite didn’t beat the poem to death but gently uncovered the hidden depths for the reader.
January 8, 2025
1/25:
I finished Waiting on the Word this week, a day late and not having made it to every entry between the beginning of Advent and Epiphany, but still better for the effort, better for the intentionality.
This is my second time reading this Advent devotional and I loved revisiting these poems and the accompanying commentary. What stuck out to me most in both years of reading this book is that I love that it continues through Epiphany. In fact, that has ruined all other Advent devotionals for me now. As much as I appreciate the spiritual focus during anticipation of Christmas, I may need it even more in the post-Christmas haze. And it speaks to the deeper meaning behind why we celebrate Christmas, that the birth of Jesus is not the end of the story or even the beginning, but the middle.
1/22:
I thought I would enjoy this book during advent, but I ended up loving it more than I ever expected. The ritual of reading each poem and its accompanying commentary was fantastic for slowing down during the bustle of Christmas. I love that it continued beyond December 25; reading in the post-Christmas haze was perhaps even more meaningful.
I finished Waiting on the Word this week, a day late and not having made it to every entry between the beginning of Advent and Epiphany, but still better for the effort, better for the intentionality.
This is my second time reading this Advent devotional and I loved revisiting these poems and the accompanying commentary. What stuck out to me most in both years of reading this book is that I love that it continues through Epiphany. In fact, that has ruined all other Advent devotionals for me now. As much as I appreciate the spiritual focus during anticipation of Christmas, I may need it even more in the post-Christmas haze. And it speaks to the deeper meaning behind why we celebrate Christmas, that the birth of Jesus is not the end of the story or even the beginning, but the middle.
1/22:
I thought I would enjoy this book during advent, but I ended up loving it more than I ever expected. The ritual of reading each poem and its accompanying commentary was fantastic for slowing down during the bustle of Christmas. I love that it continued beyond December 25; reading in the post-Christmas haze was perhaps even more meaningful.
January 6, 2024
When I first started this I thought it was just a book of Guite’s poems fit for advent and Christmas. It’s actually a collection of poems he chose but didn’t necessarily write. One for each day starting at advent and ending on epiphany. After each poem he talks about them and draws out both spiritual truths and technical aspects from the poem that you might have missed. I very much enjoyed reading this after my Bible every day and I look forward to using his similar book for Lent next month!
February 6, 2017
(3.5) Guite chooses well-known poems (by Christina Rossetti, John Donne, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Samuel Taylor Coleridge et al.) as well as more obscure contemporary ones as daily devotional reading between the start of Advent and Epiphany; I especially liked his sonnet sequence in response to the seven “O Antiphons.� His commentary is learned and insightful, and even if at times I thought he goes into too much in-depth analysis rather than letting the poems speak for themselves, this remains a very good companion to the Christmas season for any poetry lover.
January 7, 2025
Some highlights include, Annunciation by John Donne, Tennyson's In Memoriam XXVIII, and Song of the Shepherds by Richard Bauckham.
December 8, 2022
Beautiful, wonderful, can't recommend it enough or wait to read it again next year! If I wasn't already a Malcolm Guite fangirl (because, I mean, who isn't?) this would make me one. Great poem choices, wonderful sonnets of his own, and fantastic depth of exploration every day. I'm going to miss this daily treat.
January 6, 2025
After really enjoying his lent devotion last year, I decided to go back to his poem a day devotion for the advent season through Epiphany, which is today! Again, I really enjoy how art, music and of course poems can paint such a different often more vivid and true feeling of what Advent means� of what the incarnation means� of taking a story we know so well if growing up in the church and striking it in such new way� which is what we should want because Jesus coming down is crucial to our faith and it should move us deeply.
Especially loved the Christina Rossetti poems and Luci Shaw and the final one today by William Blake was beautiful. Malcom Guite is such a fountain of knowledge for poetry. And poets and takes you so much further as he helps you see what is being said which is really lovely.
Especially loved the Christina Rossetti poems and Luci Shaw and the final one today by William Blake was beautiful. Malcom Guite is such a fountain of knowledge for poetry. And poets and takes you so much further as he helps you see what is being said which is really lovely.
January 6, 2023
An outstanding anthology that made me think, helped me pray, and stretched my imagination.
February 27, 2021
It took me two Advent seasons, plus some, to read Waiting on the Word. It is a contemplative book, the kind where you read a paragraph and then stare out the window and ponder. The kind where hours later while your fingers are punching numbers, your mind is still ruminating about wrapped and rapt. Guite's commentary opened up poems and took me deeper than my own study could.
My favorite poems, by far, were Guite's "O Antiphons", based on the seven Advent prayers of the early church. These prayers are incorporated in the verses of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (a reasonable argument for not skipping verses of hymns � one of my hobby horses). Guite grabs me with phrases like we surf the surface of a wide-screen world / And find no virtue in the virtual.
One thing troubles me: the exclusive perspective of the Northern Hemisphere. Are people in Brazil and South Africa supposed to sing In the Bleak Midwinter?
My favorite poems, by far, were Guite's "O Antiphons", based on the seven Advent prayers of the early church. These prayers are incorporated in the verses of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (a reasonable argument for not skipping verses of hymns � one of my hobby horses). Guite grabs me with phrases like we surf the surface of a wide-screen world / And find no virtue in the virtual.
One thing troubles me: the exclusive perspective of the Northern Hemisphere. Are people in Brazil and South Africa supposed to sing In the Bleak Midwinter?
December 31, 2023
Malcolm Guite never fails to reignite my sense of wonder in both the written word and the Bible stories that I’ve heard so many times.
December 27, 2023
We enjoyed the variety of poems included, and Guite's insights into them. One star less than five for the simple reason that the book doesn't work especially well as a read-aloud, even just for adults, because the commentary sections are often quite long. Also, it's not the best choice if you have to miss readings here and there, because many of them refer back to previous days' content. As personal devotional reading, and without too many interruptions, it would be fine.
January 8, 2023
I loved this way of celebrating Advent. Reading Guite's words every morning as he unpacked other's poetry, and sometimes shared his own and their back stories--it was all delightful and I already look forward to rereading it next Advent.
January 7, 2018
I have read this book for the last few years during the Advent/Christmas season. And every time I am so inspired. 5 stars once again .
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I don't normally read a lot of poetry. I think I'm going to change that habit this year. As long as I can have access to writers like Malcolm Guite. In this wonderful book, Guite includes a wonderful 1-2 page analysis with each daily reading/poem. There are poems from old greats, such as George Herbert, and more modern ones , like Christina Rosetti, as well as some of Guite's originals. I don't think there was one entry in here that I didn't appreciate!
The commentaries Guite writes are not overly didactic or condescending in any way, so this is not a book meant solely for novices, no. His observations are like meditations, perfect for the Advent/Christmas season, all the way up to Epiphany. Nature lovers, poetry enthusiasts, and contemplatives would appreciate this book a lot. I'm definitely going to be reading more of Guite's works. And I'll be re-reading this one again next year.
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I don't normally read a lot of poetry. I think I'm going to change that habit this year. As long as I can have access to writers like Malcolm Guite. In this wonderful book, Guite includes a wonderful 1-2 page analysis with each daily reading/poem. There are poems from old greats, such as George Herbert, and more modern ones , like Christina Rosetti, as well as some of Guite's originals. I don't think there was one entry in here that I didn't appreciate!
The commentaries Guite writes are not overly didactic or condescending in any way, so this is not a book meant solely for novices, no. His observations are like meditations, perfect for the Advent/Christmas season, all the way up to Epiphany. Nature lovers, poetry enthusiasts, and contemplatives would appreciate this book a lot. I'm definitely going to be reading more of Guite's works. And I'll be re-reading this one again next year.
January 6, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed reading a poem and reflection every day from December 1 through Epiphany. Guite chooses a wide selection of poets, some of whom were actually new to me. It was fun to see a few overlaps between Sarah Arthur's Light upon Light: A Literary Guide to Prayer for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, and at least one poem overlaps with her book for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. I'm sure I'll revisit Waiting on the Word in future years, and it will seem just as fresh as the first time around. Reading a poem each morning was really enjoyable, and I think I'll continue the practice, which will have the double benefit of helping me work on my poetry collection. Guite has long been a favorite of mine, and I enjoy his insight into religious poetry just as much as I enjoy his own poems.
December 24, 2024
I was introduced to Malcolm Guite's poetry in mid-2015. As a result, a renewed interest in poetry grew to the point I wanted poetry to be part of my everyday reading. Waiting on the Word, A poem for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany was a perfect book of poetry to read. I thoroughly enjoyed the lessons Malcom Guite gave for each day's reading. They opened up the meaning of each poem which encouraged me to read more carefully and work a bit harder to understand and appreciate poetry.
Also read in 2018/2019, 2023 and 2024.
Also read in 2018/2019, 2023 and 2024.
January 7, 2021
All I have to do is see Malcolm Guite talking about poetry on Zoom with his hobbit hair and his musical instruments in the background—I’ll start crying.
From his December 2020 Trinity Forum interview: “The only thing that gives me confidence to write poetry is the conviction that the words I use are older and wiser than I am. They’ve been around and they’ve got things to teach me if I’ll only overhear their conversation.�
This Advent anthology was a dear friend the last month.
From his December 2020 Trinity Forum interview: “The only thing that gives me confidence to write poetry is the conviction that the words I use are older and wiser than I am. They’ve been around and they’ve got things to teach me if I’ll only overhear their conversation.�
This Advent anthology was a dear friend the last month.
January 6, 2023
This was a great poetry collection to read during Advent to keep the mind focused on the real meaning of Christmas. Each poem is accompanied by a section explaining it and giving some background on the poets which include famous names like Tennyson, Milton,Coleridge and Blake.
I preferred Janet Morley’s Haphazard by Starlight which I read last Christmas as this one included several by the author but I am looking forward to reading Malcolm Guite’s other poetry book during Lent.
Does anyone have any suggestions for a poetry collection to read next Christmas?
I preferred Janet Morley’s Haphazard by Starlight which I read last Christmas as this one included several by the author but I am looking forward to reading Malcolm Guite’s other poetry book during Lent.
Does anyone have any suggestions for a poetry collection to read next Christmas?
January 17, 2024
Beautiful. Excellent analysis of the poetry, making the season meaningful and rich!
January 6, 2021
By far the best Advent reading I’ve done—good enough that I actually stuck with it!
January 6, 2025
Thoroughly enjoyed this daily read through advent. Engaging, thought provoking, and beautiful.
December 30, 2024
Thoughtful, wise commentary that connected the poems of this collection, not only displaying each as its own masterpiece but showing how together they reveal greater truth and beauty. I enjoyed all, and particularly loved a few poets (Anne Ridler, Scott Cairnes, and John Donne among my favorites). Malcom’s own mini set of sonnets written in response to the Advent prayers ‘O Antiphones� were superb. Will be reading every year!
January 1, 2016
This is a selection of poems with explanatory essays by Malcolm Guite for the season of Advent and Christmas through to Epiphany.
There are some great poems by Rossetti , Donne, Coleridge and Herbert. But there are also contemporary poems by Guite himself, as well as Grevel Lindop and Luci Shaw.
An excellent resource for advent season.
There are some great poems by Rossetti , Donne, Coleridge and Herbert. But there are also contemporary poems by Guite himself, as well as Grevel Lindop and Luci Shaw.
An excellent resource for advent season.
January 7, 2016
A wonderfully diverse anthology of poems, all meaningfully selected and commented on by a great poet himself. The reflections are brief but substantial, balancing the discussion of meaning with poetic form and effect.
January 4, 2023
Lovely, contemplative, inspiring.
January 6, 2025
Waiting on the Word is part poetry collection, part devotional, and part literary criticism. It spans the beginning of Advent through the end of Epiphany, and includes a blend of poetry, new and old. There are classic poems here, from Spenser and Herbert and Donne and the like, some of which are centuries old. There are also contributions from more modern poets, such as Luci Shaw and Guite himself.
While there were many of these poems that I enjoyed, the highlight of the collection for me were Guite’s own sonnets covering the seven Antiphons. These were beautiful, rich with deep theology. I found myself sharing them with my family and friends, and reading back over them often over the course of my time with this book.
Guite did a brilliant job with this compilation. I love the variety found in the poems, and I was very impressed with the literary criticism element. This is the most erudite devotional I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, and I will absolutely be revisiting it during some future Advent seasons.
While there were many of these poems that I enjoyed, the highlight of the collection for me were Guite’s own sonnets covering the seven Antiphons. These were beautiful, rich with deep theology. I found myself sharing them with my family and friends, and reading back over them often over the course of my time with this book.
Guite did a brilliant job with this compilation. I love the variety found in the poems, and I was very impressed with the literary criticism element. This is the most erudite devotional I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, and I will absolutely be revisiting it during some future Advent seasons.
January 13, 2024
A friendly companion to the season. Daily reflections on poems on advent through to epiphany. Brief info about the poem, the author, the context, or the content were helpful but not too much. He still lets the poems breathe. Generally devotional and reflecting the spiritual significance of the season, I really enjoyed including this in my advent this year. Definitely want to use it for the season again.
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