Favored One

by Jennifer A.G. Layte

When an angel tells her that she is favored because Adonai is with her, Miryam isn't sure she wants such a favor. All the people in the Tanakh who had known Adonai's presence had also known severe suffering as they brought deliverance to his people. As Miryam accepts Adonai's mission to bear the Messiah in the face of her own fears and misgivings, she learns for herself greater joys and suffering than even she had imagined. But she also begins to see the deliverance--not just of her people, but of the entire world.

328 pages, Paperback

Published July 16, 2019

About the author

Jennifer A. G. Layte was four years old when she first told her mother she wanted to write stories. Since then, she has found both more and less traditional ways to do that. She is the author of three books and is the founder of The Pilgrimage—a Jesus-centered online spiritual formation community, created especially to tend to the stories of those who have been hurt by the church or are otherwise struggling in their faith. Jennifer also pastors—to her own surprise—a small historic church in Central Massachusetts.

Jennifer’s training and certification as an Advanced Practice Board Certified Chaplain, a spiritual director, and an ordained pastor have provided her with unique opportunities to work with diverse (on just about every metric) groups of people. The human stories she has carried and the ways she has found of shepherding people through the difficult parts directly influence her writing. Meanwhile, her formal background in literature and theology gives her imaginative ways of retelling the stories of the Bible and of others, encouraging people to live within their own stories better.

Jennifer and her husband Paul live in New England with their two adorable rescue dogs, an impressive garden, and, to their fascination but not always delight, an astonishing array of wildlife.

Reviews

[Kim Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading this amazing retelling of Mary’s story written by a woman after God’s own heart, @Jenn

I am literally blown away. Pun intended.

[Fayelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the summary that this would be Mary's story, I was like, "okay, sure." But I wasn't expecting a story like this. This story is so relatable... like, it never really occurred to me how, as a mom, Jesus might have been. And I say that with all respect. I lay the burden of disrespect on my feelings and goodness, yeah, He would have annoyed me, not doing things as I see fit.

And how people could have been IN His presence and still not believed. Wow.

Mary's insecurities and struggles and continuous doubts and inner conflict were really relatable too. I very much identified with those.

But not to say this is all hard or unpleasant - there is so much joy that is described with a new perspective.

You can tell this book has been very well thought out, researched, organized. It was a joy to read, a quick read, and yet made me think a lot too.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a great deal of sensitivity to the culture and setting of Israel at that time, Jennifer has written a narrative of the life of Jesus of Nazareth that is filled with events and teachings that are familiar to any Bible reader, while also providing deep insight into the thoughts, emotions, and questions that likely filled the heart and mind of Mary, his mother. This book is very thought-provoking and moving. I highly recommend it to any reader who would like to take a fresh look at the biblical account of the life of Christ and the lives of his family and disciples.

[Stephanie Loomis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary, the mother of Jesus, plays a large role in the birth narratives of the New Testament and then only reappears sporadically. What happened in the years between the 12-year-old in the Temple and the 30-year-old itinerant rabbi? Layte chooses an imaginative approach to Mary's life based on the four Gospels, filling in the spaces with relevant cultural practices and the very human experience of mothering. She deftly weaves the narrative to give Mary a full personality, not as a perfect woman, but as one favored by God in spite of her humanness.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historic fiction on the birth, life, death, resurrection & ascension as told from Jesus’s earthly mother Mary. There are biblical facts interspersed with fiction on how the story could have gone, all together it paints a human perspective on God incarnate. A good Advent read.