Advent
Showing 151–200 of 212 results
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Light To The Darkness
$21.95Add to cartLight to the Darkness is a fresh interpretation of the well-loved Advent traditionof Lessons and Carols. Replacing the usual scriptural readings from the Old and New Testaments are first-person dramatic monologues based on these and other passages of scripture. Special emphasis is given to the role of the prophets, pointing the way to the Messiah and offering guidance to the Hebrew people, while providing very contemporary guidance for the 21st-century.
With a reading for each day of Advent, churches can choose pieces for their services of Lessons and Carols, while individuals can use the book for private devotions. Suggested music for these services is also included, encompassing a broad range of selections to accommodate parishes? needs and abilities. -
In The Bleak Midwinter
$11.99Add to cartOnce again, well-known and beloved author Herbert Brokering offers spiritual nourishment, this time based on Christina Georgina Rossetti’s Christmas carol, “In the Bleak Midwinter.” This set of forty meditations and prayers can be opened at leisure or followed as a guide to daily devotions. Either way, it is a rich and imaginative reflection on the incarnation as God’s continual gift to us. The overall tone of the book shows the depth and beauty, paradoxes and perplexities of the nativity.
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Womb Of Advent
$17.95Add to cartThis talented and imaginative writer offers a unique perspective on the season of Advent. Along with scripture readings and prayers, he offers four weeks of meditations that focus on the growth of Jesus in the womb of Mary as he approaches the day of his birth, learns his mother’s voice, responds to the presence of light and dark, and begins to position himself for birth.
What does this teach us about our own spiritual journey through Advent? That waiting and preparation is essential to the Christian life. By reflecting on our own birth experiences and Jesus’s own progress through the womb, Christians learn how to remain intimate with God, how to approach the light, and how to get ready for new birth in Christ.
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Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
$17.95Add to cartAdvent and Christmas meditations based on the seasonal hymns of Charles Wesley. Each daily meditation, keyed to the scripture reading for the day and portions of Wesley’s texts, concludes with a brief prayer based on the day’s theme. Reflective material place Wesley within his rich Anglican heritage. Daily readings are between 500-600 words in length.
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Watching And Waiting
$21.00Add to cartAwareness of the liturgical seasons of the year has increased greatly in recent years, as the popularity of the Common Worship Times and Seasons volume has illustrated. Churches are constantly looking for ways to enrich their seasonal celebrations, and the first point of better celebration is better understanding. Of all the seasons, Advent is the least understood, the least studied. An entirely Western phenomenon without much of a preaching or liturgical tradition, it is characterised as much by its folk customs – the advent wreath and the Feast of St Nicholas – as by its biblical themes. Here is a book that helps to create a fuller theology of Advent. Kenneth Stevenson characteristically draws on biblical, historical and liturgical evidence to show how the churches have understood and kept Advent down the centuries, and finds that the season has much to say to contemporary concerns in today’s church and world, from how we do mission to Richard Dawkins’ brand of atheism and a surprising number of issues in between.
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Advent Services
$14.99Add to cart1. 1st Sunday Of Advent – Emmanuel
2. 2nd Sunday Of Advent – Son Of Man
3. 3rd Sunday Of Advent – Example
4. 4th Sunday Of Advent – Lord
5. Christmas Eve – Son Of God
6. Christmas Day – Word Of GodAdditional Info
Includes biblically based sermons, suggested Scriptures, hymns, and prayers as well as litanies for lighting the Advent wreath. These services offer a compelling message of hope during this important church season, when people often visit a church for the first time. Each service focuses on a different aspect of the theme “The Ways We Know Jesus” -
More Services For The Advent Wreath Cycle C
$17.95Add to cartThe Advent wreath is a powerful symbol that draws our attention to the coming of Christ — past, present, and future. But while it’s a traditional element of Advent worship, the Advent wreath is often vaguely linked to the rest of the service, especially for those who follow the lectionary. Building on his successful volume Services For The Advent Wreath, Robert Jarboe offers a wide selection of adaptable resources that firmly place the Advent candles in the context of the day’s scripture readings. There are complete orders of service based on each Cycle C lectionary text for every Sunday in Advent, as well as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Each service is conveniently formatted, with reproducible sheets that can be given to participants as well as bulletin inserts with congregational readings. It’s everything you need to make this important symbol a centerpiece of the worship celebration — all in one place!
Each service includes:
* litanies
* scripture readings
* prayers
* an original musical introit -
6 Advent Plays For Children
$13.95Add to cartSo you’ve just been asked to put together your church’s Christmas pageant — are you feeling overwhelmed yet? Don’t worry… Six Advent Plays For Children provides you with all the tools you need to make this ministry an enjoyable and fulfilling experience for everyone. In addition to six delightful programs designed for children of preschool age through sixth grade (including a synopsis and stage directions), this book provides comprehensive, easy-to-follow guidelines that walk you through the entire process of planning, rehearsing, and presenting your holiday production. There’s even a step-by-step worksheet to keep you organized and on top of all the details. The material is suitable for congregations of any size: props, sets, and costumes are kept simple for maximum flexibility, and most of the programs require no more than a dozen participants. With all these practical resources, your children’s Christmas program this year is bound to be successful — Six Advent Plays For Children has all the help you need in one convenient volume. Copying privileges are included.
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Child Of The Light
$11.99Add to cartIf the Christmas season has become more of a chaotic consumer ritual rather than a nurturing spiritual one, you need this brilliant “Advent Survival Guide!”
If you set aside just 10 minutes per day, Child of the Light will help you find your quiet center amid the stressful flurry of the November/December busyness. As you read the book’s brief readings inspired by the season’s carols and hymns, your spirit will be lifted, and your thoughts will be redirected to the purpose of the season: preparing for the coming.
“Take time for God: that’s exactly the challenge God gives us during this season of preparation,” writes Richardson. “Personally and culturally this time of year already seems to race out of control toward a Christmas finish line. In Advent, we are invited to take time out…. [In] doing so, we nurture our spiritual self, that sometimes fragile part of us who longs for a connection with God.”
The reflections extend past Christmas to Epiphany, January 6, encouraging you to live into the joy of Christmas beyond traditional seasonal celebrations.
A small-group guide is included among the daily meditations, recommended spiritual disciplines for the week, reflection questions, and leader helps. The use of hymns and carols will engage even the most non-musical among us to fully appreciate the lyrical richness of the season.
Long for a more sacred and measured observance this year? Be joyfully carried through the pre- and post-Christmas pandemonium as a child of the light!
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Waiting For The Wonder
$17.95Add to cartImagine the hushed excitement and the vivid anticipation of a child on Christmas Eve. How much more intense that anticipation must have been for those who waited for the wonder of the very first Christmas. From the ancient prophets to the three kings, from the angel Gabriel to the stalwart Joseph, Katarina Katsarka Whitley imagines their astonishment and joy at the events unfolding around them.
In her inimitable style, Whitley places herself in the hearts and minds of the biblical characters-both real and imagined-who played a part in the Christmas narrative. She weaves stories, solidly based in Scripture, at once compelling and thought-provoking. The voices of her characters lead us closer to the Christ Child and deepen the meaning of the season of Advent for twenty-first century readers.
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Run Shepherds Run
$16.95Add to cartThe Advent season is filled with rich themes that have fascinated poets. In Run, Shepherds, Run, Bill Countryman presents a poem a day for devotional reading during Advent and theTwelve Days of Christmas. Readers will find classic poets they know and love, including George Herbert, John Donne, Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson, as well as contemporary poets, known and unknown.
Run, Shepherds, Run includes helpful hints for reading poetry, for those who have less experience reading it than others, as well as useful annotations to help readers with older language that may not have easily apparent meanings for today’s readers.
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Living Between The Advents
$12.95Add to cartAs we prepare each year to celebrate the Incarnation, the Advent season reminds us that we live in an interim period between the First and Second Comings of Jesus Christ. In this book of twelve riveting sermons on a variety of Advent themes (all based on texts from Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary), Michael Ruffin explores the challenges of Christian living in this time between the First and Second Advents — particularly the tension between the modes of patience and action. Though we await Jesus’ return with hopeful anticipation, Advent waiting is active waiting. Ruffin’s messages invite readers to share in the richly rewarding life of faith, while providing abundant comfort and inspiration for those who endeavor to live as disciples of Jesus in the modern world.
Preachers looking for an imaginative illustration or observation to stimulate their sermons will find ample material in this book. But this is much more than just a reference for ministers preparing to preach during Advent — it’s also an excellent resource for spiritual reflections reminding us that the good news in these days between the Advents is that Jesus Christ is Immanuel, God with us.
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Gabriels Horn : Readers Theater For Advent
$7.95Add to cartLooking for something fresh and creative for the Advent season? Here’s a charming set of five lighthearted plays that’s sure to engage audiences and set the holiday spirit while remaining focused on the scriptural message. Written in whimsical rhyming verse, the scenes detail the prophecies of the Messiah and the story of the Incarnation through the interaction of three angels (Gabriel, Wonderful, and, Marvelous) with several biblical characters.
Congregations of any size will find these sketches easy to use — only a small cast is needed, and the readers’ theater format means no extensive costuming or staging is required.
Scenes include:
* Gabriel’s Horn (Last Sunday of Pentecost)
* The Honeymooners (Advent 1)
* The Cleanup Crew (Advent 2)
* The Reading Club (Advent 3)
* Step Up To The Plate (Advent 4)Two of the angel characters reappear after a 33-year “vacation” in “M.I.H. — Missing In Heaven,” an Easter verse drama (also written by Frank Ramirez) included in the CSS anthology Roll Back The Stone.
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More Services For The Advent Wreath Cycle B
$14.95Add to cartThe Advent wreath is a powerful symbol that draws the attention of worshipers to the coming of Christ — past, present, and future. But it can be a challenge to link this traditional element of Advent worship to the rest of the service, especially for those who follow the lectionary. Building on his successful volume Services For The Advent Wreath, Robert Jarboe offers a wide selection of adaptable resources for any size congregation that firmly place the Advent candles in the context of the day’s scripture readings. There are complete orders of service based on each Cycle B lectionary text for every Sunday in Advent, as well as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Each service is conveniently formatted, with reproducible sheets that can be given to participants as well as bulletin inserts with congregational readings. It’s everything you need to make this important symbol a centerpiece of the worship celebration — all in one place!
Each service includes:
* litanies
* scripture readings
* prayers
* an original musical introit -
Faces At The Manger
$19.00Add to cartIn this Christmas classic Barrie Shepherd describes the thoughts, feelings, questions, and dreams of those who gathered around that manger of long ago, as well as the faces that have been there in the centuries since. Through poems, stories and prayers, Shepherd leads the reader to be one of the many who have knelt in worship beside the manger of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
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Living With Hope
$23.00Add to cartAdvent is a time for deepening encounter with reality, including the ultimate reality made manifest in human form at Christmas and Epiphany. This thought-provoking book illuminates biblical thinking with striking new insights from the author’s twin disciplines of theology and science at the cutting edge of physics.
Though daily readings for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany Polkinghorne explores such themes as the end of the world, individual destiny, unseen realities, heaven, hell, and suffering; this is not a book that hides behind platitudes or easy solutions, yet the author offers profound insight into his deep reflections on the nature, meaning, and purpose of creation.
Suitable for individual study, as a guide to prayer during Advent and beyond, or as the basis of small group discussion, Living With Hope offers a unique and inspiring pathway into the coming of Christ in history, in our lives, and in what we shall be.
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While We Wait
$12.99Add to cartThis book offers new ways of connection study participants with their own faith questions. Group members have the chance to look at some biblical figures on whom we don’t always focus during Advent. Somewhat surprisingly, Tamar, Ruth, Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and the Magi ask questions that resonate with contemporary Christians during this season. Designed as a complete Advent study, this book offers readers unique perspectives on the events of Christmas, a fifth session for the week of Epiphany, an introduction to the spiritual discipline of breath prayer, and much more.
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7 Advent Programs For Children
$17.95Add to cartIn addition to seven delightful programs designed for children of preschool age through sixth grade, this book provides comprehensive, easy-to-follw guidelines that walk you through the entire process of planning, rehearsing, and presenting a holiday production. There’s even a step-by-step worksheet to help you keep organized and stay on top of all the details. Each complete script comes with a synopsis and stage directions, as well as an attractive cover that can be reproduced for your program. You’ll find material suitable for congregations of any size; most require no more than a dozen participants. And props, sets, and costumes are kept simple for maximum flexibility. With these practical resources, your children’s Christmas program this year is bound to be successful.
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Virtual Incarnation
$12.95Add to cartIn a time when spiritual hype is rampant and modern Pharisees sometimes seen to drown out all other voices, the quiet, reflective messages of William Kincaid offer a refreshing journey for the soul. His relaxed, conversational style will engage readers, and the insights of this master preacher into both scripture and modern life will leave them thirsting for more. Virtual Incarnation? is a superlative collection of sermons-it is don’t-miss reading not only for ministers and teachers, but also for personal worship and devotions.
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Angel At McDonalds
$7.95Add to cartAngel At McDonald’s is a provocative drama that is a striking parable about belief in something that seems impossible and the courage to do what God commands. Two young women who are decorating a community center in an underprivileged neighborhood encounter three angry toughs who resent the girls’ “kindness.” With the gentle insistence of an angel who gives them an unusual assignment, the girls confront their fear and tell the skeptical ghetto kids about Jesus. And despite initial wariness, the message finds a home in some of their hearts.
This play can be presented as part of a worship service or as the entertainment at a church dinner or other gathering. It can be staged as elaborately or as simply as you wish, and lends itself to a readers’ theater format. Angel At McDonald’s is an excellent discussion starter that is sure to generate many viewpoints about our preconceived ideas of what constitutes “missions.” And it connects the occasion of Christ’s birth to the birth of new spiritual life. With realistic dialogue and situations, it’s perfect for use with teenagers.
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Advent Conversations
$7.95Add to cartIf you’re looking for a fresh way to make lighting the Advent wreath a meaningful and relevant part of the worship service, this is just what you need. Richard Hull has written brief conversational dialogues that relate the wisdom of the prophets found in the Advent lectionary readings to modern life. In each “conversation” two people reflect on the assigned reading and talk about life and faith, leading to the lighting of the candles. The presentations are accompanied by an informative essay explaining the background and history of the Advent wreath. Covering all three lectionary cycles, this is an excellent resource for any size congregation — and they’re also great for devotional use by families in the home. Best of all, the informal tone of the writing will make worshipers feel like participants instead of observers. Use these dialogues to discover ancient truth in a contemporary setting.
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Services For The Advent Wreath
$17.95Add to cartHow does a pastor who follows the lectionary make the Advent wreath relevant to the rest of the service? Here is a very easy-to-use resource which includes every Sunday in Advent, as well as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It provides bulletin inserts, litanies, prayers, scripture readings, and flexible and easy-to-use original choral introits, which can be sung by a choir, ensemble duet, or as a solo.
This resource covers all three years of the lectionary cycle. It is adaptable for any size congregation, large or small.
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Advent Instructor : Reflections On Christmas Symbolism
$8.95Add to cartThe Advent/Christmas season is full of symbols that inspire and instruct us in our understanding of the Christian faith. The information in this book will be especially welcomed by families for nightly stories around the dinner table. It will also be useful for children’s sermons, Sunday school classes or even preparing sermons.
This collection will help enrich readers and listeners awareness of the symbols that surround them during the seasons of Advent and Christmas.
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Lite Worship Services For Advent And Christmas
$8.95Add to cartPopular CSS author Cynthia Cowen returns with three more imaginative programs that will spice up the Advent/Christmas season for any size congregation. Prepare Your Heart For Christmas is a service of carols and reflections that’s perfect for a midweek Advent program. Designed as a youth program, Advent Bells includes a brief skit with bell ringers and unique chorus songs. We Welcome The Light Of Christmas is a memorable family service for Christmas Eve with a humorous sketch about the Good News and a lost Frisbee which has turned into the Christmas star.
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Through The Eyes Of A Child
$12.95Add to cartThe dialogues in this resource are designed for use between a youth and an adult (pastor, parent, or youth leader). Six bulletin formats are included with dialogue scripts.
Worship themes are:
Advent Past, Present, and Future
Jesus Came To Earth
Jesus Will Come Again
Lord Jesus, Quickly Come
Through The Eyes Of A Child (Christmas dialogue)
Through The Eyes Of A Child (Epiphany dialogue) -
Dont Forget The Child
$13.95Add to cartAlex Gondola says that in our modern culture we sometimes “experience Christmas at its worst: overcommercialized, expensive, exhausting, nearly devoid of spiritual significance.” In this collection of twenty cogent and inspiring sermons for Advent and Christmas, he reminds us of the key to putting the season in its proper perspective — “Don’t forget the child!” For it is only when we are drawn nearer to the child of Bethlehem, celebrating the simple beauties of the stable, that we can escape from the rush of the season into the divine light of saving grace heralded by the birth of God’s Son. This volume is an exceptional source of inspiration for sermon preparation, but it’s also excellent for personal devotions exploring the meaning of Advent and Christmas. It’s a great Christmas gift!
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Advent Worship Service
$7.95Add to cartBegin your celebration of the Advent season with this meaningful program that weaves together informative readings, scripture, and familiar hymns with the lighting of the Advent wreath and the “hanging of the greens.” It’s a wonderfully creative way to have members of the congregation participate in decorating the sanctuary while at the same time learning about the symbols of the season. A particularly special touch is the interpretive movement provided for “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The service requires four readers as well as individuals or groups to place the various items.
While it is most appropriate for use in its entirety early in the season, An Advent Worship Service may also be excerpted for use throughout Advent building up to the Christmas Eve service. Worship leaders will find this special program to be a valuable resource in planning services to celebrate the coming of our Savior.
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Holy E Mail Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartMany modern Christians yearn for a deeper spiritual life, a relevant relationship with a God who still matters and who thinks we still matter. However, Dallas Brauninger tells us, we are not good at listening and talking with God. What we are good at is hurling questions at the Almighty — and Brauninger says that questions are what we are all about if we are to continue to grow spiritually. And so is confession. We doubt. We fear. We stretch to the limits of our patience. We wonder if tenacity will prevail or if we will sink. We have moments of bliss and ponder anew the mystery of God. We wonder and grieve about the world.
Brauninger believes that question and confession are two forms of our prayer — and for many of us, these conversations with God are as brief and instant as an e-mail. In Holy E-Mail, she inventively casts fourteen sermons based on Cycle A lectionary epistle texts in the form of extended e-mail messages to God. It’s as if congregations and pastors were privy to someone’s private ponderings that reflect our own spiritual roaming.
This volume is not only a creative resource for preachers; it’s also directed to the everyday person in the pew. Crafted to help hearers connect with God and each other, these sermons address universal queries of the human soul. By uniting sermon with prayer, they’re excellent for use as readings for personal meditation.
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Long Time Coming Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartIt is not God’s plan to take us by surprise. Throughout scripture there is the rolling thunder of the Deity’s voice resounds: “I’m going to do it! Get ready! Pay close attention! Here comes what I promised!” We call such predictions “prophecy,” history written before it happens. And about nothing is God more prophetic, more predictive, than Jesus Christ. (from the Foreword)
In Long Time Coming! Stephen Crotts proclaims the richness of Jesus’ birth. Noting that the Lord always tells us ahead of time what he is about to do, his 14 sermons based on Old Testament lectionary texts examine how God foretold in Isaiah’s prophetic ministry that he would save and redeem mankind.
Sermon titles include:
* Still Small Voice — Isaiah 11:1-10
* When A Halo Slips — Jeremiah 31:7-14
* What Does Your God Say About People Like Me? — Isaiah 42:1-9
* Let Sleeping Dogmas Awake! — Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12) -
Everlasting Light : A Resource For Advent Worship
$12.99Add to cartEverlasting Light is a collection of worship resources that will bring new joy to your Advent worship. Based on the three years of lectionary readings for Advent, including the Sunday after Christmas, services include litanies of light, meditations, candlelighting services, unison prayers, offering prayers, communion prayers, children’s sermon starters, and benedictions. Also included area hanging of the greens service and a candlelighting service for use during the children’s sermon.
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Praying For A Whole New World Cycle C
$14.95Add to cartA history professor told me that the earliest Protestants in America discouraged the celebration of Christmas. “It’s too much fun,” the Puritans reasoned, “and the Gospel of Jesus Christ requires our utmost seriousness.” (from the Introduction)
At a time of year which is often as stressful and exhausting as it is exhilarating, William Carter reminds us that while holiday celebrations will fade into winter gloom, Jesus Christ, the Light that casts no shadow, remains at the center of our faith and lives. This collection of 17 sermons based on the Revised Common Lectionary is for readers who wish to take the Gospel seriously during a season when commercialism and social activities can be overwhelming.
Carter’s messages provide a wonderful interplay between the biblical text and illustrations drawn from contemporary life. He brings the sensibilities of an accomplished jazz musician to the lectionary readings, creating new melodies that arise from the established material — some in counterpoint to the scripture, others elaborating upon the original tune. The sermons of this outstanding preacher are inspiring reading for both clergy and laypeople!
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Presence In The Promise Cycle C
$15.95Add to cartIf we want to know how God will treat the Christian Church, we must look at how God treated the ancient people of Israel. That’s the premise of Harry Huxhold’s 17 messages based on First Lesson texts from the Revised Common Lectionary, which demonstrate that the word and sacrament of Christian worship are as fresh as the promises of hope, providence, salvation, grace, and steadfast love that God first shared with humanity millennia ago.
Titles include:
Days Of Promise — Jeremiah 33:14-16
The Child Of Promise — Isaiah 9:2-7
The Promise Of Baptism — Isaiah 43:1-7
The Fruit Of Forgiveness — Genesis 45:3-11, 15
Keeping The Glow On — Exodus 34:29-35
… and more! -
Stations Of The Nativity
$17.95Add to cartThis devotional guide to the 40 days from Advent to Christmas builds on the popularity of the ancient Christian tradition of walking the Stations of the Cross. Each station includes an opening sentence and a response, a Bible reading, a reflection, prayers, a longer meditation, and a short closing prayer.
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Defining Moments Cycle B
$14.95Add to cartThe Old Testament readings in the lectionary are often neglected during the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany seasons in favor of the more direct and easier-to-preach New Testament passages. William Self brings his creative imagination to these scriptural passages and gives them new life for the preacher.
The sermons of this veteran preacher are written with the pew in mind. They are for people who hurt, for people who wait, for people who face defining moments, and for churches that struggle to proclaim the Gospel. Amply illustrated from life and literature, these sermons can be read for inspiration by lay persons and clergy alike.
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Our December Hearts
$15.95Add to cartThis collection of meditations for the season of Advent examines – in sometimes serious and sometimes humerous fashion – the various emotions that the Advent and Christmas stories stir in us: hope, trust, compassion, as well as fear, doubt, and grief. In language drenched in poetry, Anne McConney explores what it means to gaze into the mystery that is the Incarnation.
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These Are The Candles
$7.95Add to cartHere is a resource that will dramatize the lighting of the Advent candles during your worship service. The lighting of each candle is proceeded by a statement, which the author suggests may be read from offstage.
The series of statements reveal the significance of the traditional Advent characters: the angel, the shepherds, the wisemen, Mary and the Christ child.
This simple but dramatic resource provides an explanation of the deeper meaning of the events preceding Jesus’ birth, as they spell out the relationship of these individuals to Christ, the Light of the World.
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Deep Joy For A Shallow World Cycle C
$15.95Add to cartFor those of you who have come here feeling lost, I have good news for you. For those of you who have come here willing to get lost, I have even better news. The good news is “fear not.” The God we worship specializes in finding lost people. (from Chapter 2)
I would like to invite you to do the most difficult thing that can he asked of our culture, and that is to do nothing. I invite you to approach this night with open hands and hearts and do nothing. (from Chapter 5, Christmas Eve)
I bring you good news of deep joy in a shallow world. No matter how many fears and failures you bring to this place … no matter how difficult it has been to get through an average day … no matter what … God is leading us to deep joy that is eternal in a world that is focused on entertainment. (from Chapter 10)
Dr. Richard Wing captures the listener’s attention from the opening line in each of his sermons. But it doesn’t end there. His gripping messages continue to lift and inspire as he brings new depth of understanding to old texts.
Sermon titles include:
Made New By Interior Design — Luke 21:25-36, Advent 1
Made New By Getting Lost — Luke 3:1-6, Advent 2
Made New By Taking A Different Road Home — Luke 1:39-45, Advent 4
Yours For The Asking — Luke 2:1-20, Christmas Eve/Day
Living By The Calendar Instead Of The Clock — Luke 2:41-52, Christmas 1
Is It Better To Catch Or Be Caught? — Luke 5:1-11, Epiphany 5
… and more! -
Letters From Bethlehem
$7.95Add to cartFive monologues, in the form of short letters, take you into the thoughts and reflections of the traditional Advent figures as they share their experiences with those close to them. The vignettes may be memorized or may be presented in a modified reader’s theater format — the reader actually reading the letter aloud as it is being written.
The letters are from:
The angel to a friend
The shepherd to his family
The wise man to his court
Mary to her mother
Jesus to the childrenEach letter is followed by a hymn suggestion.
These five dramatic monologues for Advent will enrich your worship services.
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Prepare The Way Of The Lord
$12.95Add to cartThose looking for a resource that will deepen and enrich their spiritual life during the Advent/Christmas season will find that resource here. These reflections will strengthen the reader’s mental preparation and will serve as a starling point for prayer and meditation.
Pastors will be helped with themes and illustrations for Advent/Christmas preaching
Teachers will use this material in their classes to help renew the right spirit of Christmas among their students
Those who are seeking a deeper spiritual life will be uplifted and inspired by these daily meditations -
Lift Up Your Heads
$12.95Add to cartAs the year 2000 draws closer the second coming of Christ will get more and more attention by Christians and non-Christians alike. If the past is any indication, speculative notions will be widespread, many of which will contribute to feelings of fear and anxiety at the prospect of an end to our world.
This book aims to help Christians evaluate the many conflicting ideas about the second coming by examining what the Bible actually says about it.
Important reading any time of year, these four chapters especially lend themselves to an Advent bible study for adult classes. Study questions for each chapter are provided at the back of the book.
Pastors will also find it a helpful sermon resource for Advent preaching.
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God In Flesh Made Manifest Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartThe old saw, that the preacher’s task is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, proclaims a profound theological truth. For when we are afflicted, that is when God comforts us. If we are comfortable, God must first penetrate our false security. Only then can the news of the Messiah’s coming strike our ears as a word of comfort. From sermon for the second Sunday in Advent.
Mark Radecke has the ability to do both — comfort and afflict — through his provocative treatment of the lectionary texts for Advent, Christmas, Epiphany and the Transfiguration. His illustrations are often electrifying in their capturing of the Gospel kerygma.
Sermon titles include:
Come, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come!
Would We Rather Be Comfortable Or Comforted
Holy Love And Herod’s Love
Light In Darkness, Speech From Silence
Jesus’ Counter-cultural Sermon
Don’t Sweat The Numbers
Main Features And Coming Attractions -
Empowered By The Light
$13.95Add to cartEach of the 17 sermon topics in this book consists of a charge or a command. We might even call them messianic imperatives. Since Christ has come, will come and is coming, how shall we live? The messages are eminently practical, but they do not constitute a self-help book. On the contrary, the call to be alert, to enlarge our horizons, to live together in harmony, to judge others charitably simply cannot be done in our human strength. The focus centers always on the Son. In a word, we are Empowered By The Light. (from the author’s introduction)
Sermon titles include:
Learn To Wait Creatively — James 5:7-10
Follow The Man With The Plan — Ephesians 1:3-14
Be Charitable In Your Judgment — 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 -
Hope Beneath The Surface Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartOn these pages one encounters the moving image of the holy God with Isaiah in the temple, the powerful call to justice through the thundering voice of Amos, the depth of despair in the heart of Jeremiah and the struggle for faithfulness in the prophetic work of Hosca, Elijah and others.
Underlying every page is the presence of Jesus of Nazareth, who is constantly uppermost as each sermon unfolds. Robinson’s writing. Like his preaching, reveals a person who is in close touch with the common ventures of life, More significantly he is in touch with the common people of the working, playing and suffering worlds. And he is in touch with the verities of the Christian faith.
Reverend Vernon Bigler
Buffalo, New YorkThe gripping illustrations in this book are worth the price alone.
