Holiday Resources / Christmas & Advent

Despite widespread interest in spirituality, its most common corporate form, congregational worship, is rarely discussed in those terms. This book explores liturgical spirituality as a holy conversation between God and us. Linking the themes of spirituality and worship and giving each needed focus in ways that are biblically and theologically rich and consistent with ecumenical traditions, this book specifically explores the relationship of sacred reading (lectio divina) to worship. Linman sees this practice as one element in the larger liturgical action of Gathering, Word, Meal, and Sending. Our "spiritual worship" (cf. Rom 12:1), he argues, is the holy conversation between worshipers and the triune God who leads us to greater participation in Christ and to transformation through Christ's presence. Raising important issues for worship renewal and interspersed with practical insights and suggestions, this book serves as a primer for those who want to more fully learn how to worship, and, through the power of the Spirit, to deepen their awareness of the encounter with Christ made known in Word and Sacrament.

This collection of litanies, candlelighting services, a hanging of the greens service, and more offers worship resources for the three years of lectionary reading for Advent, including the Sunday after Christmas.

This 4-week devotional will guide and prepare the reader for the celebration of Christmas. Anticipate uses Old Testament prophecies to guide families and individuals as they learn to live into the story of God. Every week a new theme will be explored through daily interactive elements, prayers, and devotional readings. Through the practice of the Jesse Tree, everyone can experience the twenty-five symbols of Christmas each day of the Anticipate journey.

The Oxford Handbook of Christmas provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary account of all aspects of Christmas across the globe, from the specifically religious to the purely cultural. The contributions are drawn from a distinguished group of international experts from across numerousdisciplines, including literary scholars, theologians, historians, biblical scholars, sociologists, anthropologists, art historians, and legal experts. The volume provides authoritative treatments of a range of topics, from the origins of Christmas to the present; decorating trees to eating plumpudding; from the Bible to contemporary worship; from carols to cinema; from the Nativity Story to Santa Claus; from Bethlehem to Japan; from Catholics to Baptists; from secularism to consumerism.Christmas is the biggest celebration on the planet. Every year, a significant percentage of the world's population is draw to this holiday - from Cape Cod to Cape Town, from South America to South Korea, and on and on across the globe. The Christmas season takes up a significant part of the entireyear. For many countries, the holiday is a major force in their national economy. Moreover, Christmas is not just a modern holiday, but has been an important feast for most Christians since the fourth century and a dominant event in many cultures and countries for over a millennium. The OxfordHandbook of Christmas provides an invaluable reference point for anyone interested in this global phenomenon.