Advent
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Sense Of Wonder
$14.99Add to cartCelebrate God’s presence with all five senses by going on an experiential journey throughout Thanksgiving, Christmas, and into the New Year! Explore 50 Scripture-based devotions with prompts and practices that help recenter your relationships on the newborn King amid the busyness of the season. Enjoy beloved holiday traditions while reconnecting to the God who is in all with your whole mind, body, and soul.
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Perfect Gift : Unwrapping True Joy For Christmas – Morning And Evening Devo
$9.99Add to cartWith all the pressures that come with Christmas, it’s a wonder there’s any joy at all. The Perfect Gift helps you calmly start and end your day with an uplifting five-minute devotion centered on the real celebration of the season: Christ himself. With two entries a day from December 1 to December 25, remember why it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Amid the Christmas chaos, keep your heart fixed on what truly matters.
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Rediscovering Christmas : Surprising Insights Into The Story You Thought Yo
$20.00Add to cartA profound exploration of the Bible’s Christmas story that delivers surprising insights to embrace the ancient wonder of the holiday season.
“If you want this Christmas to be the best ever, read this book. Rediscovering Christmas opened my eyes to a world of meaning I had never known.”-Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of Gates of Fire and The War of Art
Are you tired of feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and empty during the holiday season? Instead of getting caught up in the hustle and bustle, are you ready to slow down, catch your breath, and rediscover the true beauty of Christmas?
This captivating collection of readings explores the intersection where the ancient context meets the present moment. Pastor AJ Sherrill invites you into an experience designed to renew your mind, reawaken your heart, rekindle your awe, and restore your body. Rediscovering Christmas is divided into two sections: Advent, which teaches the purpose of waiting, and Christmas, which reveals the joy of receiving. Through meaningful reflections, practices, and illustrations, you’ll see the diverse characters of the first Christmas in a new light-and comprehend just how their stories intertwine with your own.
Return to its pages year after year, and let it refresh your heart and mind about the wonder of Christmas. Rediscovering Christmas is a timeless companion that will become a cherished tradition in your holiday season.
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Comfort And Joy
$16.99Add to cartConnect with what truly matters this holiday season
In the hustle and bustle of the season’s endless to-dos, it can be difficult to truly connect with what matters-honoring beloved traditions with family and friends, being present in our communities, and experiencing God in the celebration of Jesus’ birth. In Comfort and Joy, authors Sherah-Leigh Gerber and Gwen Lantz offer a unique blend of thoughtful reflections and inspiring spiritual practices grounded in noticing the sacred amid the ordinary. Two friends who forged a friendship and a blog through a shared love of writing, together they bring fresh insight, warmth, and opportunities for spiritual nurture and growth. In these pages, you’ll find ways to engage more deeply with favorite traditions and cultivate creative space for new ones.
With readings to walk through the Advent and Christmas season, the weekly offerings include a variety of devotional meditations and invitations. Scripture texts drawn from A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church by Wilda C. Gafney accompany reflections, journal prompts, and spiritual practices to help us slow down and savor this meaningful and holy Advent journey.
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Christmas Letters Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$15.99Add to cartHear from “those who told the story first.”
The Leader Guide contains discussion questions and session plans for a four-week Advent study. It includes opening and closing prayers, optional activities, and session goals for each week, and is designed to be used with the book and DVD. You may or may not know the story of your birth. If you do, there is something special about hearing your origin story again and remembering how it all began for you. That’s why we observe Advent: to celebrate how it all began for us. In The Christmas Letters, Magrey deVega invites you to hear about the miracle of Christ’s birth from those who first told the story. The letters in the New Testament, known as the Epistles, contain the first attempts by the church to understand and celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation. They point us to the origins of what we believe about Jesus, fully human and fully divine. By spending time with these holy, ancient words this Advent, you’ll come to know the meaning of Christ’s coming like never before. Read the New Testament letters, Romans, 1 John, Philippians, and Colossians as your first Christmas letters of the season and find within them an invitation from God to deepen your understanding of the Incarnation and embrace a fuller commitment to Jesus Christ.
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Christmas Letters : Celebrating Advent With Those Who Told The Story First
$17.99Add to cartHear from “those who told the story first.”
You may or may not know the story of your birth. If you do, there is something special about hearing your origin story again and remembering how it all began for you. That’s why we observe Advent: to celebrate how it all began for us. In The Christmas Letters, Magrey deVega invites you to hear about the miracle of Christ’s birth from those who first told the story. The letters in the New Testament, known as the Epistles, contain the first attempts by the church to understand and celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation. They point us to the origins of what we believe about Jesus, fully human and fully divine. By spending time with these holy, ancient words this Advent, you’ll come to know the meaning of Christ’s coming like never before.
Read the New Testament letters, Romans, 1 John, Philippians, and Colossians as your first Christmas letters of the season and find within them an invitation from God to deepen your understanding of the Incarnation and embrace a fuller commitment to Jesus Christ.
Components available to use this book in a small group study include a leader guide and video available on DVD.
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Merry And Bright
$19.99Add to cartDiscover what it means to come home for Christmas!
As we prepare for Jesus’ arrival, how can we open our hearts and homes to Him and others in a way that adds joyful satisfaction rather than tension and stress? How can we experience Jesus in a way that celebrates the season and offers the respite that Advent promises?
In Merry & Bright, beloved authors Kendra, Kristen, and Julie unwrap what coming home means this Christmas season–for ourselves, our families, friends, and community. Through this beautiful Advent devotional journey, we’ll experience His hope, comfort, love, and joy, with an invitation to share these gifts with the world around us.
By bringing a little bit of heaven down to earth, we’ll find the reminder that we are all invited home for Christmas.
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Advent For Exiles
$19.99Add to cartDo you long for a more honest, imaginative, and Scripture-rich companion for the Advent season? A devotional willing to acknowledge the darkness of exile and the brokenness you see around and within, so you might rejoice more fully in the arrival of Jesus, the Light of the World?
In Advent for Exiles songwriter and storyteller Caroline Cobb weaves together Scripture readings, song lyrics, poetic prose, biblical imagery, and responsive exercises to help you:
*break away from the hurried holiday pace, and daily stoke your anticipation for Jesus’s coming
*engage both your mind and your imagination in the truth of God’s Word
*walk in the shoes of the Old Testament exiles, linking arms with them as they ache for the Messiah
*travel the Advent road from darkness to daybreak, exile to homecoming, and wilderness to a flourishing garden
*explore how the full story of Scripture-from creation to Christ’s return-informs and expands your delight at Christmas
As the darkness of a long night sharpens our longing for the sunrise, this book of daily readings for the month of December will whet your appetite for the promised Messiah and amplify your joy at His arrival.
Come slow your pace, engage your imagination, and feast on the rich and relevant biblical theme of exile: His light shining in our darkness, His seed sprouting green in our wilderness. Allow yourself to experience the ache of Advent, so you might rejoice all the more at the beauty of Christ’s coming!
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Discovering Christmas : A 25-Day Advent Devotional With Activities For Kids
$14.99Add to cartCelebrate this Advent season with Discovering Christmas: A 25-Day Advent Devotional with Activities for Kids! Using four key themes of hope, joy, peace, and love, this interactive retelling of the first Christmas story invites families to focus on the most special reason we celebrate Christmas–the birth of our Savior.
Each day includes a devotion, scripture, conversation prompts, a guided prayer, and a simple, mess-free activity.
Discovering Christmas is perfect for:
*families looking to celebrate the Advent season together,
*teaching preschoolers about Jesus’ birth,
*helping kids create memories and establish a family holiday tradition, and
*keeping little minds busy during Christmas break and quiet time. -
Calling All Angels
$17.00Add to cartStep into Advent with this captivating study and devotional, where angelic encounters come to life, echoing the timeless message of overcoming fear.
What would you do if you were not afraid?
Life can be daunting, filled with uncertainty and fears. It wasn’t any different two thousand years ago when Jesus was born. An aged priest is told he is about to become a father for the first time. A young woman is told she is going to give birth – outside the protection of marriage. A simple carpenter is asked to believe the impossible. A group of shepherds’ night on a hill is interrupted by a bright host of angels in the sky.
Yet, each of these encounters begins with the same refrain: do not be afraid.
Those words, though, are not just words of comfort; they are an invitation and a calling from God. In this captivating Advent study and devotional, pastor Erin Wathen challenges us to take this timeless message and apply it to our lives today. Calling All Angels asks us to contemplate what would change in our relationships, vocations, congregations, and communities if we have the courage to overcome our fears like Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, and the Shepherds in the story.
Included in this book are:
Weekly studies perfect for individuals or groupsQuestions for reflection and discussionDaily reflectionsWorship resources including liturgies, prayers, and children’s momentsAn uplifting music playlist to accompany you through the Advent season
In addition to the wealth of resources for group study and worship found within the book, to further enhance your seasonal journey, digital resources, including images for displaying during worship services or group study sessions, a Spotify playlist, and chapter introduction videos from the author are available at www.wjkbooks.com/CallingAllAngels.
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Prepare The Way For The Lord
$18.99Add to cartPrepare to receive Christ this Advent with the message of John the Baptist and best-selling author and pastor Adam Hamilton in Prepare the Way for the Lord.
For centuries, Christians have turned to the story and message of John the Baptist in the weeks leading up to Christmas. In Prepare the Way for the Lord: Advent and the Message of John the Baptist, best-selling author and pastor Adam Hamilton explores the Advent themes of John’s life and ministry, and how John calls all followers of Jesus to prepare our hearts for his coming.
In each of the Gospels, the story of Jesus is intertwined with that of his cousin John, the one whom the prophets foretold would come to “prepare the way of the Lord.” When we hear the message of John the Baptist, it makes us and our world ready to receive Christ.
Chapter topics include:
1. A People Prepared for the Lord
2. God Is Gracious
3. The Fruit of Repentance
4. Witnesses Testifying to the LightTo use Prepare the Way for the Lord as a four-week Advent study, additional components include a comprehensive Leader Guide and DVD/Video sessions featuring Adam Hamilton.
The book includes a link to free downloadable teaching resources for children and youth.
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On The Way To Bethlehem Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$15.99Add to cartThe journey to Christmas begins in Rome.
The leader guide includes four small group sessions complete with prayers, summaries, and discussion questions to inspire active group engagement. It will support group leaders of all experience levels in creating strong learning communities.
On the Way to Bethlehem follows the long journey to Christmas. The story begins in Rome with a decree issued from the seat of worldly power for a census, setting into motion events leading to the birth of the Savior of the world in a town that represents the very opposite of worldly power, Bethlehem.
Author Rob Fuquay provides insight into the geographical and historical significance of Rome, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem, along with the important characters through whom the Christmas drama unfolds. You will be drawn into those places in a way that helps you experience the spiritual truths each location holds. The reflection we give in these places prepares the heart and soul to experience wonder, awe, mystery, and joy.
Chapters include:
*Rome – A Place of Longing
*Jerusalem – A Place of Waiting
*Nazareth – A Place of Simplicity
*Bethlehem – A Place of HumilityComponents available to use this book in a small group study include the book and video available on DVD.
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On The Way To Bethlehem
$17.99Add to cartThe journey to Christmas begins in Rome.
On the Way to Bethlehem follows the long journey to Christmas. The story begins in Rome with a decree issued from the seat of worldly power for a census, setting into motion events leading to the birth of the Savior of the world in a town that represents the very opposite of worldly power, Bethlehem.
Author Rob Fuquay provides insight into the geographical and historical significance of Rome, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem, along with the important characters through whom the Christmas drama unfolds. You will be drawn into those places in a way that helps you experience the spiritual truths each location holds. The reflection we give in these places prepares the heart and soul to experience wonder, awe, mystery, and joy.
Chapters include:
*Rome – A Place of Longing
*Jerusalem – A Place of Waiting
*Nazareth – A Place of Simplicity
*Bethlehem – A Place of HumilityComponents available to use this book in a small group study include a leader guide and video available on DVD.
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Jesus Listens For Advent And Christmas
$17.99Add to cartThis devotional collection of prayers and reflections from Sarah Young’s bestselling Jesus Listens and Jesus Calling prepares your spirit for the Savior’s coming, helps you spend the days of Advent and Christmas with intentionality, and carries you into the New Year with your heart and mind fixed on Jesus.
Enjoy more peaceful moments this holiday season with Jesus Listens–for Advent and Christmas. This inspirational holiday devotional also includes Scripture verses, and words of hope from God’s heart to yours.
Jesus Listens–for Advent and Christmas is ideal for:
*Anyone longing to draw closer to Jesus during the Advent and Christmas season.
*Those who are looking for comfort, calm, and peace in place of the holiday bustle.
*Families who want to cultivate a tradition of Advent prayers and devotions together.This full-color prayer book includes:
*Prayers, reflections, and Bible verses based on the Christmas story and prophecies of Jesus’ birth.
*Stunning seasonal illustrations, making this holiday treasure a beautiful gift or keepsake.
As you pray Scripture throughout this holiday season, you’ll experience not only God’s answers, but also how prayer connects you to God, changes your heart, and brings peace and joy to one of the greatest celebrations of the year.
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Heavens Light Breaking
$19.96Add to cartPrepare your heart for Christmas with Heaven’s Light Breaking a beautiful, giftable 25-day Advent devotional from beloved pastor and bestselling author Greg Laurie.
This Christmas, take time each day to slow down and focus on the joy of the season. In Heaven’s Light Breaking: A 25 Day Advent Devotional, best-selling author and pastor Greg Laurie shares wisdom, Scripture, and prayers designed to help you connect with God and find hope and peace amid the holiday rush.
From the miracle of the virgin birth to the visit from the magi, Heaven’s Light Breaking offers a fresh perspective on the most treasured days of the year. Each of Laurie’s warm and engaging readings will uplift your spirit, inspire your thinking, and encourage you to savor the special nature of the Christmas season.
Whether you read each day’s devotional entry alone or with your loved ones, let the warmth and love of God’s presence fill your heart and soul as you mindfully celebrate Christ’s wondrous birth this advent.
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Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Activity Book
$16.99Add to cartThis is your guide to a complete and creative celebration of the holiday season, filled with crafts, games, recipes, songs, and activities for every day of Advent. The Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Activity Book highlights the significance of the Nativity and meaning of God’s most precious gift.
The Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Activity Book is a journey through the Bible stories in both the Old and New Testaments that lead to Christmas. It includes:
*24 days of crafts along with songs, recipes, and activities to celebrate Advent, with easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions and color photos
*Variations on the activities to make them appropriate and accessible for all ages and families
*A perforated insert with punch-out Jesse Tree ornaments that correspond with the stories of Advent
*A heartfelt letter and reflection from New York Times bestselling author Sally Lloyd-Jones
*All supplies needed are commonly found around the house or easy to obtain.
This Christmas, start new holiday traditions with your family with The Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Activity Book, based on the bestselling The Jesus Storybook Bible, with over 6 million copies sold.
Other titles by Sally Lloyd-Jones include: The Jesus Storybook Bible, The Jesus Storybook Bible Christmas Collection, and Song of the Stars.
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Holy In The Night
$16.99Add to cartListen for the voice of God.
If you approach this Advent season waiting for something–in your life, in your family or community, or in a fractured world–you are not alone. This season reminds us that our waiting is not wasted. Even in our longest nights, divine work endures. What if we were free enough to do the same?
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Drawing on lectionary scripture readings from the Old and New Testaments and the voices of Black and Brown modern-day prophets, author Shannon Dycus offers reflections for each day of the season. Her meditations stretch open possibilities for faithfulness during silence, ambivalence, doubt, and unknowing. This Advent, accept the invitation to witness and know the presence of God amid waiting. Give voice to freedom, grace, struggle, and beauty–to see again the ways that God emerges in this inward season. -
Christmas : The Season Of Life And Light
$20.00Add to cart“O wondrous exchange!”
Of all the seasons of the church calendar, Christmas is the one most recognized and celebrated by our society at large. That means it’s the season we’re most familiar with–but that can also make it harder to see past Christmas’s many cultural trappings to its timeless beauty.
At the first Christmas, God exchanged the glories of divinity for the vulnerability of human existence, uniting himself to us in order to unite us to God. In this short volume, priest and theologian Emily Hunter McGowin invites us into the church’s celebration of that great exchange, in all its theological and liturgical splendor.
Each volume in the Fullness of Time series invites readers to engage with the riches of the church year, exploring the traditions, prayers, Scriptures, and rituals of the seasons of the church calendar.
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Light From Afar
$17.99Add to cartEmbark on a Global Journey through the Season of Advent
Advent is celebrated differently throughout the world. Some cultures barely observe the waiting and focus on the Christmas celebration. Others feel deeply the contrast between present circumstances and God’s promise of a better future, making for a season of fasting and prayer. All of them focus on Christ as the Light of the world.
Light from Afar is a daily Advent devotional that illuminates the season through the unforgettable stories and reflections of four writers from around the world. Authors Nadiyka Gerbish (Ukraine), Joel Bengbeng (Philippines), Claudio Carvalhaes (Brazil), and Sidwell Mokgothu (South Africa) share cultural and religious traditions of the Advent season in their daily reflections. Each day’s meditation includes a scripture reading, a prayer, an opportunity for reflection, and a link to a song from the author’s home country.
The light of the star of Bethlehem has spread around the world. The people who have heard the good news have stories to tell and traditions to share. By joining with Christians from different cultures and countries in prayer, we can experience the hope, love, joy, and peace of Advent, leading ultimately to Immanuel-God with us-on Christmas day.
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Stay Awhile : Advent Lessons In Divine Hospitality
$17.00Add to cartWhile the world tries to rush us into Christmas, decorating the day after Halloween and packing it all up once the gifts are opened on December 25, Advent is a season of preparation that-like our holiday gatherings themselves-takes time and care. Think of the anticipation that comes with hosting loved ones for Christmas dinner: We begin by extending an invitation. We make plans, and as the event draws closer, we begin our preparations. Ultimately, we open the door and welcome our guests, and that is when, finally, we celebrate.
?Advent should feel the same way, a time to make ready for the long-awaited event of Christ’s birth. In Stay Awhile, pastor Kara Eidson presents a banquet table of inspiration for Advent, including weekly reflections for personal and small group use, brief daily devotions, and ideas to involve the whole congregation. Congregational resources include liturgies, sermon starters, children’s moments, and even a no-rehearsals-needed Christmas pageant.
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Radiant Birth : Advent Readings For A Bright Season
$18.00Add to cartThe first Christmas sermon preserved in church history was preached by St. John Chrysostom in AD 386, in which he declared, “Behold a new and wonderful mystery!” In this volume, the Christian literary writers of the Chrysostom Society reflect on Advent and Christmastide as a bright and meaningful season of anticipation and glory. Through forty-two readings from the first Sunday of Advent through Epiphany, contributors prepare us in watchful waiting for the coming of Jesus. We enter slowly so that the familiar can astonish us and become wondrous once again.
Jesus is born in Bethlehem. But not only there. He is also born in us, that we might bear his presence and impart his goodness to the world.
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All Creation Waits Gift Edition
$24.00Add to cartA special gift edition of the bestselling book for Advent that reveals the wisdom and wonder of animals in the natural world
In twenty-five portraits depicting how wild animals of the northern hemisphere ingeniously adapt when darkness and cold descend, we see and hear as if for the first time the ancient wisdom of Advent: The dark is not an end but the way a new beginning comes. Short, daily reflections capture in vivid detail the intricate and astonishing ways that familiar animals, from the honeybee to the porcupine, prepare for winter. Each day’s reading is paired with a charming original woodcut illustration. Anyone who feels tired of the consumer hype of “the holiday season” will be refreshed and awakened to the eternal truth the natural world reveals.
This special gift edition:
*Includes a new introduction, with suggestions for how the book can be used during Advent
*Features inspirational thoughts from men and women through the ages – scientists, poets, and philosophers – who have found God through the beauty of creation
*Includes an Afterword, bringing readers up to date on what has happened since All Creation
*Waits was first published
*Invites quiet reflection during an often-chaotic holiday season
*Prompts meaningful conversations between children and adults, church groups, book clubs, creation care classes, and much more
Written with quiet passion and backed by extensive research, All Creation Waits has captured the minds and hearts of thousands of readers of all ages, from children to adults. Gayle Boss invites us to realize that God can be known in all creatures, and that paying attention to these creatures makes us more fully human, more fully ourselves.
“The practice of Advent has always been about helping us to grasp the mystery of a new beginning out of what looks like death. Other-than-human creatures–sprung, like us, from the Source of Life–manifest this mystery without question or doubt. The more I’m with animals and the more I learn about them, the more I know they can be more than our companions on this planet. They can be our guides. They can be to us ‘a book about God…a word of God, ‘ the God who comes, even in the darkest season, to bring us a new beginning.” –from All Creation Waits
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Comfort And Joy
$14.99Add to cartComfort and Joy speaks to the heart of those who long for hope and to those who find joy in the sacred celebration of Christ at Christmas.
Advent is the period in the Christian calendar that culminates in the celebration of the birth of
Christ. During this holy season of waiting, we reflect, meditate, and prepare our hearts for the coming into the world of the promised Messiah.
Advent reminds us of our longing for light, comfort, love, and joy, the eternal qualities of God.
Advent is a time to look within and listen for the voice of God. Advent responds to our deep
yearning for a closer, more intimate relationship with God through Christ.In this book of devotions, you will find:
*a daily thought
*a prayer suggestion
*a study scripture
*a question for consideration about how God is alive in Christ in your life and in the world.As you read the devotional for each day, may you feel the presence of God in Christ in the love that holds you close at Christmas and always.
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Expecting Emmanuel : Eight Women Who Prepared The Way – An Advent Devotiona
$14.99Add to cartJourney through Advent and Christmas with the women of Jesus’ family line.
Christmas is about so much more than twinkle lights, sugar cookies, and perfect family photos. It’s about the world-changing, transforming, and sometimes messy reality of “God with us.” As we dive deep into the biblical accounts of Jesus’ female ancestors and reflect on God’s presence in their complicated lives, we can begin to release our expectations of a “perfect Christmas” and instead seek the experience of a holy season.
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Through invitational spiritual practices and reflections, this daily devotional centers the stories of five women in Jesus’ genealogy–Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary–plus three additional female figures connected to Jesus’ early life in the days leading up to Epiphany. You will also find resources for exploring the lives of these women in worship, small group, and retreat settings. This Advent and Christmas season, step into the true power of the Incarnation as we journey together to the manger and encounter the omnipotent God who has come to us in the vulnerable Christ-child. -
3 Wise Women
$18.99Add to cartThree very wise women lie at the heart of the First Christmas events: Mary (Jesus’ blessed mother), Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist), and Anna the Prophetess (who waited her whole adult life in the temple, expecting to see the Messiah). In this devotional, covering Advent to Epiphany, each daily devotional is written from the viewpoint of one of the women, beginning with the Scriptural account. Then, steeped in biblical culture and what we know about the women from the Bible, the reader can delve deeper into what these amazing, real-life women may have been experiencing, or pondering, as they journeyed toward the Day of Christ’s Birth and beyond. The struggles and joys of Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna should connect with what most readers experience at Christmas and perhaps, every day. Devotions focus on: Patience, Hope, Faith, Trust, Persistence, Sacrifice, Joy, Grace, Love, Unselfishness, and so on, addressing women’s needs that cross generations . . . and centuries.
The Story of Jesus through the eyes of the three wise women unfolds chronologically, narrated by Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna. When these women connect–Elizabeth in her sixth month of pregnancy, and Mary, newly pregnant by the Holy Spirit–unselfish love and honor lead the women to glorify God and praise him for his age-old plan of salvation. Later, when Anna sees Mary enter the temple for the dedication of Jesus, the Messiah, she realizes the King of Kings is before her. And she knows this is the fulfillment of the prophecies, including “the sword” that will pierce Mary’s heart.
“Pondering” questions invite personal reflection on each woman and on the reader’s own life, and questions provide ample discussion for Bible study groups.
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Holy Disruption : Discovering Advent In The Gospel Of Mar
$15.00Add to cartWhere’s the baby? The Gospel of Mark doesn’t have a nativity story–so where’s the Advent message? It’s in every aspect of Jesus’ life, to his death and beyond.
The Incarnation–God come to earth in human form to be baptized, teach, heal, eat, and die–is what we celebrate at Christmas, and Mark shows us just how radical and celebration-worthy it is!
Holy Disruption presents a fresh understanding of the holiness of Christmas grounded, not in a conventional cozy Christmas message, but through Mark’s disquieting gospel which invites its readers to experience God’s disruptive but transformative love for us and our world.
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Fully Human Fully Divine
$17.99Add to cartFully Human, Fully Divine is an invitation to an embodied Advent. Over the course of four weeks, it encourages us to embrace the experience of the Advent season fully, with our whole selves and remember that Jesus showed us what it meant to be both fully human and fully divine. It challenges us to live right here, right now as we await the birth of the Christ Child, the embodiment of God’s presence in our midst.
During a season that can often become stressful and overwhelming, we are rarely permitted time to be present in our own bodies. We forget that our bodies are blessed and consecrated. God did not create the body to bring us doubt or shame, instead, God created us as living, breathing human beings who have the ability to live wholly-body and spirit together.
In this book, the author, Whitney Simpson, suggests practices that will help us focus on the body God created and embrace what it means to be fully human. By letting go of external demands and giving ourselves permission to be present as we listen for God in our lives, we can learn what it looks like to notice and pay attention to our bodies.
Each chapter covers one week of Advent and each week focuses on one of the following themes: Slow Down and Hope, Simplify for Peace, Sit with Joy, and Savor God’s Love. Within each week are a rotation of daily practices including breath prayer, mindful movement, lectio divina, visio divina (which utilizes beautiful, colorful works of art each week), Christian meditation, creative contemplation, and practicing presence.
The book also includes tips on contemplation beyond Christmas, suggestions for small groups and small-group leaders, and advice on creating safe sacred space for small groups.
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1 Great Love
$21.99Add to cartAnticipate, wonder, and rejoice during the sacred days of Advent and Christmas with this elegant keepsake volume of stories, poems, prayers, and art from beloved writers and artists through the centuries.
This beautifully designed gift book weaves together some of the most cherished literature, scriptures, poems, and songs celebrating the sacred season of Advent and Christmas. From the ancient words of the prophet Isaiah to the timeless writings of Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, Henry Van Dyke, Charles Dickens, O. Henry, G.K. Chesterton, and Gerard Manley Hopkins, to contemporary voices such as Eugene Peterson, Luci Shaw, Gayle Boss, and Nikki Grimes, The Advent and Christmas Treasury provides a diverse and delightful assortment of readings to inspire reflection and bring us back to the real meaning of Christmas.
Perfect for reading aloud as a family, giving to a neighbor, friend, or fellow literature-lover, or simply reading on your own with coffee in hand, this book is an invitation to a slower, more meaningful approach to the season of hope.
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Making Room In Advent
$18.99Add to cartPreparation for the Christmas season can often feel busy and frantic, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
What if we stopped and listened to the movement and unfolding of God’s plan around us? Making Room in Advent is an invitation away from the chaos and into the space where God is at work.
The unfolding of God’s plan often happens in unlikely spaces, both in Scripture and in our own lives. Join Bette Dickinson as she moves through the story of Jesus’ birth and the stories of the many people that were part of the journey. Each page is filled with an original painting that will fill you with hope and wonder during the Advent season. The twenty-five devotionals offer spiritual practices, breath prayers, and reflection questions that allow you to truly make room for God’s work in your life, your community, and the world.
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Let Us Adore Him
$11.99Add to cartWaiting for good things is hard, but it’s also exciting. Advent is the season when we anticipate the coming of Jesus and the promise he brings to the world. In Let Us Adore Him, explore with Samantha Chambo the four traditional themes of Advent (hope, peace, joy, and love) as they are lived out in the New Testament by Jesus and his followers. Learn anew how we are called to be the inclusive, loving body of Christ, a people who live in joy and bring peace to a world that is eager for good news.
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Dawn Of Redeeming Grace
$15.99Add to cartAs dawn broke on that first Christmas morning, the sun rose on a new era: God’s king had come to earth to bring about his kingdom.
Join Sinclair Ferguson as he opens up the first two chapters of Matthew’s Gospel in these daily devotions for Advent. Each day’s reflection is full of insight and application, and will help you to arrive at Christmas Day awed by God’s redeeming grace and refreshed by the hope of God’s promised king.
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Twas The Season Of Advent
$19.99Add to cartBegin a new Advent family tradition with this beautiful celebration of the season! Fill your hearts with joy as you read and reflect on this most special of seasons in our faith.
From Glenys Nellist, the bestselling author of the Snuggle Time and Love Letters from God series as well as the holiday favorites ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas and ‘Twas the Morning of Easter, comes ‘Twas the Season of Advent, a beautiful and heartwarming celebration of Advent that’s perfect for the entire family. Perfect as a family devotional, each day of Advent is celebrated with stories from the Old and New Testaments, highlighting the promise of Christ’s birth.
Written in both prose and poetry, ‘Twas the Season of Advent will engage children and adults alike and become a new holiday tradition for families everywhere!
‘Twas the Season of Advent:
*Written in prose and poetry to appeal to all ages, especially 4-8 year olds
*Brings Advent to life with Scripture as well as the lovely storytelling of Glenys Nellist
*Beautiful artwork done by Elena Selivanova
*Perfect gift for the family as they prepare for the Christmas season
*Portions written in the familiar rhyme scheme of Clement Moore’s Twas the Night Before Christmas
*Cover features spot UV‘Twas the season of Advent, when all through the earth,
People were pausing to ponder Christ’s birth.
The bright lights were hung ’round the doorframes with care
In hopes that Christmastime soon would be there…
Prepare the way for the LORD. Isaiah 40:3Welcome to the wonderful season of Advent! Do you know what Advent means? It means ‘the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event’. Advent is a time when we wait, and prepare for, and look forward to, the arrival of God’s son, Jesus. But the word Advent is part of a bigger word, too. Can you see it in the word Adventure?
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Advent Book Of Days
$16.99Add to cartDrawing from the medieval tradition of the illuminated Book of Hours, Gregory Cameron has created a collection of visio divina for Advent.
The aim of this little volume is to give everyone who celebrates Christmas some spiritual food to nurture them through the journey of Advent.
There is a chapter for each day from December 1 to December 25, with a reflection drawing upon scriptures, history, and legend about the “character” of the day (for example, Gabriel, the Virgin Mary, the Star, the Magi, and of course the Christ Child). The text is augmented by an illustration from the author adapted from famous works of art, depicting various aspects of the Christmas story through the centuries.
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All The Good Devotions For The Season
$11.99Add to cartIn All the Good: A Wesleyan Way of Christmas, a group of diverse Wesleyan scholars will take you on an Advent journey guided by the practices in John Wesley’s means of grace. In four sessions of study, prayer, and conversation, readers will look at preparing the way for God, the discipline of prayer, the substance of good works, and the recognition of God’s presence with us in communities that are called to serve the world.
This Advent learn and practice works of mercy and works of piety examining on how God’s love is embodied in communities of faith in the world.
The devotional contains 28 daily devotions for the four weeks of Advent corresponding to the themes of Altogether Love, Altogether Hope, Altogether Joy, and Altogether Peace. Written by pastors and other leaders, the devotions celebrate and bring together the season of Advent and the best of our Wesleyan heritage.
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All The Good Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartIn All the Good: A Wesleyan Way of Christmas, a group of diverse Wesleyan scholars will take you on an Advent journey guided by the practices in John Wesley’s means of grace. In four sessions of study, prayer, and conversation, readers will look at preparing the way for God, the discipline of prayer, the substance of good works, and the recognition of God’s presence with us in communities that are called to serve the world.
This Advent learn and practice works of mercy and works of piety examining on how God’s love is embodied in communities of faith in the world.
The Leader Guide includes session outline for each group meeting with Scripture, prayer, opening activity, discussion questions, activity, and ending call to action.
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Heart That Grew Three Sizes (Student/Study Guide)
$16.99Add to cartWe don’t know why the Grinch hated Christmas. We just know he did. If we’re being honest, there’s probably something within the Christmas season celebration that awakens a Grinch within all of us. Maybe the gift we unwrap was all wrong, or memories that were supposed to be joyful never were. When everything seems wrong in the world, even joyful celebrations are much too loud.
In his new Advent study, Matt Rawle explores the faith themes in the Christmas classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas including how did the Grinch’s heart grow three sizes come Christmas morning? How did Christmas save the Grinch? Could it be that the very thing we think we hate, is the one thing that changes our life?Rediscover and reinvigorate your Christian faith this Advent and Christmas season and look at this familiar classic through the lens of faith.
Additional components for a four-week Advent study include a DVD featuring Matt Rawle, a comprehensive Leader Guide, and resources for children and youth.
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Surprising God : Advent Devotions For An Uncertain Time
$17.00Add to cartThe world is slowly emerging from the worst global emergency in a century, and the myriad struggles of the contemporary moment-division, isolation, illness, and uncertainty-make living our faith a challenge. For Christians, a number of questions have gained new urgency: Where do we find hope when it seems in such short supply? Where are the signs of God’s peace in this divided world? Where do we find a deeper sense of joy?
Thomas G. Long and Donyelle C. McCray remind us that these are the questions of Advent in their new daily devotional, A Surprising God. Mindful of the stresses of life today in a world torn apart by conflict, marked by political division, and in the midst of a global health crisis, these devotions for Advent and Christmas invite readers to honest reflection on the challenges of being people of faith in this moment. Long and McCray explore what it means to wait for our salvation, to be open to the surprising thing that God is about to do, and to find hope in God’s choice of the small and the insignificant.
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Good Tidings Of Great Joy
$14.99Add to cartEngage with the story of Jesus’ birth in a unique way that’s sure to become a treasured holiday tradition.
His coming went unnoticed by most people, but it was foretold from ages past.
His birth wasn’t announced by royal proclamation, but it was lauded by the angels of heaven.
There were no servants to attend Him, but shepherds left their flocks and wise men left their homes to catch a glimpse of His glory.
At Christmastime, we gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus, an event that forever changed our world–and the hearts of billions. And there’s no better way to get in the true Christmas spirit than to immerse yourself in the story of His coming. Good Tidings of Great Joy is the story of the first Christmas as told by the Bible. Every word comes from the New King James Version of the Scriptures, but elements have been arranged to create one unbroken narrative, ideal for reading.
Thoughtfully designed, this book is the perfect addition to your holiday traditions. Read it together as a family or cozy up near the fireplace by yourself to reflect on the day that the Son of God left His heavenly throne to be placed in a humble manger.
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Shadow And Light
$22.99Add to cartAdvent Doesn’t Have to be Complicated
Whether Christmas is your favorite time of year or you can’t wait for the rush to end, this invitation is for you.
Bestselling author Tsh Oxenreider wanted to stretch Christmas as long as possible. She wanted to be the fun mom with all the cookies and crafts. Yet her efforts always ended in exhaustion and even more confusion about the true spirit of the season.
Tsh longed for something simple and quick, so she created Shadow and Light. She invites you to journey with her through this scripturally based Advent devotional-loaded with reflective thoughts, and simple, doable music, art, and action activities to enjoy with your family. Its encouraging direction will help you make this sacred season a blessing instead of a burden.
Beautifully illustrated, Shadow and Light follows the traditional church calendar with an alternate reading plan for observers of a December 1-25 Advent season.
Let this become your favorite time of the year, as you enter into the joy and journey of Advent.
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Honest Advent : Awakening To The Wonder Of God-With-Us Then, Here, And Now
$19.99Add to cartFor those who are looking for something honest, something real, something with a little more human grit to it and a little less conventional red and green: Honest Advent offers a new kind of devotional.
For too many of us, Christmas has lost its wonder. Maybe for you, the joy of the season is painfully dissonant with the hard edges of life right now. Or maybe you feel wearied by the way Christmas has become a polished, predictable brand. Or maybe this sacred story feels too far removed from our world today, a world that’s hard to make sense of.
But what if the Christmas story is not just something that happened a long time ago . . . but a story that is still happening today? Honest Advent: Awakening to the Wonder of God-with-Us Then, Here, and Now illuminates the astonishing, hope-filled truth that the God who showed up in the hardest parts of our humanity is still doing so today.
From celebrated artist-storyteller Scott Erickson: 25 days of heart-stirring images and thought-provoking meditations to rekindle the wonder of God-with-Us in this season. Honest Advent creates a space for you to encounter the Incarnate Christ in unexpected places: like a pregnancy announcement in an era of political unrest and empirical bloodshed, the morning sickness of a Middle Eastern teenager, and the shocking biology of birth that goes far beyond the sanitized brand of Christmas as we know it.
Then, through powerful benedictions, prayers, and questions for honest reflection, you will discover how the wonder of God-with-Us is still happening today: in your unexpected change of plans, your unaccomplished dreams, your overcrowded lodging, your humble stories of new beginnings. In a world that’s difficult to make sense of, and a season that’s so often overtaken by consumerism, find here fresh eyes to see this powerfully sacred story.
Jesus appeared in a way no one expected: incarnating by way of human vulnerability. He does the exact same thing in our lives today: bringing light and life through our ordinary everyday vulnerabilities.
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25 Days Of The Christmas Story
$12.99Add to cartThis December, spend a few moments of each day leading up to Christmas helping your family focus on the true joys and meaning of Advent with 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experience. This is a devotional perfect for families of all shapes, sizes, and schedules. Each of the 25 days highlights a different person, place, or object from the Christmas story-from the prophet Isaiah to Baby Jesus, from the Christmas star to the gift of frankincense. All devotions include an easy-to-read story, character trait, activity, and more-each designed to reinforce the main theme of the day.
Your family can choose simply to read each day’s story or to go deeper and engage with each day’s features. Either way, parents and children are sure to learn and celebrate the season of Advent together while having fun in the process!
A true heirloom in the making, the book includes pages in the back where parents and kids can record memories of each day’s activities and write journal entries to look back on year after year, Christmas after Christmas.
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Let Us Go Now To Bethlehem
$14.99Add to cartThis charming devotional book takes readers on an inward journey to the miracle of Christ’s birth in the little town of Bethlehem. Many who will read this book probably haven’t actually traveled to Bethlehem. “But that is of little consequence to the adventure of arriving there, to the adventure of discovery that awaits the mystery and wonder in the birth of Jesus,” Todd Outcalt writes. “I hope readers can discover something new that they may have overlooked in the old, old story,” says Outcalt.
Let Us Go Now to Bethlehem contains devotions from Advent through Epiphany. As the Gospel of Luke attests, Let Us Go Now to Bethlehem is both an expectant declaration filled with mystery and faith. Each day can offer these same expectations and wonders for readers if they open themselves to awe and joy.
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Making Room Leader Guide
$15.99Add to cartLearn how to make room in your heart for God and neighbor this Christmas.
Often our Advent preparations have an inward focus as we prepare for the significance of God breaking into our world through the birth of the Christ child. But in a closer examination of the Advent story, we quickly learn that the focus of the coming of the newborn king is outward.
In this book and Advent study, Dr. Ed Robb explores the warmth of welcome at Christmas following interactions with Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and the magi. Just as Jesus made room in God’s kingdom for a host of people that society wanted to leave on the margins, beginning with the appearance of the shepherds, we too should be asking ourselves who we can make room for this Christmas.
Perhaps it is to the people in your community, or the newly immigrated family in town that doesn’t speak your language. Or maybe it’s the next-door neighbor who just settled in from yet another corporate move? The story of Christ’s birth encourages us to widen our borders and increase our sense of community-and make room for others.
The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the four-week study including session plans, activities, and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.
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Emmanuel God With Us
$19.99Add to cart”Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” –Matthew 1:23 KJV
Celebrate God’s greatest gift, Jesus with the entire family this Christmas.
Emmanuel, God With Us advent ornament book is a fun, interactive board book to involve young children with Christmas decorating while celebrating the gifts God gave us in His son, Jesus Christ. There are six removable ornaments for your child to hang on the Christmas tree. To go with each Christmas ornament, there is a short advent devotion, a promise from scripture and a short prayer. It’s the perfect way for the whole family to share the greatest story ever told together this Christmas!
Simply pop out the die-cut ornaments, then add ribbon or hooks and hang them on anything from a Christmas tree to holiday garland! At the end of the Christmas season, simply place the ornaments back into the book and easily pack away. Whether used as a daily countdown or read in one sitting, this advent activity can be reused year after year so you can start a new family Christmas tradition. It’s a meaningful gift for sharing and celebrating Jesus, Emmanuel, the promise spoken, the promise hoped for, and the promise fulfilled with friends and loved ones.
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Let Earth Receive Her King
$11.99Add to cartIn Advent, the church finds itself caught between times. The world’s true King has already come. However, the reign of the King has not yet come in all of its fullness. In response, God’s people fast and wait and pray–and in the waiting we are changed. During Advent, we practice hope, peace, joy, and love–four virtues that grow in us and change us, making room for the new creation.Let Earth Receive Her King will encourage small group engagement, personal reflection, and individual prayer as you progress through the four virtues that mark Advent. In this expectant season we pray, Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Come, and make all things new! Let Earth Receive Her King.
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2000 Year Old Preacher Cycle B
$15.95Add to cart“I am old and ready to die. To be truthful, I have been ready to die for years, but right now, I feel ready as I have never been before.”
This quote was taken from one of David Leininger’s sermons titled “Simeon: A Monologue,” in which he takes at one of the most well-known stories in the Bible, Jesus’ Visit to the Temple, and looks at it from a new perspective. Throughout The 2000 Year Old Preacher, he invites his audience to do the same, observing this holiday season from a new angle.
Consider the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her status as the favored one of God. In his sermon, “Mary’s Complaint,” Leininger references how the favored mother of Jesus does not complain during her complications as she carries the Son of God, but continues to praise His name and remain grateful for the privilege that she had been given.
Leininger uses a variety of topics to ask his congregation to view their lives from a new perspective, using sermons such as:
*Advent 3: Hark the Herald…What? (John 1:6-8, 19-28)
*Nativity of Our Lord: God Bless Santa! (Luke 2:1-20)
*Epiphany 5: Heroines of the Faith (Mark 1:29-39)So take a step back from viewing the forest and look at the trees, have a seat at the feet of God, and experience new worlds that Leininger paints with his words of wisdom throughout The 2000 Year Old Preacher.
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Shaking Reality : Daily Reflections For Advent
$12.99Add to cartInspired by Father Alfred Delp, who wrote a meditation titled “The Shaking Reality of Advent” while imprisoned by the Nazis during WWII, Bishop Peter B. Price has written a series of reflections and prayers to be read on each day of Advent. Each reflection is written that we may be “shaken and brought to a realization of our selves” in order to gain a new understanding of God’s promise of redemption and release.
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Rejoice : Advent In All The Scriptures
$11.99Add to cartTwenty-five Bible meditations based on Scripture verses and teaching nuggets from John Stott, with commentary and prayers from Christopher Wright. Accessible and bite-sized, fresh and exciting, each meditation deepens our appreciation of the timeless spiritual truths of Advent and Christmas.
Introduction: The God who comes and comes – and comes again
Week 1 The God who comes in Scripture’s story
Week 2 The God who came in person
Week 3 The God who came as promised
Week 4 The God who will come in Glory
Immanuel: God with us!
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Wake Up To Advent
$14.99Add to cart‘This is the hour of crisis:
it is high time for you to wake out of sleep,
for deliverance is nearer to us now
than it was when first we believed.’
St Paul’s words of encouragement to the Christians in Rome are the springboard for the Archbishop of York’s Advent book for 2019.
Basing his reflections on the readings and prayers in the Book of Common Prayer, Archbishop Sentamu offers fresh spiritual food for the Advent journey – pressed down, shaken together and running over.
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Road To Hallelujah
$17.95Add to cartDoes the activity and busy calendar of the Christmas season wear you out? Are you always looking for a way to slow down when everyone around you seems to be speeding up? Do you long for the “old days” when faith and family seemed more important than finding that perfect “something” for people you barely know?
The writing team of The Immediate Word has come together to offer a respite from the frenzy of a busy season; to invite you to take some time to ponder the Gift of God to the people of the earth. This daily devotional for the seasons of Advent and Christmas will help to deepen your faith during a period that has become filled with frenetic activity and distractions in our contemporary world. Explore scripture during the season of Advent with the TIW team. Take time each day during this busy holiday season to slow down – becoming closer to God and his son, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.
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Keep Watch With Me
$17.99Add to cartKeep Watch With Me: An Advent Reader for Peacemakers is a collaborative daily devotional featuring diverse contributors: black, white, LGBTQ, Latinx, Palestinian, incarcerated, Native American, Australian, Americans, Irish, South African, clergy, laity, activists, authors, organizers, and more. The season of Advent, as the church prepares for the birth of Christ, is a penitential season of reckoning with our need and the needs of the world. Keep Watch With Me offers stories, reflections, prayers, and spiritual practices to sustain and challenge the faith of those who work for justice and peace, and long for the coming of God with us.
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Freedom Is Coming
$14.99Add to cart‘Comfort, O comfort my people. . . In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord.’
The second part of the book of Isaiah rings with proclamations and prophecies that find their fulfilment in the Gospels and are still being fulfilled by followers of Jesus today.
Nick Baines invites you to think about what it meant for people in Isaiah’s day to be living in exile, and how the prophet encouraged them to keep their faith alive despite the apparent hopelessness of their situation.
At the same time, this book helps you to see the connections between Isaiah’s time and ours, and how his vision of God’s truth and justice spreading throughout the world can comfort, challenge and inspire God’s people now, just as it did back then.
Read this book and find out how you too can become a ‘light to the nations’ as, once again, we approach the celebration of Christ’s birth and the new world that God has promised to bring into being.
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God Is With Us (Large Type)
$11.99Add to cartGod Is With Us, originally published in 2016, invites you to explore your longing for God’s presence through a study of the lectionary Bible readings for Advent and Christmas. The hope of Advent is the fulfillment of that longing; we await the coming of Jesus as Immanuel, God With Us. Each week’s Scriptures call us to praise God as we actively await the coming of Christ and prepare our hearts and lives for his arrival. Through the readings, we hear the invitation to claim and celebrate the new hope we have in Jesus Christ.
The season of Advent offers opportunities to prepare for God’s coming in human form in the infant Jesus and for the fulfillment of God’s kingdom with the second coming of Christ. Hope is the focus of Advent worship, study, and prayer. We will discover the light that began in the manger, which continues as we look forward with hope to Christ’s return.
God Is With Us is based on the Revised Common Lectionary Scriptures for church year A, the first of a three-year cycle of Bible readings. The study includes commentary and reflection on readings from the Old Testament, the Gospels, and the Epistles. It offers the opportunity to explore these Bible readings in a five-session study. It will help participants understand, appreciate, and engage in meaningful and joyous celebrations of Advent and Christmas and to live each day in God’s hope through Jesus Christ.
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God Is With Us
$10.99Add to cartGod Is With Us, originally published in 2016, invites you to explore your longing for God’s presence through a study of the lectionary Bible readings for Advent and Christmas. The hope of Advent is the fulfillment of that longing; we await the coming of Jesus as Immanuel, God With Us. Each week’s Scriptures call us to praise God as we actively await the coming of Christ and prepare our hearts and lives for his arrival. Through the readings, we hear the invitation to claim and celebrate the new hope we have in Jesus Christ.
The season of Advent offers opportunities to prepare for God’s coming in human form in the infant Jesus and for the fulfillment of God’s kingdom with the second coming of Christ. Hope is the focus of Advent worship, study, and prayer. We will discover the light that began in the manger, which continues as we look forward with hope to Christ’s return.
God Is With Us is based on the Revised Common Lectionary Scriptures for church year A, the first of a three-year cycle of Bible readings. The study includes commentary and reflection on readings from the Old Testament, the Gospels, and the Epistles. It offers the opportunity to explore these Bible readings in a five-session study. It will help participants understand, appreciate, and engage in meaningful and joyous celebrations of Advent and Christmas and to live each day in God’s hope through Jesus Christ.
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Wondrous Mystery : An Upper Room Advent Reader
$9.99Add to cartDuring Advent we think about a wondrous mystery: that God chose to become human and lived among us. The Savior of the world was born a vulnerable child. The king who will rule all of creation lies in a humble manger. The Wondrous Mystery invites readers to reflect on several paradoxes that make up the Advent season: light and darkness, peace and strife, solitude and community, simplicity and complexity.
This daily Advent reader incorporates meditations from Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life. Writers include Barbara Brown Taylor, Henri J. M. Nouwen, Esther de Waal, Walter Wink, Sue Monk Kidd, Wendy M. Wright, and other voices from Weavings, which wove together the teachings and perspectives of some of the finest theologians and teachers of Christian spiritual formation.
Compiler Ben Howard writes, “The glory of the Advent season is that it is irrational. It shows us a glimpse of the way that God turns the world and our expectations upside down. . . . In a season filled with the longest, darkest nights, we are told to wait for the coming of the most beautiful light.
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Wondrous Mystery : An Upper Room Advent Reader (Large Type)
$9.99Add to cartDuring Advent we think about a wondrous mystery: that God chose to become human and lived among us. The Savior of the world was born a vulnerable child. The king who will rule all of creation lies in a humble manger. The Wondrous Mystery invites readers to reflect on several paradoxes that make up the Advent season: light and darkness, peace and strife, solitude and community, simplicity and complexity.
This daily Advent reader incorporates meditations from Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life. Writers include Barbara Brown Taylor, Henri J. M. Nouwen, Esther de Waal, Walter Wink, Sue Monk Kidd, Wendy M. Wright, and other voices from Weavings, which wove together the teachings and perspectives of some of the finest theologians and teachers of Christian spiritual formation.
Compiler Ben Howard writes, “The glory of the Advent season is that it is irrational. It shows us a glimpse of the way that God turns the world and our expectations upside down. . . . In a season filled with the longest, darkest nights, we are told to wait for the coming of the most beautiful light.
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Christmas In The Four Gospel Homes
$17.00Add to cartHow might a house look for Christmas based on what each Gospel says about it? In Christmas in the Four Gospel Homes, beautiful illustrations from architect Kevin Burns reimagine each of the four Gospels as a “house,” which the church visits at Christmas. In each section, Cynthia M. Campbell reflects on the distinctive perspective of the birth of Jesus or the incarnation offered by each Gospel. Suitable for individual or group study, Christmas in the Four Gospel Homes creatively reimagines the season and inspires new and exciting reflection for Advent.
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Advent For Everyone Matthew
$18.00Add to cartAdvent for Everyone: Matthew provides readers with an inspirational guide through the Advent season, from the First Sunday of Advent through the Saturday after the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Popular biblical scholar and author N. T. Wright provides his own Scripture translation and brief reflection to guide readers through the season toward the wonder and joy of Christmas. This book is suitable for both individual and group study and reflection.
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Expectant : Advent Meditations
$10.95Add to cartAuthor of What We Do in Advent: An Anglican Kid’s Activity Book looks at Advent through adult eyes – Meditations for each day of Advent – Keyed to Daily Lectionary psalms We don’t like to wait, but the season of Advent is all about waiting–a time of expectation, when Christians have traditionally devoted themselves to practices of prayer and study. This book offers a short meditation for each of the thirty days of the season, from the First Sun-day of Advent through Christmas Day. In the spirit of expectancy, each meditation focuses on seeking and seeing God in the everyday of our ordinary lives, based on a psalm that corresponds to the daily office for the season of Advent. Expectant: Advent Meditations is the perfect seasonal practice companion for spiritual seekers as well as devoted Christians, and ideal for church groups and congregations wishing to hand out a fresh and contemporary Advent resource to members.
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Christmas Journey : Advent Readings And Reflections From The Nativity Stori
$13.95Add to cartThe Nativity Stories were hidden gems in antiquity, and they remain largely unexplored today. Though they appear first in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, they were among the last pieces of the puzzle of Christ’s life to be revealed to the public. The evidence shows that during the three-year ministry of Jesus none of his followers knew about the extraordinary events related in the birth narratives. The claim of his virginal conception, the most highly charged and hardest to substantiate of all the assertions made about Jesus, was held in reserve until decades after his death and resurrection. The publication of the Nativity Stories around AD 80 helped to complete the church’s portrait of Jesus Christ.
Today the Nativity Stories are usually saved for Advent, but since this is such a busy time of year these scriptures are seldom explored in depth. This engaging study takes readers on a journey of daily Readings and Reflections in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. The spiritual riches of the Nativity Stories are revealed through a survey of issues about their impact on our understanding of the divine/human nature of Jesus. Also highlighted is the influential role of the birth narratives on the church’s theology in the period prior to the emergence of Christmas in the fourth century. With a wealth of enlightening discoveries awaiting readers, Christmas Journey is sure to become a meaningful part of their yearly Advent tradition.
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Christmas Journey : Advent Readings And Reflections From The Nativity Stori
$30.95Add to cartThe Nativity Stories were hidden gems in antiquity, and they remain largely unexplored today. Though they appear first in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, they were among the last pieces of the puzzle of Christ’s life to be revealed to the public. The evidence shows that during the three-year ministry of Jesus none of his followers knew about the extraordinary events related in the birth narratives. The claim of his virginal conception, the most highly charged and hardest to substantiate of all the assertions made about Jesus, was held in reserve until decades after his death and resurrection. The publication of the Nativity Stories around AD 80 helped to complete the church’s portrait of Jesus Christ.
Today the Nativity Stories are usually saved for Advent, but since this is such a busy time of year these scriptures are seldom explored in depth. This engaging study takes readers on a journey of daily Readings and Reflections in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. The spiritual riches of the Nativity Stories are revealed through a survey of issues about their impact on our understanding of the divine/human nature of Jesus. Also highlighted is the influential role of the birth narratives on the church’s theology in the period prior to the emergence of Christmas in the fourth century. With a wealth of enlightening discoveries awaiting readers, Christmas Journey is sure to become a meaningful part of their yearly Advent tradition.
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Advent Storybook : 25 Bible Stories Showing Why Jesus Came
$18.99Add to cartAdd The Advent Storybook to your family holiday traditions and enjoy the rich images and thoughtful retellings of ancient stories that feature God’s recurring, faithful promise to rescue us. A simple question at the end of each story helps readers engage in understanding the bigger story God wants us all to know-the good news of Jesus coming to save us. Parents and children alike will delight in the biblical messages of joy, hope, and peace every day as they look forward to celebrating Jesus’ birth.
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Advent Conspiracy : Making Christmas Meaningful Again
$17.99Add to cartAn updated and revised version of a book that has impacted thousands of churches: Are you tired of how consumerism has stolen the soul of Christmas? This year, take a stand!
Join the groundswell of Christ-followers who are choosing to make Christmas what it should be-a joyous celebration of Jesus’ birth that enriches our hearts and the world around us, not a retail circus that depletes our pocketbooks and defeats our spirits. Advent Conspiracy shows you how to substitute consumption with compassion by practicing four simple but powerful, countercultural concepts: Worship Fully-because Christmas begins and ends with Jesus. Spend Less-and free your resources for things that truly matter. Give More-of your presence: your hands, your words, your time, your heart. Love All-the poor, the forgotten, the marginalized, and the sick in ways that make a difference. Find out how to have a Christmas worth remembering, not dreading. Christmas can still change the world when you, like Jesus, give what matters most-your presence.
This updated and revised version, with some all-new content, will share stories of the impact this movement has made around the globe as well as giving individuals and churches even better, more practical help in planning the kind of Christmas that truly can change the world.New introduction, new chapter and changes throughout.
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Awaiting The Already (Large Type)
$14.99Add to cartEach Gospel, in its own way, leads us on the Advent journey of preparation for Christ’s coming. Awaiting the Already, originally released in 2015, takes a tour through the four Gospel narratives that announce Christ’s birth or make way for his ministry. Readers will discover what parts of the Christmas story come from which Gospel, recognizing an invitation from each Gospel writer to prepare for a fresh experience of Christ in the past and the future. This thematic Bible study is designed to be used by individuals and small groups during Advent. In addition to the main content, each chapter offers questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, and a focus for the week. The weekly focus emerges from the chapter content and encourages the readers to engage a spiritual practice or do something specific that will help them grow in faith. The thematic seasonal Bible study series is designed for transformation and for applying the study of the Bible to everyday, practical life experience. It is intended to nurture and encourage faith development and spiritual growth during the season of Advent.
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Advent For Everyone Luke
$18.00Add to cartAdvent for Everyone: Luke provides readers with an inspirational guide through the Advent season, from the first Sunday in Advent through the Saturday after the Fourth Sunday in Advent. Popular biblical scholar and author N. T. Wright provides his own Scripture translation and brief reflection, exploring the Gospel themes of faith, repentance, justice, and celebration.
Wright’s engaging reflections take you on a journey of spiritual enlightenment, guiding you toward the wonder and joy of Christmas. This book is suitable for both individual and group study and reflection.
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Pausas Para El Adviento – (Spanish)
$12.99Add to cartTaking time to pause for a few minutes each day can help us maintain balance in our lives, especially during the Advent and Christmas seasons. In this simple yet not simplistic book, Trevor Hudson focuses on one biblical word of wonder for each day of Advent. His insightful reflections on the word for each day invite individuals and groups to a deeper understanding of Advent. Hudson also briefly explores the lives and thoughts of 4 significant characters in the Christmas story, encouraging us to immerse ourselves in the dramatic story. He offers a simple daily practice that helps us become involved in the Advent drama. Hudson’s minimalist approach and conversational writing lead us to discover how we can open our hearts and lives more generously to God.
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Focus On Jesus Cycle C
$16.95Add to cartEvery time Rev. Derl G. Keefer preaches a Christmas sermon, he asks himself the same question. Why did Jesus come to earth?
It’s the question that Jesus’ earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, must have asked themselves over and over. They struggled to understand why, when he was 12 years old, he would leave their care to join the scholars of the temple.
His answer served to refocus his own parents on who he really was.”Did you not know,” he asked them, “that I must be about my Father’s business?”
The 15 sermons contained in Focus on Jesus will provide four answers to the question of why he came by revealing the nature of the Father’s business as described in the Gospel of Luke:
*Jesus came to be the fulfillment of prophecy.
*Jesus came to be our Messiah.
*Jesus came to be our Savior.
*Jesus came to be the human face of God.This Advent season, utilize Keefer’s clear, simple teaching style in Focus on Jesus to help those seeking Jesus understand who he is, and to reignite the passion that first brought members of your congregation into his arms.
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Advent Of The Lamb Of God
$20.99Add to cartPreface: Telling A True Tall Tale
Part I: Awaiting The Messiah
1. Behold The Lamb Of God
2. Hear
3. Redemption Amidst The Wreckage
4. Number The Stars Of Heaven
5. God Will Provide A Lamb
6. Jacob And Two Women
7. Walking With A Limp
8. Four Hundred Years
9. Blood On The Doorpost
10. The War Within
11. The Days Of The Judges
12. King Saul
13. The Boy-King Of Bethlehem
14. Cast Me Not Away
15. The Edge Of Ruin
16. I Have Loved YouPart II: The Savior Has Come
17. Herod The Great, King Of The Jews
18. The Silence Of The Priest
19. The Ordinary Overshadowed
20. When Joseph Woke From His Dream
21. The Birth Of Jesus
22. Where The Lambs Are Kept
23. One Star Lit For Them
24. The Hearts Of Many Revealed
25. Son Of God, Son Of ManAcknowledgments
NotesAdditional Info
“A page in history was about to turn. Though Israel’s world was in the throes of upheaval, it was only a matter of time before the sun of righteousness would rise. These people needed rescue, but they weren’t waiting for the stars to align or for the political climate to change. They were waiting for God. They were on his timetable. He was sending his Messiah-Immanuel, God with us.”For centuries God’s people awaited the coming of a Savior. In the midst of a world of trouble, they hoped for one who would deliver them from evil and restore them to true life. Would God be faithful to his promises? Pastor Russ Ramsey narrates anew the greatest story ever told-the true tall tale of the coming of the Christ. It’s more than the story of a baby born in Bethlehem; the story encompasses the whole of the Old Testament and all of human history, unveiling God’s longsuffering, loving pursuit of his people. Rediscover how the purposes of God culminated in the coming of Jesus, in twenty-five readings ideal for Christmas or any season of meeting the Savior.Also including The Passion of the King of Glory and The Mission of the Body of Christ, the Retelling the Story series explores the narrative arc of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation in compelling language that is faithful to the text of Scripture. The stories are told afresh to help readers hide God’s word in their hearts by way of their imaginations. -
Wonder Of The Greatest Gift
$34.99Add to cartBased on her bestseller Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, Ann Voskamp expands her presentation of the timeless Advent tradition of the Jesse Tree with this beautiful keepsake book that can be handed down and enjoyed for generations. Each December, families can celebrate the coming of Jesus by opening the book to see a stunning 13-inch, three-dimensional Jesse Tree pop up from the page. At its foot are 25 doors, one for each day of Advent, which hide meaningful, beautifully detailed ornaments-including the Christmas star-that are ready to be hung on the tree. Also inside is a simple devotional book with a reading for each ornament. Create precious holiday memories with The Wonder of the Greatest Gift pop-up book and recapture the sacredness of the Advent season as you celebrate the epic pageantry of the coming of the Messiah.
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Unearthly Beauty : Through Advent With The Saints
$13.99Add to cart“Saints are people of unearthly beauty who show us a deep understanding of the fluid nature of divine grace.’ This warm-hearted book is for those of us who enter Advent longing for spiritual sustenance to balance the worldly charms of the Christmas season. Jesus’ arrival in poverty and vulnerability provoked feelings of unease as well as expectation and hope . . . How will we keep the faith as Christians called to live distinctively in an age of anxiety? Magdalen Smith believes we can be inspired by people from the past – those whose names are familiar or less so – whom the Church calls “saints’. In these wide-ranging devotions, full of contemporary stories and enjoyable cultural allusions, she introduces 24 characters who manifest a mysterious dynamic . . . and enable us to glimpse holiness in a new way. “With heartfelt honesty, clarity and humanity, Magdalen Smith challenges the Church to see the journey ahead with new eyes. This book is a timely prophetic call to be refreshed by our inheritance in ways that renew integrity and hope.’ Libby Lane, Bishop of Stockport “A treasure chest of gems.’ Jill Duff, Director of St Mellitus North West training course
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Wonder Of Advent Devotional
$14.99Add to cartRediscover the heart of the Advent season
As the year comes to a close and the stress and busyness of the consumer Christmas holiday grows, it can be easy to lose sight of what the season really calls us to: worship. In today’s world, is it even possible to slow down, to ponder, to wonder in the coming birth of Christ?
This Advent, recapture the mystery and beauty of the season with The Wonder of Advent Devotional. In this insightful and thought-provoking book, beloved devotional author Chris Tiegreen brings you into a deeper experience of this integral time in the church calendar. After completing a week of short readings to prepare your heart for the Advent season, you’ll journey through December with daily Scripture readings, prompts for reflection, and guided prayer to help you savor this remarkable divine story. With each day, The Wonder of Advent Devotional will reconnect you with what happened in Bethlehem long ago-and experience it anew in your life right now.
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Unwrapping The Names Of Jesus
$13.99Add to cartHelp for focusing on Christ during Christmas
Most Christians agree that Christmas is all about Jesus, but most of us spend little time preparing our hearts to celebrate Him. Why is this? Quite simply, because no one taught us how.
In Unwrapping the Names of Jesus, Asheritah Ciuciu leads readers through the four weeks of Advent (Hope, Preparation, Joy, and Love) by focusing each day’s reflection on one name of Jesus. Each week begins with an interactive family devotional followed by five daily reflections, as well as suggestions for fun-filled family activities or service projects to enhance a family’s Advent experience.
Whether you use this devotional in your own personal worship time or as a tool to engage in family worship during the busy holiday season, you will gain a greater sense of awe and wonder at who Jesus is.
By focusing on the person and character of Jesus throughout the Advent season, your heart will be prepared to rejoice. When you admire a live nativity, sit in a candlelight service, or wake up on Christian morning, you can join the faithful who have gone before us and sing from the bottom of your heart, “O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”
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Look : A Childs Guide To Advent And Christmas
$16.99Add to cartLook! A Child’s Guide to Advent and Christmas presents Advent as special time for waiting and watching-paying attention-to the ways God comes to us.
Told from the point of a view of a child, the story weaves together familiar Advent traditions like the Jesse tree and the Advent wreath, biblical stories and characters, and reflections on what these stories call us to do and be.
This book reassures children of the presence of God in all times and places and invites them to become part of the holy work of making Christ present in the world.
With this new title, author Laura Alary and Illustrator Ann Boyajian add to the Paraclete Press line of children’s titles that are gaining an extensive following in the Evangelical, Catholic and Liturgical markets.
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Advent For Everyone
$18.00Add to cartAdvent for Everyone: A Journey with the Apostles provides readers with an inspirational guide through the Advent season, from the first Sunday in Advent through the Saturday after the Fourth Sunday in Advent. Popular biblical scholar and author N. T. Wright provides his own Scripture translation and brief reflection, helping readers understand Advent in the wider context of God’s love.
Wright’s engaging and accessible writing and imagery help us see Advent both in relation to the Bible’s message and in our own lives today. Each week discusses key themes for the season: thanksgiving, patience, humility, and joy. This book is suitable for both individual and group study and reflection.
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Come Let Us Adore Him
$19.99Add to cartEvery time the Christmas season comes around, we look forward to putting up a tree, giving and receiving gifts, and participating in other traditions that make this wonderful time of year so special. But sometimes the most significant aspect of the season-remembering and focusing on the coming of Jesus-grows old and familiar. In Come Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional, Paul Tripp seeks to recapture our attention and reactivate our awe during Christmastime. Each day is structured like Tripp’s best-selling devotional, New Morning Mercies‚ with a compelling, gospel-centered thought followed by an extended meditation for the day. Each of the thirty-one readings also includes a Scripture reading and notes for parents and children, equipping us to do the one thing that matters each December-celebrating the glory of the incarnation of God’s Son.
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Christmas Gifts That Wont Break Childrens Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$17.99Add to cartGo on an Advent journey with beloved teacher and storyteller James W. Moore, exploring the spirit of Christmas. As you light the candles of your Advent wreath, reflect on the unbreakable gifts that God has given us: hope, love, joy, and peace. And remember God’s greatest gift, who comes to us as a baby and leads us through all the days of our lives. The Children’s Leader Guide contains session plans for younger and older children, including games, activities, craft ideas, and reproducible handouts.
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Christmas Gifts That Wont Break Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$12.99Add to cartGo on an Advent journey with beloved teacher and storyteller James W. Moore, exploring the spirit of Christmas. As you light the candles of your Advent wreath, reflect on the unbreakable gifts that God has given us: hope, love, joy, and peace. And remember God’s greatest gift, who comes to us as a baby and leads us through all the days of our lives. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the five-week study including session plans and discussion questions, prayers, and suggestions for group use.
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Mandalas Candles And Prayer
$12.99Add to cartSlow down, simplify, and add a burst of color to your Advent this year. The spiritual practice of coloring mandalas, lighting candles, and praying regularly can help us stay centered on God during this busy time of year. Based on the four candles of the Advent wreath, this coloring book for adults weaves together the popular practice of coloring with four simple methods of contemplative prayer. Each chapter includes a short vignette, an explanation of the weekly theme and prayer method, a simple candle lighting liturgy, 7 mandalas for each week of contemplative coloring, and a closing prayer of illumination. Let the candles light the way and calm your spirit. Color and pray. And you will experience the most meaningful gift of all-a peace that passes all understanding as you journey toward the manger.
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In Days To Come
$12.99Add to cartA rich observance of Advent and Christmas that extends into the New Year. Many people end their celebration of Christmas on December 25, but George Donigian reminds us that the celebration is just beginning. Donigian offers meditations that begin with Advent and continue through the 12th night of Christmas-January 6 or Epiphany. The meditations, like the surprises of an Advent calendar, touch on many different subjects. Some topics included are “An Editor,” “A Counting Song,” “Prudence,” and “Chrismons.” Instead of putting away the decorations on December 25, celebrate all the days to come!
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All Earth Is Waiting
$9.99Add to cartAll Earth Is Waiting invites readers to explore the familiar Advent themes of hope, preparation, joy, and peace with the heavens and earth in mind. Through her powerful and personal reflections, author Katie Z. Dawson calls us to consider how all creation longs for the coming of Christ, taking seriously the notion that the good news of Christ is good news for all the world. Anticipating in Christ’s birth the reconciliation of the heavens and the earth, Dawson highlights the responsibility to care for this earth in preparation for Christ’s return. This collection of 28 Advent devotions is the perfect companion piece to the book and includes Scripture, reflections, and prayers for each day to help you prepare your heart during the season of Advent.
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All Earth Is Waiting (Large Type)
$13.99Add to cart1. The Source Of Hope
2. Clear The Way
3. Discovering Joy
4. The Peace Of The World
5. The Reconciliation Of Heaven And EarthAdditional Info
All Earth Is Waiting invites readers to explore the familiar Advent themes of hope, preparation, joy, and peace with the heavens and earth in mind. Through her powerful and personal reflections, author Katie Z. Dawson calls us to consider how all creation longs for the coming of Christ, taking seriously the notion that the good news of Christ is good news for all the world. Anticipating in Christ’s birth the reconciliation of the heavens and the earth, Dawson highlights the responsibility to care for this earth in preparation for Christ’s return. This thematic Bible study is designed to be used by individuals and small groups during Advent. Each chapter offers questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, and a focus for the week that will encourage readers to engage a specific act of creation care that will help them apply the week’s lesson. Also included are Advent candle lighting liturgies, a Call to Worship, a Prayer of Confession that can be used throughout Advent, and hymn suggestions for each chapter. These can be used for small group worship opportunities or in corporate worship. -
Pauses For Advent
$12.99Add to cartIn this beautifully minimalist book, Trevor Hudson focuses on one biblical word of wonder each day of Advent. Pausing for a few moments to read Hudson’s meditations on the word for the day will guide readers to a deeper understanding of Advent. Hudson also briefly explores the lives and thoughts of 4 significant characters in the Christmas story, encouraging readers to immerse themselves in the dramatic story. His simple approach provides a doable daily practice and gently leads readers to discover how they can open their hearts and lives more generously to God.
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Turning To The Light
$21.00Add to cartTurning to the Light draws together a collection of profound and beautiful seasonal reflections from the beginning of Advent to the end of Epiphany, by one of the finest voices in Anglican spirituality. Michael Mayne was one of Anglicanisma(TM)s most compelling and attractive voices, a gifted preacher and writer whose works have remained popular. These unpublished writings come from a large archive and are offered as an inspirational resource for preaching at a time of the year when many preachers seek fresh ways of opening up familiar texts. They are also suitable for individual devotional reading. Rowan Williams provides a forward to the collection.
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Coloring Advent
$12.99Add to cartFollowing up to our bestselling Coloring Lent adult coloring book, Coloring Advent offers four weeks of original illustrations and scripture reflections to draw you deeper into the familiar Advent story. From the prophesies of the coming Messiah to the humble birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Wise Men, Coloring Advent offers a colorful and meditative journey through Advent like no other.
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Some Small Heaven
$14.99Add to cartIn this Advent book with a difference, striking reflections and images combine to teach us to discover light in dark times, open ourselves to the possibility of newness and to become bearers of light ourselves. Daily seasonal meditations focus on: Advent as a time of waiting, which can occur in our lives at any time. Whether we are waiting for a darkness to pass or yearning for a light to come, learning how to wait in Advent will enable us better to understand how to negotiate the waiting times whenever they come, and to give that waiting our care and attention. Christmas and its capacity to nurture within us an openness to new possibilities coming into being, unseen, unlikely, unnoticed. We are helped to capture the wonder of God coming towards us, making a home in us. Epiphany, a time of revealing, invites us to look up and look out and see larger patterns at work in our world, to know that how things seem right now is not how they will always be, to see the holy child Jesus as a gift for all. In seeking light we discover how we too can be bearers of light.
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Celebrating Abundance : Devotions For Advent
$16.00Add to cartTo “prepare for Christmas” in our society is to be sucked into a vortex of indulgence, from decor to gifts to calorie-rich foods. Layer upon layer of tinsel, lights, chocolate drizzle, and wrapping paper create the illusion of abundance, disguising the feeling of emptiness in our souls. The arrival of the Messiah, by contrast, is true abundance disguised by the impression of scarcity. Training our eyes to see through the rough stable, the adolescent mother, and the anxious escape to Egypt, we can see in that poverty and powerlessness the wonder of God’s abundant life and grace coming down to dwell among us.
This powerful devotional by best- selling author Walter Brueggemann includes daily reflections on the Scriptures and stories of Advent in order to invite us to see beyond the world’s faux extravagance and realize the true feast laid out before us. Twelve prayers are also included for the twelve days of Christmas.
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All Creation Waits
$18.99Add to cartOpen a window each day of Advent onto the natural world. Here are twenty-five fresh images of the foundational truth that lies beneath and within the Christ story. In twenty-five portraits depicting how wild animals of the northern hemisphere ingeniously adapt when darkness and cold descend, we see and hear as if for the first time the ancient wisdom of Advent: The dark is not an end but the way a new beginning comes.
Short, daily reflections that paint vivid, poetic images of familiar animals, paired with charming original wood-cuts, will engage both children and adults. Anyone who does not want to be caught, again, in the consumer hype of “the holiday season” but rather to be taken up into the eternal truth the natural world reveals will welcome this book.
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Daily Guideposts 25 Devotions For Advent
$4.99Add to cartExperience God’s great love in a new personal way with this Advent devotional drawn from America’s favorite devotional, Daily Guideposts.
Advent is a time of preparation for Christ’s birth. This year, rekindle the hope of the Christmas season with Daily Guideposts: 25 Days of Advent. In just five minutes each day, you’ll enjoy a Scripture verse, a personal story, and a prayer to help you apply the day’s message. Travel with Rick Hamlin as he finds joy in the Advent season through small moments. Learn with Daniel Schantz how the little things we take for granted played important parts in the story of the world’s most extraordinary birth. Find out how Brock Kidd and his family celebrate the birth of Jesus. Learn how Patricia Lorenz increases her joy by giving the gift of herself. And join Mary Brown for a special journey as she ponders the seven “I am” sayings of Jesus.
Join the community of over a million Daily Guideposts readers on this remarkable and deeply personal spiritual journey.
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Underdogs And Outsiders (Large Type)
$13.99Add to cartThe Bible is full of surprises. At every turn, from the beginning of the Old Testament right through the end of the New, we find God working in unexpected, even strange ways to bring about God’s purposes. During Advent, remembering this strange history of God working in our world helps us look forward to the birth of God’s Son, Jesus. As if to remind us of this, the Gospel of Matthew presents a genealogy of Jesus before telling the story of his birth, including subtle references to the times God worked through unlikely people. Matthew names five women in the family tree of Jesus: Tamar, a forgotten daughter-in-law and widow; Rahab, a prostitute; Ruth, a foreigner; the wife of Uriah, an adulteress; and of course Mary, a young virgin. This Advent study explores the stories of each of these five women, showing how they all played a pivotal role in God’s purposes. By learning about these underdogs and outsiders, readers will uncover new dimensions of the story of God’s people and how that story comes into focus in the hope for the Messiah. Through the Old Testament stories the Gospel draws upon, Matthew reminds us to look for God in unexpected places during this Advent season. This thematic Bible study is designed to be used by individuals and small groups during Advent. The font size in this large print version is 14-point for easier reading. In addition to the main content, each chapter offers questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, and a focus for the week. The weekly focus emerges from the chapter content and encourages the readers to engage a spiritual practice or do something specific that will help them grow in faith.
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Underdogs And Outsiders (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThe Bible is full of surprises. At every turn, from the beginning of the Old Testament right through the end of the New, we find God working in unexpected, even strange ways to bring about God’s purposes. During Advent, remembering this strange history of God working in our world helps us look forward to the birth of God’s Son, Jesus. As if to remind us of this, the Gospel of Matthew presents a genealogy of Jesus before telling the story of his birth, including subtle references to the times God worked through unlikely people. Matthew names five women in the family tree of Jesus: Tamar, a forgotten daughter-in-law and widow; Rahab, a prostitute; Ruth, a foreigner; the wife of Uriah, an adulteress; and of course Mary, a young virgin. This Advent study explores the stories of each of these five women, showing how they all played a pivotal role in God’s purposes. By learning about these underdogs and outsiders, readers will uncover new dimensions of the story of God’s people and how that story comes into focus in the hope for the Messiah. Through the Old Testament stories the Gospel draws upon, Matthew reminds us to look for God in unexpected places during this Advent season. This thematic Bible study is designed to be used by individuals and small groups during Advent. In addition to the main content, each chapter offers questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, and a focus for the week. The weekly focus emerges from the chapter content and encourages the readers to engage a spiritual practice or do something specific that will help them grow in faith.
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Prepare The Way
$12.99Add to cartThroughout Advent we read and sing the words Prepare the Way as we make room to welcome the Christ child into our lives once again. We prepare our city streets and buildings. We prepare our homes and workspaces. But sometimes Advent can slip away from us before we can prepare our hearts.
In this 4-week study and prayer book, Pamela Hawkins invites us to prepare our hearts through guided prayer, readings from Isaiah and Matthew, as well as brief reflections on four scriptural themes: Peace, Justice, Fearlessness, and Faithfulness.
Prepare the Way includes these spiritual practices:
Prayers of invocation, intercession, and benediction
Reflection through spiritual reading
Silence
Meditation on scripture
Call to Christian witness and service4 weeks * Includes Leader’s Guide
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Names For The Messiah
$16.00Add to cartIn Isaiah 9:6, a divine utterance is given to us using four royal titles–Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Names for the Messiah ponders each title and how the people understood it then, how Jesus did or did not fulfill the title, and how Christians interpret Jesus as representative of that title.
Christians have claimed from the beginning that Jesus was the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. In this study, best-selling author Walter Brueggemann tackles the questions: “What were these expectations?” and “Did Jesus fulfill them?”
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Ishtars Odyssey : A Storybook For Advent
$18.99Add to cartA new Advent family devotional from the author of Jotham’s Journey! Fourth in a set of Advent adventure books for families, Ishtar’s Odyssey follows the ten-year-old son of a Persian wise man as their caravan follows a star across the desert. Ishtar would just as soon stay in the comfort of the palace, but slowly he learns that there’s much to see, do, and learn in this world that can’t be experienced in school. He eventually meets Jotham, Bartholomew, and Tabitha as he follows his father and uncles in their search for a newborn king.
Arnold Ytreeide’s family advent devotionals have become a much-loved Christmas tradition, enjoyed by multiple generations. With over 100,000 in print they include Jotham’s Journey, Bartholomew’s Passage, and Tabitha’s Travels.
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Sent Youth Study Book (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cart“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them . . . .” -John 17:18 God sent Christ at Christmas. In turn, Christ sends us into the world to be his hands and feet, head and heart. Dynamic pastor Jorge Acevedo leads us on a 5-week Advent journey to discover how, where, and why we are sent. Joining him on the journey are four young clergy including Jacob Armstrong, Rachel Billups, Justin LaRosa, Lanecia Rouse, who challenge us through story, art, and Bible study. The Youth Study Book contains everything needed to conduct a five-week Advent study geared to youth, including current examples that have meaning to young people ages 13-18. Can be used with the adult-level DVD.
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Adventures In Odyssey Advent Activity Calendar
$12.99Add to cartTake the time this Christmas season to connect with your kids in a meaningful way while enjoying a very special Advent in Odyssey! Prepare for Christmas with 25 Adventures in Odyssey activities, devotions, and prayers. Cut out and decorate the paper craft Odyssey town and even make your own Whit and Eugene characters! This Christmas, start a new family tradition and have fun with your friends from Adventures in Odyssey.
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Journey To The Manger Advent Calendar
$12.99Add to cartTake your family on a fun-filled journey to the manger this Christmas season! Learn more about Bible characters related to the Nativity and help teach your children about the true meaning of Christmas. Dive into each day of Advent with devotions and activities that will engage the entire family. Packed full of fun activities, Journey to the Manger Advent Calendar includes an Advent poster, Bible character stickers, readings, kids’ puzzles, and more!
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Finding Bethlehem In The Midst Of Bedlam (Large Type)
$16.99Add to cartChristmas or confusion, Bethlehem or bedlam . . . Which will you choose this year? The truth is, we don’t have to choose, because Christmas always happens right in the midst of our chaos. God breaks into our noisy disorder and is made known in Jesus Christ. Christmas and confusion-weren’t they intimately related at the first Christmas when Jesus was born? Sometimes we forget that. That’s what this study is about-how Christ breaks into our chaos and confusion and brings Christmas-how Bethlehem always happens in the midst of bedlam. The re-introduction of this all-church Advent study, which features a new Leader Guide and DVD, has five sessions-one for each Sunday of Advent and one for Christmas. Each chapter includes questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, a focus for the week, and six daily Bible readings for personal devotional time during the week.
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Advent Presence : Kissed By The Past Beckoned By The Future
$16.95Add to cartAdvent devotion for individuals or small groups, with an Advent poster-calendar sold separately
* Photographs and stories from daily life, for daily Christian living
* Study guide includedAdvent is a time of preparation, of patience, of remembering what grounds and sustains us. Advent reminds us who God is and who we are meant to be. This book offers a new look at Advent by seeing the four weeks through the lens of morning, mid-day, late afternoon and evening, and night. Photographs, stories, and perspectives enrich our travel and invite us to other dimensions of experiencing Advent, as a season and as a resource in our daily living. The book can serve as a devotional for individual or small group study for the Advent season, with a particular focus on the Year C gospel readings from Luke.
For individuals, small groups, Education for Ministry groups
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Finding Bethlehem In The Midst Of Bedlam (Student/Study Guide)
$16.99Add to cartChristmas or confusion, Bethlehem or bedlam . . . Which will you choose this year? The truth is, we don’t have to choose, because Christmas always happens right in the midst of our chaos. God breaks into our noisy disorder and is made known in Jesus Christ. Christmas and confusion-weren’t they intimately related at the first Christmas when Jesus was born? Sometimes we forget that. That’s what this study is about-how Christ breaks into our chaos and confusion and brings Christmas-how Bethlehem always happens in the midst of bedlam. The Children’s Study contains five lessons that delve into the Luke account of Jesus’s birth through an ADVENTure to find Bethlehem. They will have opportunities to really experience the story of Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, the shepherds, and Jesus. The guide is simple to use, and includes reproducible activities for each session.
