12 minute read
Advent
The Art of Christmas: Meditations on the Birth of Jesus Jane Williams Jane’s meditations on the birth of Jesus take you deep into the story of the original Christmas as depicted in some of the world’s greatest paintings. These profoundly perceptive reflections on the different ways in which artists have imagined the Nativity will deepen and refresh your appreciation of the real meaning of Christmas, and the message of love, joy and peace that it speaks to all the world.
Music of Eternity: Meditations for Advent with Evelyn Underhill Dr Robyn Wrigley-Carr Beloved spiritual writer Evelyn Underhill believed that God does not just come to us at special times, but is always coming to us. But how do we recognise His coming and make ourselves open to it? In Music of Eternity, Robyn Wrigley-Carr shares a series of meditations exploring the nature of God’s comings. Skilfully weaving together Underhill’s writings with the psalms and short prayers, she shows how, as Christians, we can embrace God’s comings and be transformed by them in order to better love others. These Christian meditations will help you make the most of the Advent season and be more able to connect with God at all times.
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Illustrated in stunning full colour, with famous and lesser-known Western masterpieces, and presented in a small, easily portable format, The Art of Christmas is ideal Advent reading for all art lovers, but also makes a wonderful Christmas gift. Jane Williams’ insightful meditations will not only help you rediscover the spiritual heart of Christmas, but will also give you a deeper, expanded appreciation of the skill and mastery behind these masterful paintings.
News of Great Joy: The Church Times Christmas Collection Each year, the Christmas double issue of the Church Times offers a feast of seasonal reading. News of Great Joy draws together the best Christmas writing by outstanding authors and poets over twenty years to create an ideal Christmas gift and a wealth of material for all who preach or lead worship at Christmas. Including contributions from John Barton, Barbara Brown Taylor, Margaret Barker, Evelyn Underhill, Stephen Cottrell, Tom Wright and more.
The Archbishop of York’s Advent Book 2021
An Advent Book of Days: Meeting the Characters of Christmas Gregory K. Cameron An Advent Book of Days tells the stories of all the characters and creatures that make up the Christmas story, with daily prayers and reflections based on their experiences. Fully illustrated in colour, this rich, seasonal companion combines the Bible, history, art and legend to explore the story of the incarnation.
Pb | 112 pgs | CANTERBURY PRESS REF 5231 RRP £9.99 Aslan £8.99
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The Dawn of Redeeming Grace: Daily Devotions for Advent
Sinclair B. Ferguson An Advent devotional for Christmas that will stir hope and inspire worship. As 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.
Pb | 160 pgs | GOOD BOOK COMPANY REF 5254 RRP £7.99 Aslan £6.99
‘Sinclair Ferguson is a worthy and helpful guide, pointing out insights we may have missed and guiding us toward wonder and worship.’ Nancy Guthrie ‘...written by a wise author offering us rich insights.’ Ray Ortlund
Celebrating Christmas: Embracing Joy Through Art and Reflections Amy Boucher Pye & Leo Boucher Grab a cuppa and sink into a cosy chair as a father-daughter duo leads you into the celebration of Christmas through their art and reflections. Considering not only the story of Mary and Joseph journeying to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, but also our modern-day expressions of Christmas, they bring light and life to what can be a fraught and exhausting season. A book perfect for giving as a gift or using oneself to foster joy and peace.
Hb | 128 pgs | BRF REF 5232 RRP £9.99 Aslan £7.99
The Birth of Christ: Celebrating the Nativity A grand combination of Gospel Text, illustration and music to capture the great story of the birth of Christ. From the Annunciation to Simeon's Prophecy, The Birth of Christ features thirty-four paintings, drawings and etchings from Rembrandt's best known masterpieces in oils, to intimate pen and ink drawings and delicate sepia sketches. This display of beautiful, sensitive and worshipful art will inspire you to engage with the story like never before. The accompanying CD contains a variety of choral music, incorporating a wide variety of classic and contemporary favourites such as: Joy to the World and The First Noel.
The Prince of Peace in a World of Wars: Applying the Message of God’s Love to a Needy World David Kerrigan The biblical title 'The Prince of Peace' leaves us in no doubt that God's purpose in Jesus Christ is to bring peace - universal peace, both with God and with our neighbours. But have we really understood what this peace might look like, especially in a world of wars and suffering? David Kerrigan sees the coming of Jesus at Christmas as central to the divine plan to bring peace to the world.
Pb | 144 pgs | BRF REF 2351 RRP £8.99 Aslan £6.99
The Whole Christmas Story: An Advent Adventure Through Genesis, Revelation, and Points in Between Jo Swinney The Christmas season with all its glitter and promise can throw our brokenness into stark relief. And our pain is not soothed by the overconsumption of mulled wine and cheese or another set of overpackaged toiletries. Advent offers us the chance to come again to the manger, to sit and wonder at the birth of God’s son Jesus, and to receive His gift of shalom – wholeness, healing and peace.
Pb | 144 pgs | BRF REF 5233 RRP £8.99 Aslan £7.49
In Touch With God: Advent Meditations On Biblical Prayers Michael Green & Rosemary Green Make this Advent a time to refresh and enhance your spiritual life by reflecting on some of the greatest prayers in the Bible and the people who prayed them. Abraham, Moses, Hannah, David, Isaiah, Mary . . . This sequence of twenty-five inspiring meditations looks at how our forebears in faith turned to God, both in times of trouble and times of joy and celebration. These deeply prayerful reflections on Scripture will help you get in closer touch with God throughout this Advent season and beyond into the year ahead.
Pb | 96 pgs | SPCK REF 1674 RRP £7.99 Aslan £5.99
The Word Was God: Short Reflections for Advent Andy John A gentle way to walk through the busy days leading to Christmas, with encouragement to slow down and savour the words of one of the best-loved seasonal Bible readings. Refreshment for heart and soul, and inspiration for sharing the good news of Jesus' birth.
Pb | 112 pgs | BRF REF 5077 RRP £6.99 Aslan £5.25
In the Manger: 25 Inspirational Selections for Advent Max Lucado Do you desire to take long looks at Jesus? You can see the world standing tall, but to witness the Saviour, you have to get on your knees. Pastor and New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado invites readers to witness the birth of Christ as they've never seen it before, through twenty-five inspirational selections from his most popular books. Join Mary and Joseph inside a stable, beside a shepherd, at the feet of the King in the manger.
A Shaking Reality: Daily Reflections for Advent Peter B. Price Inspired 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 realisation of our selves' in order to gain a new understanding of God's promise of redemption and release.
Pb | 160 pgs | DLT REF 2396 RRP £9.99 Aslan £7.99
The Adventure of Christmas: 25 Simple Family Devotions for December Ed Drew These simple 10-minute family devotions for Advent, with graphic-novel-style illustrations, explore the Gospel accounts of the first Christmas in an engaging way, and will help families keep Christ at the heart of their celebrations. With all the Bible passages and questions already laid out, you can lead these devotions without needing any extra time to prepare, making family devotional time an achievable joy, not an unrealistic burden. There are different sets of questions for 3-4s, 5-7s, 7-12s, teens and even parents, so the whole family can enjoy looking at the Bible together.
Pb | 128 pgs | GOOD BOOK COMPANY REF 5256 RRP £6.99 Aslan £5.99
Image of the Invisible: Daily Bible readings from Advent to Epiphany Amy Scott Robinson When you hear the name 'God', does an image come into your head? Do you think of him as a shining light, or with a human shape, or as an anchor in the storm, a rock, a fortress? As we look towards celebrating the incarnation at Christmas, we consider how God chose to express himself, in a moment in history, as a tiny baby. But what other images describe God in the Bible, and what can we learn about his character through them? How does an invisible God reveal himself to us in scripture and in Jesus? Amy Scott Robinson, a poet and storyteller, answers this question with imagination and a close reading of the text.
Pb | 160 pgs | BRF REF 2899 RRP £8.99 Aslan £6.99
Repeat the Sounding Joy: A daily Advent devotional on Luke 1 - 2 Christopher Ash In this Advent journey through Luke 1–2, Christopher Ash brings these familiar passages to life with fresh insight, colour and depth. As you soak up the Scriptures, you'll experience the joy of Christmas through the eyes of those who witnessed it first hand, from Mary and Elizabeth to the Shepherds and Simeon. Celebrate afresh the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah in history, and learn what it means to wait for him with joyful expectation today. Each day's reading includes a short reflection, a prayer, a carol, and space to journal, helping you to treasure the Lord Jesus in your heart in the hectic run-up to Christmas.
Pb | 160 pgs | GOOD BOOK COMPANY REF 2904 RRP £7.99 Aslan £5.99
Freedom is Coming: From Advent to Epiphany with the Prophet Isaiah Nick Baines '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. In Freedom is Coming 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.
Tidings of Comfort & Joy: A Christmas Feast of Faith and Fun Pam Rhodes A selection of carols, poems, Bible readings and other inspirational passages, as chosen by Pam Rhodes, a familiar face of the BBC's Songs of Praise. As well as the usual old favourites - from Hark the Herald Angels Sing to the stories of the shepherds and the wise men visiting the baby Jesus - there are plenty of lighter moments, with excerpts from Gervase Phinn's memoirs and funny poems by modern writers. Alongside the items themselves Pam shares some of her own Christmas reminiscences and explores the resonance of the Christmas story for all our lives in her trademark inviting and heartwarming style.
Pb | 256 pgs | HODDER & STOUGHTON REF 1833 RRP £9.99 Aslan £7.50
Comings and Goings: Retracing the Christmas Story Through Place and Time Gordon Giles Life involves many 'comings and goings', as we make our way along the path of faith day by day, guided by God's Holy Spirit. This book of readings for Advent and Christmas invites us to make a journey through time, from the end to the very beginning of all things. The daily reflections work backwards from the traditional Advent focus of the 'Four Last Things'- death, judgement, heaven and hell - via Jesus' life, death and resurrection, to come at last to the incarnation and the events commemorated at Christmas itself. In the following days, the focus turns to Christ as the Word of God, present at the dawn of creation. Along the way, we 'visit' some of the actual Holy Land sites associated with Gospel events, drawing new insights from the familiar stories.
Pb | 174 pgs | BRF REF 4834 RRP £7.99 Aslan £6.75
Humbug and Happiness: An Advent Study With the Classic Movie A Christmas Carol Sheila Jacobs A brand new course to be studied by individuals or groups as a companion to the 1951 classic movie A Christmas Carol (titled Scrooge in the UK), starring Alastair Sim. Using suggested clips from the film alongside Bible-based reflections, prayers and conversation points, Humbug and Happiness considers past, present and future through the expected Messiah, the Jesus of the first Christmas, and his promises for the future, as well as themes of forgiveness, living in the now, and trusting God.
Pb | 112 pgs | DLT REF 2898 RRP £6.99 Aslan £5.99
Keeping Advent & Christmas: Discovering the Rhythms and Riches of the Christian Seasons Leigh Hatts While popular traditions of celebrating Christmas are an integral part of our shared culture, less is known about how other days of the Christian calendar at this time of year are observed and celebrated. Leigh Hatts' comprehensively-researched book helps us to rediscover the Christianbased, seasonal customs buried deep within our culture and church life. Keeping Advent & Christmas is packed with fascinating details about the beliefs, rituals and traditions of liturgical days between 'Stir-up Sunday' and Candlemas.
Pb | 160 pgs | DLT REF 1832 RRP £9.99 Aslan £6.99
