Have you ever wished the world was more like a musical, with characters bursting into song at the slightest provocation?
In the nativity story, there are four sudden, Spirit-filled songs from the heart, and they're all still used in the rhythm of liturgy: Zechariah's song (the Benedictus) Mary's song (Magnificat) the song of the angels (Gloria in Excelsis) and Simeon's song (Nunc Dimittis).In 'They Sang', Amy Scott Robinson uses four Advent studies to guide small groups to explore these ancient poems of praise and prophecy, and a fifth invites you to discover your own song.Containing work from artist Clare Howard Weiner - available to download in the 'Resources' tab.
Contents
Introduction
Notes for Leaders
Session 1 - Benedictus - A Song of Salvation
Session 2 - Magnificat - A Song of Justice
Session 3 - Gloria - A Song of Peace
Session 4 - Nunc Dimittis - A Song of Hope
Specifications
Book Format - Paperback
Published - October 2021
Weight - 130g
Page Count - 60
Dimensions - 133 x 203 mm
ISBN - 9781838581121
ISBN 10 - 183858112X
Following on from the phenomenal success of Wild Lent, Rachel Summers' new book, Wild Advent will once again have us all venturing outside to encounter God in the wild! Wild Advent provides an outdoor activity for each day of the four weeks of Advent, progressing through the Carmelite themes for Advent of Waiting, Accepting, Journeying, and Birthing. So why not make Advent a little wilder by wrapping up warm and heading outside to create your own icicle, breathe like a baby dragon, make pebble pictures, do some sand art... and share God's creation with others?The activities in Wild Advent include:• Things to do when it's cold• Things to do in the dark• Things to do with others• Short and easy things to make and do• Even shorter things to do
Contents
About the Author
Why Wild Advent
How this book works
Things to do when it's cold
Things to do in the dark
Things to do with others
Short and easy things to make and do
Even shorter things to do
Thematic Index
In Praise of Wild Advent
Specifications
Format - Paperback
Published - August 2018
Weight - 202g
Page Count - 92
Dimensions - 175 x 251 x 6 mm
ISBN - 9781848679603
ISBN 10 - 1848679602
A course to lead us into a deeper awareness of the ever-present God.
There are times in our lives when we struggle against the darkness, seeking to disperse the gloom. Advent comes at the darkest time of the year when the nights are longest. It is about the coming of Christ, the Light of the World, who comes to us, transforming our darkest days by his presence; it's a special time of candle-lighting.
Candles in the Dark is an Advent resource for groups, but it is an equally valuable and enriching book for individuals, comprising six sessions which include scripture readings, music, candle-lighting and visual symbols, prayers and reflections.
Each session draws meaning and inspiration from a special theme: the Patriarchs, our ancestors in the faith, such as Abraham and Moses; the Prophets, for example Elijah and Isaiah: John the Baptist; the Virgin Mary; the Shepherds and Wise Men - those whose faith shone out like candles in the dark, who brought us the Light and the Word, through whom the Lord sought to guide us, who prepared the way, who came and sought the Lord. He seeks to be born in us, and awaits entry into our hearts, our lives and homes.
Each year they come round: readings for Advent, Christmas, Harvest, Easter and every other holy day. And the question is, 'How do I make them fresh? How do I help my church hear with new ears the readings they have heard a hundred times before?'This collection of scripture retellings is meant to do just that, with passages relating to holidays and holy days from Years A, B and C of the Revised Common Lectionary.There are 42 readings in all, complete with interactive devices and specific suggestions designed to invite your people directly into the Bible passage, to engage with it, and see it with fresh eyes.The provided digital resources will help if you need extra text copies or want to project the words on-screen for all the congregation to see. See Resources Tab for downloads.
Contents
About the Author
Introduction
Year A
Year B
Year C
Specifications
Book Format - Paperback
Published - April 2018
Weight - 335g
Page Count - 80
Dimensions - 210 x 297 x 8 mm
ISBN - 9781848679481
ISBN 10 - 1848679483
From Amy Scott Robinson
Packed full of seasonal stories, poems and suggestions for the church family to share during Advent and Christmas, this book will become your go-to resource for everything from crib services to Christmas fairs. Whether you're looking for a school assembly on the theme of Advent, a reading for a carol service or an idea to invite the whole community into a new festive tradition, you will find it in this compilation that covers every occasion from Advent through to Candlemas.
This Advent group study course in five parts focuses on our inner journey through Advent. Each session has a time for worship, silence, discussion, music or drama, and inspirational readings, prayers and liturgies from the Celtic tradition, on the theme of spiritual journeying.ContentsThe sessions are:• Orientation, mind clearing and preparation• Value: the gold experience• Prayer: the frankincense experience• Healing: the myrrh experience• The daily Emmaus experience
Photocopy: PermittedAll-age Talks for Advent and Christmas contains fifteen fully worked-out all-age talks for the Advent and Christmas season.The themes covered are:• Hope • Keywords for Advent • A book of books • Expecting • Books of the Bible • A time to prepare • The heart of Christmas • The message of Christmas • Where is he? • God with us! • God's house • After Christmas • A new start • The God who holds the future • News for todayEach talk is set out according to a basic framework:• a suggested Bible passage to be read prior to the talk • a statement of the aim of the talk • details of preparation needed beforehand • the talk itselfEverything is provided to make the presentation of your Advent and Christmas message enjoyable and memorable. A godsend for the busy preacher!All-age Talks for Advent and Christmas is drawn from Nick Fawcett's Getting It Across.
The Bumper Book of Resources: Advent, Christmas & Epiphany Draws together material from a wide range of sources, includes downloadable resources (available in the Resources Tab) providing activity sheets and illustrations to enliven learning and interactive worship.An invaluable resource for anyone seeking help with prayers, services, sermon ideas and illustrative material both for general and all-age worship.
See Resources Tab for downloads.
From Amy Scott Robinson
Why do we have nativity plays?What is a Paradise Tree?What happened when Max met Santa Claus?
Find out in this book, full of stories, poems, festive facts and fun to help you to get ready and celebrate the season of Christmas.
Explore the book of Ruth this Advent with Long Ago in Bethlehem, a flexible, insightful study by Amy Scott Robinson.
Ruth’s story of loyalty, love, and God’s quiet presence amidst chaos beautifully mirrors the Christmas story. Designed for small groups or individual reflection, each session includes readings, reflections, and activities that bring the narrative to life.
Perfect for deepening your understanding of how God works through the ordinary and faithful, this course connects the lives of Ruth and Mary, revealing the unfolding of God’s salvation plan—long ago in Bethlehem.
***Amy has written frequently on the Advent season, including Tales From The Jesse Tree, They Sang and Sleigh Bells & Stables. She has also written children’s books and other resources and is a regular contributor to the Church Times.
Looking and Longing is a weekly course for groups, looking at characters from the Old and New Testaments. It covers not only Advent but also the Christmas season to Epiphany. It aims to help us to open our blinded eyes and see, to open our ears to God's call, and to open our hearts to his love.
Here are 14 complete service outlines for innovative and reflective worship at Advent and Christmas. The services consist of suggested visual material and music, introductions, hymns, prayers and meditations - everything you need to add a new dimension to your services.
Ready for Christmas? Is a four-week group study course that examines the major themes of Advent and relates them to our Christian preparations for Christmas, in the context of the commercial values of a largely secular society.
An Advent course based on the prophecies of IsaiahThe journey from darkness to light is upheld in the season of Advent - set in the Church's calendar in the dark winter days that look forward to and long for the coming of Christ, the light of the world.It is Christ, amidst the darkness of world events who promised that light had come to the nations bringing good news to the poor, release to captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. In these words, quoted from the book of the prophet Isaiah, the year of the Lord's favour had dawned.This five-session course, suitable for group or individual use, explores what each prophecy means for the world today - through reflections, readings, questions and prayers.
One theme dominates Advent - waiting. Just as God's people of old waited for the day of the Messiah, so we wait for the return of Christ in fulfilment of God's purpose. Beginning and ending each session with passages of Scripture, Nick Fawcett has included hypothetical scenarios that bring each theme down to earth and help to explore what they might be saying to us today.
This Bumper Book (together with its companion volumes) draws together material from a wide range of sources and a number of top authors to create an invaluable resource for anyone seeking help with prayers, services, sermon ideas and illustrative material both for general and all-age worship, that covers the major festivals of the Christian year.
See Resources Tab for downloads.
Contents
FOREWORD
GUIDELINES For and Against All-age Worship Delivering Good All-age Worship Songs and Hymns Drama Techniques All-age Eucharist
FULL SERVICES ADVENT Advent Get Ready! Coming, Ready or Not! Getting Things Straight All-age Eucharist for Advent
CHRISTMAS Christmas Christingle Crib Service Christmas Eve - Telling the Story Christmas Day Come! Look Inside A Child Is Born All-age Eucharist for Christmas
EPIPHANY Epiphany Following the Star Gifts Guiding Lights All-age Eucharist for Epiphany
CANDLEMAS Candlemas Bitter-Sweet
ASH WEDNESDAYIn a MessSaying Sorry
MOTHERING SUNDAYMothering SundayA Mother's LoveAll-age Eucharist for Mothering Sunday
PALM SUNDAYPalms and Praises
MAUNDY THURSDAYA New Commandment
GOOD FRIDAYGood Friday Jesus on the Cross
EASTEREasterJesus Is AliveAll-age Eucharist for Easter
ASCENSIONLifted up
PENTECOSTPentecostWind and FireAll-age Eucharist for Pentecost
TRINITY SUNDAYTrinity SundayTogetherAll-age Eucharist for Trinity Sunday
HARVESTHarvestAbundant GiftsAll-age Eucharist for Harvest
ALL SAINTSBlessedAll-age Eucharist for All Saints' Day
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAYCounting the Cost
TALKSADVENTJesus' WrappingPrepare the WaySpeechless!Washed Clean
CHRISTMASThe Word of God
NEW YEARLooking to the Future
EPIPHANYThe Star All the Nations
WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITYBound Together Though We Are Many
LENTConfessing Six WeeksMultiple ChoiceForgive Us Our TrespassesThe Price Is Right!Which Way Now?
MOTHERING SUNDAYGetting Dressed Loving Hands
PALM SUNDAYDiscovering the KingdomThe Servant KingQuestionsHosanna!
GOOD FRIDAYThe CrossA Plan
EASTERA Miraculous Change!An Astonishing Comeback!EggsBuns and EggsFaith Restored
ASCENSIONA Glimpse of Glory Working Together
PENTECOSTPower for LivingExperiencing the Unseen Switching on The Power of the Spirit
TRINITYBeyond Comparison?Trinity Cake
ALL SAINTSSaints
ALL-AGE PRAYERS
ADVENTPreparing the Way Hopes and Fears
CHRISTMAS EVECircle of LightCrib Service - Starlight
CHRISTMAS DAYNewbornLight of the World
EPIPHANYGold, Frankincense and MyrrhBethlehem Sky
ASH WEDNESDAYBonfire
MOTHERING SUNDAYDaffodils
PALM SUNDAYRed CarpetPassion
MAUNDY THURSDAYFoot-washingBitter Herbs
GOOD FRIDAYAt the Foot of the Cross
EASTER DAY
Living Crosses
Sparklers
ASCENSIONBalloonsCloud of Unknowing
PENTECOSTPrayer Fan
TRINITYTrinity Plait
FATHERS' DAYDaddy
HARVESTFruits of the EarthA Hidden Harvest MessageLooking into Harvest
ALL SAINTSOpen HandsLeaping and StillnessKeeping Going
ALL SOULSPerennial Prayers
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAYRosemary
IDEAS AND ACTIVITIESADVENTThe Coming of LoveReading the Signs of the TimesThe Coming of the Prince of PeacePreparing for the Royal VisitJesus' Coming Makes the Many One A Library Guide for Bible Sunday
CHRISTMASThe Showing of Love More Than Just Fancy Dress
LENT AND HOLY WEEKThe Offering of Love
EASTERThe Triumph of Love
PENTECOSTThe Giving of Love
AFTER PENTECOSTThe Living of Love
ALL SAINTS
SKETCHESADVENTFamily Connections Sandwich-Board Blues
CHRISTMASShepherds Surprise
EPIPHANYWelcome to Bethlehem
LENTLions Make Me Nervous
PALM SUNDAYOnce in a Life Time
GOOD FRIDAYAn Innocent Man
EASTERDaybreak at the Tomb
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
Specifications
Book Format - Paperback
Published - 2017
Weight - 1.129 kg
Page Count - 400
Dimensions - 21cm x 29.5cm x 2.3cm
ISBN - 9781848678804
ISBN 10 - 1848678800
If the thought of giving a talk for all-age worship leaves you wondering what to say and how to say it, here are 14 brilliant fully worked out ideas.Popular author Nick Fawcett leads you step by step through every aspect of the preparation and presentation of his tried and tested talks for Advent and Christmas.There are many imaginative and enjoyable ways to get your ideas across, including quizzes, games and puzzles.
One of the desert fathers once said 'Joy is the echo of God's life in us.' This six-week course aims to celebrate the joy of knowing that everything we do - even the problems and trials we face - is transformed by our awareness that God loves us and comes to us. Each week from Advent to Epiphany the course looks at a passage of Scripture where we see joy or delight expressed: the joy of Creation, the psalms, the triumph of joy over adversity, the joy of Mary, the birth of Christ and the love of God. To explore the Scripture readings, David Adam employs the ancient tradition of Lectio Divina. The purpose is not to study the Scriptures but to be still and open enough to hear the echo of God in our lives.
Promises, Promises is an eight-week course of exploration and reflection on the meaning and message of two of the most important seasons in the Christian calendar. Each session includes prayers, Bible readings, reflections, discussion questions, meditations, suggestions for further reading, and ideas for action. Suitable for both individual and group use.
Based on the traditional hymn 'O come, O come Emmanuel', John Cox's Advent course provides the opportunity for a reality check: the reality of who we are and what our world is, the reality of our hopes and fears. It encourages us to look afresh at the reality of Jesus, the One who comes and ask how much he is really a part of our lives.As we look forward at Advent, this book encourages us to look in other directions as well: to look around at those who are lost and alienated, at outcasts and refugees; to look within us and within the world; to look up to find hope and aspiration; to look with gratitude; and to look with the eyes of loving response as we meet with Christ, the One we long for, the One who we believe comes to meet our needs and those of our world.This short course of six sessions is intended for use by small groups but could equally be helpful for individual use in setting a framework for private study, devotion and reflection.ContentsAbout the authorIntroductionAdventWreaths and candlesThe Great AntiphonsLookingHow to use this bookThe sessionsLeadersMusic suggestionsSession one - God's welcome to allSession two - FreedomSession three - Light in the darknessSession four - Key of DavidSession five - Lord Almighty, the giver of the LawSession six - Emmanuel, God with us
The coming of Jesus changed our world forever. During the season of Advent, we best prepare for the arrival of Jesus, the Coming One, by keeping our hearts and minds open and making room for him. Yet we allow things to get in the way.In this collection of 40 daily reflections for Advent, author Ray Simpson first outlines the roadblocks, such as materialism and clutter, that need to be cleared away so that we are ready for Jesus' arrival. Next, he identifies the signposts – prophecies, intuitions, stirrings – that help us to travel in the direction of what or who is coming. With these signposts clear, he then explores how we should prepare ourselves for the arrival of Jesus. And finally, Ray considers glimpses of glory – fresh expressions of the Light of the World.This meditative and enlightening approach to journeying through Advent will be an invaluable accompaniment to your own preparation for the arrival of Jesus.
An Advent study course...
Responding to the Image of God has seven sessions which may be used during Advent itself or during the period leading up to Advent and into the Christmas Season. Although aimed primarily at helping small groups to focus on God's words during Advent, this book could also be used for private study.Joel Edwards writes: 'We are all trying to discover what it means to be alive, to be truly human in community with others. We want to be valued and to value others; the shorthand word for all of this is respect.
Christmas is a time for giving, getting, forgiving and forgetting. Each of these themes is explored through readings, prayers, activities, comments, sayings, discussion points and hypothetical scenarios reflecting everyday life.Contents
Session 1: A time for giving•Giving happiness•Giving to others•Giving thanksSession 2: A time for getting•Getting the most out of Christmas•Getting the message•Getting stuck inSession 3: A time for forgiving•Seeking forgiveness•Finding forgiveness•Showing forgivenessSession 4: A time for forgetting•Forgetting our fears•Forgetting what's been•Forgetting what is
For those who want to reflect more deeply on the significance of God's coming in Christ, there are short but meaningful acts of devotion with readings, reflections and prayers to challenge, encourage, nurture and inspire.
