Advent

In our consumer culture, it can be difficult to help our kids understand the true meaning of the Christmas season. In Celebrating Advent, author Ann Hibbard has created a way for parents to set aside a daily time during Advent to talk with their kids about the spiritual meaning the season holds. She shares practical steps that you can take to make Christmas a more meaningful, happy experience for your family. Inspiring and creative family devotions provide a moment of peace and reflection for each evening of Advent, while fun and inexpensive project ideas help parents focus their kids' attention on what really matters at Christmas: Christ.

Advent Devotions is for everyone who desires to keep Christ in the center of their Christmas. The method is simple, yet rich. Inspire your Christmas traditions with Advent Devotions.

The Advent wreath symbolizes the passage of time during the four weeks leading to Christmas. Jay Cormier encourages individuals and families to not just admire their home wreath, but to pray together around the wreath throughout the season. This popular leaflet has been updated in full-color to include revised prayers and Scripture text from the New American Bible, Revised Edition. Three-minute prayer services for each week of Advent, and also for Christmas Eve, are offered to prepare hearts for the coming of Christ.

What a delightful and informative way for children and their families to learn about Advent and Lent, the two of the Churchs most celebrated and significant liturgical seasons! Doris Murphy offers thirteen creative centers for learning about Advent, twelve for Lent, five for Holy Week, and eight seasonal centers for everyone in the parish. For Advent her topics include The Jesse Tree, the O Antiphons, and The Church Year. For Lent, her topics include The Cross, Making Choices, and Lenten Practices. For Holy Week, she offers Symbols of Lent, The Last Supper, Stations of the Cross, Christ the Light, and Easter. All of these learning centers offer children and their families the opportunity to experience the Church seasons in a unique, inviting, and fun learning environment.

The Advent Lyrics, a group of Old English religious antiphons (formerly called Christ I) dating from about the 9th century, are presented in this edition as an independent group of poems disengaged, for the first time, from Cynewulf's Christ. Professor Campbell’s study focuses on the significance of the antiphons as lyrics rather than as philological documents. The book includes a full critical introduction, a new text and modern English translation (on facing pages), critical notes, and a glossary. Originally published in 1959. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

In this daily Advent companion, members of the Daughters of St. Paul share their reflections and lead readers in lectio divina on the Scripture readings for the season. Includes reflections for the Octave of Christmas. Perfect for all those who value daily devotional reading, the meditations are brief and powerful. They will give enlightenment to those who are proficient in this practice and encouragement to anyone just beginning. For those who desire to grow in appreciation of the Advent and Christmas liturgical seasons, Advent Christmas Grace will provide a refreshing way to treasure the word of God anew.

It is clear that there was a wider variety of Jewish beliefs concerning Messianic and eschatological matters than was often allowed for a few years ago. The view of Schweitzer that the scene was dominated by the hope of a transcendent Messiah descending in glory from the sky, the point of departure for his whole argument, is now seen to be quite unsound. I perhaps should have made it plainer in my original writing that I was attempting to face the challenge which Schweitzer gave by his notable book, The Quest of the Historical Jesus; the way in which I set out my material would have been seen more clearly had it been considered against the background of Schweitzer's book . . . --from the Preface to the Third Edition CONTENTS Part 1: The Parousia in Jewish Literature Extant in the Time of Jesus Part 2: The Parousia in the Teaching of Jesus Part 3: The Parousia in the Early Church Part 4: The Parousia in Jewish Writings of the Christian Era

Popular CSS author Cynthia Cowen returns with three more imaginative programs that will spice up the Advent/Christmas season for any size congregation. Prepare Your Heart For Christmas is a service of carols and reflections that's perfect for a midweek Advent program. Designed as a youth program, Advent Bells includes a brief skit with bell ringers and unique chorus songs. We Welcome The Light Of Christmas is a memorable family service for Christmas Eve with a humorous sketch about the Good News and a lost Frisbee which has turned into the Christmas star. A prolific and enthusiastic writer of worship resources, Cynthia E. Cowen has produced numerous pieces for CSS Publishing Company since 1991. She received a B.A. degree in education from Northern Michigan University and is a graduate of the Northern Great Lakes Synod Lay School for Mission. Cowen serves on synod leadership teams for youth, women, and clergy, was a licensed lay minister in a small congregation, and is currently a rostered Associate in Ministry in Youth And Family at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Iron Mountain, Michigan. She was elected to the Executive Board of the churchwide Women of the ELCA in 1996, and has served on its Printed Resources committee.