Between Advents

Between Advents continues Bruce Taylor’s series of sermons for the Common Lectionary (Revised), offering theologically rich, sacramentally reflective, ecumenically compatible, and biblically centered proclamations for the Sundays and major feast days of Year C, from Advent through Eastertide. Included is an appendix, featuring a sermon preached in departure from the lectionary on the occasion of a high school baccalaureate service conducted shortly after the United States military invasion of Iraq. His strong commitment to Christian unity and deep appreciation of the heritage and contemporary relevance of the church and the importance of individual discipleship are a common thread in these sermons for the first half of the church year featuring Gospel readings from Luke. Included is a sampling of engaging story sermons, illustrating how this style of preaching can be used in lectionary-based preaching. Preachers and devotional readers alike will find Between Advents to be a valuable companion as they discover the profound beauty of sacramental worship through the course of the liturgical year and meditate on the Scripture passages commended for Christian worship in the lectionary cycle.

Between Advents continues Bruce Taylor's series of sermons for the Common Lectionary (Revised), offering theologically rich, sacramentally reflective, ecumenically compatible, and biblically centered proclamations for the Sundays and major feast days of Year C, from Advent through Eastertide. Included is an appendix, featuring a sermon preached in departure from the lectionary on the occasion of a high school baccalaureate service conducted shortly after the United States military invasion of Iraq. His strong commitment to Christian unity and deep appreciation of the heritage and contemporary relevance of the church and the importance of individual discipleship are a common thread in these sermons for the first half of the church year featuring Gospel readings from Luke. Included is a sampling of engaging story sermons, illustrating how this style of preaching can be used in lectionary-based preaching. Preachers and devotional readers alike will find Between Advents to be a valuable companion as they discover the profound beauty of sacramental worship through the course of the liturgical year and meditate on the Scripture passages commended for Christian worship in the lectionary cycle.

As we prepare each year to celebrate the Incarnation, the Advent season reminds us that we live in an interim period between the First and Second Comings of Jesus Christ. In this book of twelve riveting sermons on a variety of Advent themes (all based on texts from Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary), Michael Ruffin explores the challenges of Christian living in this time between the First and Second Advents -- particularly the tension between the modes of patience and action. Though we await Jesus' return with hopeful anticipation, Advent waiting is active waiting. Ruffin's messages invite readers to share in the richly rewarding life of faith, while providing abundant comfort and inspiration for those who endeavor to live as disciples of Jesus in the modern world. Preachers looking for an imaginative illustration or observation to stimulate their sermons will find ample material in this book. But this is much more than just a reference for ministers preparing to preach during Advent -- it's also an excellent resource for spiritual reflections reminding us that the good news in these days between the Advents is that Jesus Christ is Immanuel, God with us. Possessed by an abiding love for the Lord Christ, Michael Ruffin approaches a season that he loves with his scholarly skills of exegesis, his insight into contemporary life issues, his common sense, and his disarming humor, crafting a collection of sermons that will bless the reader, inspire the preacher, and remind us all of the renewal that Advent brings. James C. Elder Jr. Pastor, First Baptist Church Fitzgerald, Georgia Michael L. Ruffin is the pastor of The First Baptist Church in Fitzgerald, Georgia. He is a graduate of Mercer University (B.A.) and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div., Ph.D.).

Cities are staging more events than ever. Within this macro-trend, there is another less acknowledged trend: more events are being staged in public spaces. Some events have always been staged in parks, streets and squares, but in recent years events have been taken out of traditional venues and staged in prominent urban spaces. This is favoured by organisers seeking more memorable and more spectacular events, but also by authorities who want to animate urban space and make it more visible. This book explains these trends and outlines the implications for public spaces. Events play a positive role in our cities, but turning public spaces into venues is often controversial. Events can denigrate as well as animate city space; they are part of the commercialisation, privatisation and securitisation of public space noted by commentators in recent years. The book focuses on examples from London in particular, but it also covers a range of other cities from the developed world. Events at different scales are addressed and, there is dedicated coverage of sports events and cultural events. This topical and timely volume provides valuable material for higher level students, researchers and academics from events studies, urban studies and development studies.

Originating in a recent CIERA conference held at the University of Michigan, this book brings together the nation's most distinguished researchers to examine how readers understand text and how comprehension is assessed. The first part provides both national and historical contexts for the study of reading comprehension. The second part examines how vocabulary, motivation, and expertise influence comprehension, and it includes analyses of the developmental course and correlates of comprehension. Chapters in the third part consider how schools focus on comprehension for instruction and assessment. The fourth part includes chapters on large-scale assessment that analyze how test formats and psychometric characteristics influence measures of reading comprehension. At the end of each part is a commentary--written by an expert--that reviews the chapters, critiques the main points, and synthesizes critical issues. Key features of this outstanding new book include: *Integration of Research and Practice--provides a bridge between conceptual issues studied by researchers concerned with reading comprehension theories and practical issues addressed by educators concerned with classroom instruction and assessment. *Comprehension Focus--provides a thorough history and rigorous research-based analyses of reading comprehension. *Assessment Focus--provides innovative approaches to comprehension assessment that include the influences of vocabulary, decoding, and motivation. *Synthetic Commentaries--provides periodic summaries that analyze and synthesize research, practices, and issues discussed in each part. *Expertise--contributing authors and commentators are highly respected authorities on reading comprehension (see table of contents). This text is appropriate for educational and psychological researchers, reading educators, and graduate students in education and psychology. It is part of the CIERA series, which includes the following volumes: Taylor and Pearson: Teaching Reading: Effective Schools, Accomplished Teachers (2002) Van Kleeck, Stahl, and Bauer: On Reading Books to Children: Parents and Teachers (2003) Hoffman and Schallert: The Texts in Elementary Classrooms (2005)

Covers topics in philosophy, psychology, and scientific methods. Vols. 31- include "A Bibliography of philosophy," 1933-