Advent

Fully Human, Fully Divine

Wed, 18 May 2022 20:38:41 GMT

Fully 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.

Good News of Great Joy

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:28:25 GMT

It's hard to imagine Advent or Christmas without music, and that goes beyond popular carols and handbells. Author Max Vincent invites readers to discover the music in the biblical story of Christmas. Four canticles ("little songs") precede, announce, and celebrate the birth of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. These canticles invite readers to pause and consider the deeper meaning of the events surrounding his birth.

In Good News of Great Joy, 24 daily readings explore the context, content, and spirituality of these canticles. Each of the four canticles has six daily readings. The daily readings include practices and questions to encourage further reflection on these little songs. In addition, the book provides a Leader's Guide for group study.

Luke's canticles were some of the earliest songs of the church and are still prayed daily in some Christian traditions. Vincent encourages readers to pause and notice God's comforting presence as they reflect on these joyous songs of Advent.

Good News of Great Joy

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:35:27 GMT

The Coming Messiah

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:03:39 GMT

HOPE | LOVE | PEACE | JOY

It's fair to say that most everyone is hungry for more these days?more hope, more love, more peace, more joy. These beautiful gifts can feel elusive and difficult to fully experience amid the stressors of everyday life. In the times we're experiencing now with a global pandemic, rampant evidence of racism, nature regularly revealing her power to wreak havoc, and deep uncertainty about the future, it can feel all the more challenging to remain rooted and grounded in God's goodness. As we move toward the end of this year, though, we move toward Advent.

The word Advent means "coming," and we celebrate and anticipate the arrival of Jesus?Immanuel, "God with us." During this season, we hear the good news of Jesus' birth, and we take part in traditions that reflect this story through the gifts we bring, the songs we sing, and the gatherings of friends, family, and faith communities. But how does the coming of Jesus personally speak into our human story in a season like that of 2022?

This eCourse invites you to join author Marsha Crockett in an exploration of the HOPE, LOVE, PEACE, and JOY that the coming of Jesus offers. You'll be invited into guided times of prayer and quiet reflection?all accessible via mobile device. The guided meditations invite you to look deeper, to linger longer, and to approach boldly the beauty of the coming Messiah.

This eCourse is designed to be simple, easily accessible, and supportive of your daily practice during Advent. You may choose to read or listen to daily meditations, which are read by author Marsha Crockett (each recording is five minutes or less). It is primarily a solo practice, but there will be space for you to share comments with other eCourse participants. You'll be invited to a reflection and prayer practice each Monday through Friday of Advent. Prayer practices include breath prayer, lectio divina, prayers of imagination, contemplative questions, and others. Each day's reflection ends with a blessing. Weekends are reserved for a practice of the Examen?a simple exercise of noticing the presence of God.

The Upper Room's longing for you is that this Advent will be full of the hope, love, peace, and joy that Jesus brings.

Let Us Go Now to Bethlehem

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:19:27 GMT

Let Us Go Now to Bethlehem

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:13:11 GMT

This 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. The devotions are both personal and challenging. "I hope readers can discover something new that they may have overlooked in the old, old story," says Outcalt.

It's important to stay alert on the pilgrimage to Bethlehem, Outcalt reminds readers, for they may encounter Jesus in unexpected moments and surprising people or when they are most tired or confused. "The way to Bethlehem is saturated with stops and starts, with both darkness and light, with angels and the common touch of shepherds," writes Outcalt.

Let Us Go Now to Bethlehem contains devotions for the 28 days of Advent, the 12 days of Christmas, and the day of Epiphany. For small-group leaders, the book includes a 6-week study guide with weekly questions for reflection and conversation, a suggested scripture passage for each week, and an invitation to ponder the happenings of that week. As the Gospel of Luke attests, Let Us Go Now to Bethlehem is both an expectant declaration filled with mystery and a declaration of faith. Each day can offer these same expectations and wonders for readers if they open themselves to awe and joy.

Let Us Go Now to Bethlehem

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:36:54 GMT

The Upper Room Book of Christmas Carols

Wed, 18 May 2022 20:37:12 GMT

Can you imagine Advent and Christmas without the beloved, familiar carols?

Featuring an array of favorite seasonal hymns that reflect a diversity of origin, language, and theology, The Upper Room Book of Christmas Carols is perfect for your church and choir. Discounts are available for purchasing multiple copies.

The book features a carol service and 29 Christmas carols, including

"Angels We Have Heard on High"
"Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella"
"Deck the Halls"
"Go, Tell It on the Mountain"
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
"Joy to the World! The Lord Is Come"
"O Come, All Ye Faithful"
"Silent Night, Holy Night"
"The First Noel"
"The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy"

Whether you're a veteran singer or just enjoy making a joyful noise, The Upper Room Book of Christmas Carols will become a treasure you can use every year. Celebrate Christ's birth in song!

The Wondrous Mystery

Fri, 13 May 2022 23:28:00 GMT

During 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 was laid 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, Sue Monk Kidd, Wendell Berry, Wendy M. Wright, and other voices from Weavings, which contained the teachings and perspectives of some of the finest theologians and teachers of Christian spiritual formation.

This book may be used by individuals or groups. Groups can use the reflection questions for discussion and talk about the meditations they found most meaningful for that week.

Compiler Ben Howard writes, "The glory of the Advent season is that it's 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."

The Wondrous Mystery

Tue, 17 May 2022 00:58:29 GMT

This book may be used by individuals or groups. Groups can use the reflection questions for discussion and talk about the meditations they found most meaningful for that week.

The Wondrous Mystery

Sat, 14 May 2022 03:44:08 GMT

This book may be used by individuals or groups. Groups can use the reflection questions for discussion and talk about the meditations they found most meaningful for that week.

The Wondrous Mystery

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:03:44 GMT

We live in strange times. Our world is shifting and changing, and we are increasingly aware of our vulnerability and uncertainty. The season of Advent invites us to embrace the yet unknown?to pay attention to what we do not see with our eyes and what we do not understand. It's a season that asks us to wait expectantly and hopefully, though we may not be at all certain just what we are waiting for.

As Christians, we are empowered by our knowledge of Jesus Christ: we know that Jesus was born, lived among us, was crucified, and rose from the dead and that through Christ we are given the profound gift of eternal life. But, at the first Advent, those who watched and waited did not have such assurance; they did not know what we know now. These people who had heard the prophets' foretelling and who were waiting for the Messiah?how did they experience the first Advent? Isaiah answers, "The people who walked in the darkness have seen a great light." (Isaiah 9:2, NRSV) As we watch and wait this Advent amid great uncertainty, we have much to learn from the saints who came before us.

Let's watch and wait together. The Wondrous Mystery: An Upper Room Advent eCourse will be led by Sharon Conley Cottingham, Director of Formational Learning for The Upper Room, and attended by friends of The Upper Room. Our daily readings will come from The Wondrous Mystery, a collection of meditations from Weavings, an award-winning Christian journal published by The Upper Room. Written by exceptional authors, including Henri J. M. Nouwen, Barbara Brown Taylor, Wendell Berry, Sue Monk Kidd, Wendy M. Wright, and John S. Mogabgab, these meditations will challenge us to reflect on the wondrous mystery of God and on the ways that Jesus' birth upends the world as we know it and signals the beginning of God's kingdom.

Our eCourse includes:

Daily meditations from The Wondrous Mystery
Audio recordings of the daily meditations
Daily reflection questions

The Wondrous Mystery

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:48:07 GMT

This book may be used by individuals or groups. Groups can use the reflection questions for discussion and talk about the meditations they found most meaningful for that week.

Blue Christmas

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:38:24 GMT

The Advent and Christmas season is often associated with joy, love, generosity, and unity. But for many people, this time of year magnifies loneliness, anxiety, grief, and despair. While others are enjoying celebrations with their friends and families, those who are hurting often feel even more lost, abandoned, and alone than ever.

"Not all Christmases are white; some are blue," Todd Outcalt writes. Blue Christmas is a devotional book for the 28 days of Advent and Christmas Day. Each devotion includes a scripture selection, meditation, prayer, and suggested Advent action. The book also features additional prayers, a "Blue Christmas" worship service, and reflection questions.

In these honest devotions, readers will find their fears and realities named and brought into the light of God's love. They will be led to sit with their experiences, acknowledge their losses, and remember Jesus' promise "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Blue Christmas reminds us that all of our Christmases, even the darkest ones, can be filled with honesty and hope if we are first willing to sit in silence and bring our deepest fears to God.

Blue Christmas

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:38:36 GMT

Blue Christmas reminds us that all of our Christmases, even the darkest ones, can be filled with honesty and hope if we are first willing to sit in silence and bring our deepest fears to God.

Blue Christmas

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:07:00 GMT

Blue Christmas reminds us that all of our Christmases, even the darkest ones, can be filled with honesty and hope if we are first willing to sit in silence and bring our deepest fears to God.

Pausas para el Adviento

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:44:48 GMT

Hacer una pausa breve para detenerse unos minutos cada día puede ayudarnos a mantener el equilibrio en nuestras vidas, especialmente durante las temporadas del Adviento y de Navidad. En este libro, sencillo, pero no menos simplista, Trevor Hudson se centra en una palabra bíblica que nos ofrece regocijo a través de una meditación para cada día del Adviento. Sus perspicaces reflexiones sobre la palabra de cada día nos invitan a una comprensión más profunda del Adviento.

Hudson también explora brevemente las vidas y pensamientos de 4 personajes significativos en la historia de la Navidad, animándonos a sumergirnos en la historia dramática de esa temporada, y nos ofrece una práctica diaria sencilla que nos ayuda a involucrarnos en el drama del Adviento. El enfoque minimalista de Hudson y su escritura conversacional nos llevan a descubrir cómo podemos abrir nuestros corazones y nuestras vidas más generosamente a Dios.

Pausas para el Adviento

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:44:59 GMT

The Living Nativity

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:38:57 GMT

Who came up with the idea of using nativity scenes to celebrate Christmas? Many might be surprised to learn that Francis of Assisi, the well-known thirteenth-century saint, is credited with creating the first nativity scene. The Living Nativity introduces readers to Saint Francis and his joyous reenactment of the birth of Jesus, complete with a manger and animals.

The Living Nativity explores how nativity sets, Advent wreaths, candles, carols, Christmas cards, and other traditions help prepare our hearts for the God "who bends low to enter our world and our lives." Prayer poems for each day of the season lead readers to deepen their spiritual journey, and the book provides a guided pattern for individuals and small groups to share reflections and experience activities that open their hearts to the Christ child.

The Living Nativity provides a prayer, meditation, and reflection questions for each day of Advent. The Leader's Guide includes suggestions for worship, discussion questions focused on the readings, and guidance for a mini-retreat on a theme of the week.

The Living Nativity

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:39:13 GMT