Before the advent of printing, the preaching of the friars was the mass medium of the middle ages. This edition of marriage sermons reveals what a number of famous preachers actually taught about marriage. David D'Avray teases out the close connection between marriage symbolism and social, cultural, and legal realities in the thirteenth century; and assesses the impact of this preaching.

So often, it seems, liturgical themes and Christological emphases get set aside when special topics such as "Earth Sunday" arise in congregational worship. This book will suggest that the Christologically constructed liturgical year provides a meaningful framework for ecologically oriented worship. This book will maintain the Christocentric emphasis of these liturgical seasons, but will provide an ecological perspective on these seasons, on Christian worship, and indeed on Christ.

This study examines the scriptural justification for believers to expect the Eucharist to be a place where God will come and bless them with freedom and formation. Bubbers' focus is not on liturgy, but rather on the biblical message of the benefits of participation in the Eucharist. Why keep this Feast? Why is Eucharist important? Bubbers' interpretive approach is a synthesis of historical-literary aspects of Biblical Theology and canonical-creedal aspects of the Theological Reading of Scripture, taking into account the biblical-historical place of Eucharist, as well as its ongoing presence within the Church. Bubbers begins by displaying the Last Supper as a Passover meal which bridges between Old Testament motifs and the New Testament Feast. She then shows that the Exodus context reveals a paradigm which links blessing with remembrance, and suggests that the remembrance motif describes these blessings. Finally, Bubbers gathers a catalogue of specific blessings, summarized by freedom and formation. Her conclusion is that the Feast is a divinely designed paradigm for worship, which is accompanied by a promise of transformational encounters.

A completely revised and expanded edition of this collection of liturgies for morning, day, evening, Holy Communion and healing services and there are revised liturgies from the original edition. Aimed primarily at participative worship with shared leadership, it includes optional methods of scriptural reflection and prayer with symbolic acction. There is also a preface of comments on leading worship, dealing with all the issues which ordained clergy never tell lay people but presume they should know.

Partner with Jesus in heavenly prayer. The true longing of your heart is to connect deeply with God, the True Source, and this blessed communion begins in the place of prayer. Pour out your heart before the Lord each day and meditate on his Living Word. Find comfort and confidence in the knowledge that God the Father rules in perfect wisdom and reigns in majesty above all. Lean into his presence, let his glory shine down on you, and be changed by the power of his love.

Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community draws on the spiritual practices of Northern Ireland's longest established peace and reconciliation organisation. For over fifty years, it has been bringing fractured communities together and resourcing others in the work of healing conflict. At the heart of its life is a simple pattern of daily worship. This prayer book captures the essence of the Corrymeela prayer experience to help you incorporate its spirituality into your practice of prayer. Structured over 31 days, it offers a daily Bible reading with accompanying prayer by Padraig O Tuama. as well as an introduction to the spirituality that sustains Corrymeela's remarkable work.

Popular meditations for every day, featuring a text from Sacred Scripture, a quotation from the writings of a Saint, and a meaningful prayer. Includes an introduction by Rev. Frederick Schroeder. Illustrated and printed in two colors. Includes ribbon marker.

An Anthology of Writings from 1483 to 1999
Firmly I Believe and Truly celebrates the depth and breadth of the spiritual, literary, and intellectual heritage of the Post-Reformation English Roman Catholic tradition in an anthology of writings that span a five hundred year period between William Caxton and Cardinal Hume. Intended as a rich resource for all with an interest in Roman Catholicism, the writings have been carefully selected and edited by a team of scholars with historical, theological, and literary expertise. Each author is introduced to provide context for the included extracts and the chronological arrangement of the anthology makes the volume easy to use whilst creating a fascinating overview of the modern era in English Catholic thought. The extracts comprise a wide variety writing genres; sermons, prayers, poetry, diaries, novels, theology, apologetics, works of controversy, devotional literature, biographies, drama, and essays. Includes writings by:
John Colet, John Fisher, Thomas More, Robert Southwell, Philip Howard, Edmund Campion, John Gother, John Dryden, Mary Barker, Alexander Pope, Richard Challoner, Alban Butler, John Milner, Elizabeth Inchbald, Nicholas Wiseman, Margaret Mary Hallahan, A. W. N. Pugin, John Henry Newman, Henry Edward Manning, Frederick William Faber, Bertrand Wilberforce, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Vincent McNabb, Hilaire Belloc, Maurice Baring, G. K. Chesterton, R. A. Knox, J. R. R. Tolkien, Caryll Houselander, Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, John Bradburne, Cardinal Hume

Gospel medicine' is Barbara Brown Taylor's metaphor for the power of God's word to heal and mend a broken world. In this searingly beautiful collection, she practises the oldfashioned art of gospel home remedies, drawing strength and piercing insight from biblical stories that can help us confront our weaknesses, revive our spirits and restore us to lasting wholeness.

Bringing together over 1,200 prayers, both classic and contemporary, The SPCK Book of Christian Prayer is an inspiring and practical resource for Christians of all denominations. This prestigious collection encompasses a wide and varied range of Christian prayers, making it an essential handbook for all who want to deepen and enhance their prayer life, as well as for those involved in leading others in worship - whether in church, in school or in the home. The prayers are helpfully arranged under practical subject headings, and there is a comprehensive index of subjects, with cross references throughout.

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is often called "the holiest place in England" because of all the saints who have lived there. St. Aidan and St. Cuthbert, two popular Celtic saints, are buried there. For more than 1,300 years pilgrims have made their way to this island, which now hosts half a million visitors a year. A Holy Island Prayer Book, with prayers for morning, midday, and night, follows the rhythms and seasons of the natural and Christian year as observed on Holy Island.

More contemplative than the earthy spirituality of communities such as Iona, each day of the week has a special theme:

Sunday: Resurrection and renewal

Monday: Creation

Tuesday: incarnation and peace

Wednesday: The Holy Spirit in mission and healing

Thursday: Community and unity

Friday: With broken people at the Cross

Saturday: Leisure (morning) and the Saints (night)

A Holy Island Prayer Book includes prayers by popular author David Adam, and is the perfect companion for anyone who has visited Holy Island, or those who are there in spirit.

A short, simple and thoroughly biblical explanation of the meaning and purpose of Holy Communion, designed to appeal to all ages. Explains its biblical origins, the different ways in which Christians have understood it over the centuries, and its crucial place in the Christian life today.

Comprehensive catalogue of the hagiographical lessons in Sarum breviaries, with key studies of the most crucial elements. Sarum Use was the most widely used form of the liturgy in late medieval England, but its service books were much less standardized than their modern counterparts. The lack of uniformity is particularly marked in Sarum breviaries' lessons on saints, which can vary enormously from copy to copy. This book is the first comprehensive examination of those lessons and the manuscripts that preserve them. It provides a catalogue of over 80 manuscripts and 12 early printed versions, giving a brief description of each one, sometimes correcting previous views of its date and provenance, and identifying each copy's divergences from the standard Sarum roster of saints. The book also identifies the textual families into which the manuscripts fall and the extent of their divergence from the lessons in both the early printed versions and the inadequate nineteenth-century edition on which modern scholars have previously depended. The author's findings offer an introduction to the unexpectedly rich variety of hagiographical lessons that survive, identify some of the sources behind them, and shed new light on the ways in which the Sarum breviary developed and was disseminated in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

How do we respond to God, our family, and our colleagues when our whole world is shattered by the death of a loved one? For Spoken Word artist Dai Woolridge, there were sometimes no words. In this honest and personal story of grief, Dai offers a creative response to God. Working through a timeline of grief, he shares his experience of burn-out, anti-depressants and the question of why doesn't God heal? Using poetry, prayers and scripture, Dai looks back at his cries to God, and His words back to him. This is a book that will give words to those who are going through personal loss, and for those who have grieved, are grieving or have never yet grieved.

2012 is the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, now widely used in the Church of England and throughout the Anglican Communion. Comfortable Words draws together some of the world's leading liturgical scholars and historians who offer a comprehensive and accessible study of the Prayer Book and its impact on both Church and society over the last three and a half centuries. Comfortable Words includes new and original scholarship here about the use of the Book of Common Prayer at different periods during its life. It also sets out some key material on the background to the production of both the Tudor books and the seventeenth-century book itself. The book is aimed at scholars, students in theological colleges, courses and universities, but there is sufficient accessibility of style for it to be accessible to others who are interested in the Prayer Book more widely in the church and to intelligent lay people. The book is unique in the way that it studies the Prayer Book and looks at the impact of it, both on the Church and on English society.

Best-selling author William G. Storey compiles some of the best traditional devotions to assist in daily prayer throughout the liturgical year. Strongly Biblical in tone and content, A Prayer Book of Catholic Devotions was written to caryy out a Vatican mandate which promotes the revival of traditional Catholic devotions. In the first devotional prayer book based on the liturgical year, Storey uses psalms, canticles, Scripture readings, and traditional prayers to celebrate the holy seasons of the year, from Advent and Christmas to Lent and Easter. Concentrating specifically on Jesus and Mary, Storey presents devotions from throughout the ages, both official and unofficial, that have found a special place in the lives of Catholics.

You are the fountain of life, light, and all grace and truth "Use this book as a daily guide in your walk with God and it will enrich you in a multitude of ways." --Michael A G Haykin The hearts of the first Christians beat with praise for Christ. The strength of their devotion is remarkable, considering the times of uncertainty and persecution in which they lived. Despite all of this, the early church flourished, sustained by the God to whom they prayed. Christians today have a lot to learn from the devotional life of the early church. In Fount of Heaven, a collection of carefully selected prayers from the first six centuries of the church, we can pray with our spiritual forefathers. Prayers from luminaries such as Clement of Rome, Irenaeus, and Augustine are arranged by theme to reveal the right prayer for the moment. The prayers have been slightly updated to read more easily, but they retain their joy and mystery. As we turn to the prayers of the first Christians, we can return to the foundations of our own faith.

This book provides twenty-three pages for listing the names of living Orthodox loved ones to pray for and provides twenty-three pages to list Orthodox loved ones who have died. There is one prayer in English for the living and one prayer in English for the dead as well as two half tone icons. In the Russian tradition, this book is handed to the priest with the small prosphora before the beginning of the liturgy. The booklet has a card cover with saddle stitch binding printed in red and black ink.

"Prayer is God's gift to us, a banquet of good things to feed our inner life, as we respond to the invitation to his feast of peace, forgiveness, challenge and love." If our lives are an open book to God, prayer is the dialogue we share with him over its pages. The Book of a Thousand Prayers is a collection of wise and honest prayers to God about his concerns and ours: who he is to us and who we are to him, and how we experience life, death, relationships, the church, and the world. Ideal for private prayer and public worship, and containing practical advice on how to pray, this book offers a spiritual feast that will nourish you for the rest of your life. "A moving and inspiring medley of prayers--an invaluable aid for individuals, home groups, and those people who lead worship." Joyce Huggett X

This is a beautiful gift edition of beloved prayers. The small size means it will fit in a pocket or bag. This special pocket edition of features an elegant bonded-leather binding, distinctive gilt edging, and decorative endpapers. Durable and collectible, it puts a range of beloved prayers in the palm of your hands.