Four Testaments brings together four foundational texts from world religions-the Tao Te Ching, Dhammapada, Analects of Confucius, and Bhagavad Gita-inviting readers to experience them in full, to explore possible points of connection and divergence, and to better understand people who practice these traditions. Following Brian Arthur Brown's award-winning Three Testaments: Torah, Gospel, Quran, this volume of Four Testaments features essays by esteemed scholars to introduce readers to each tradition and text, as well as commentary on unexpected ways the ancient Zoroastrian tradition might connect Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Hinduism, as well as the Abrahamic faiths. Four Testaments aims to foster deeper religious understanding in our interconnected and contentious world.

***NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK*** Feasting on the Word is one of the most popular lectionary commentary series in use today. This is the first in a new series of daily devotionals that draws from the wealth of writing in the commentaries to present inspirational reflections, responses, and prayers for each day of the lectionary year. Each day of the week contains Scripture passages for the coming Sunday from the Revised Common Lectionary, excerpts from the commentaries for reflection, a response, and a prayer. Additional material is provided for each Sunday.

Designed to be read in 15-20 minutes a day, this liturgical devotional guide will give readers focus and purpose in their daily quiet time while pointing them to Christ. Gift edition features a timeless TruTone cover.

'When people come together before their God and each other as an experience of community, we often find that the love and courage and truth which is released goes beyond the sum total of our human hopes. In rituals of healing and forgiveness there is also something of an enacting of faith. We, who find it hard to believe in our forgiveness, or healing, or some other hope, commit ourselves in faith to affirming before others that we are forgiven or healed or given a new hope'. This book offers inspiration for anyone involved in leading or preparing worship. Liberating and vivid, often drawing on the power of symbol and ritual, these prayers and liturgies show faith, forgiveness and healing affirmed and enacted in worship together.

2013 Christian Resources Together Devotional Book of the Year Do you sometimes find yourself searching for a way to approach God or wondering how to get out of a devotional slump? Do you long for spiritual guides you can trust? This guide to prayer is rooted in centuries of Christian tradition. In each chapter you'll meet a figure from church history, such as St. Benedict, Martin Luther, John Calvin, St. Ignatius, Teresa of ?vila and Andrew Murray. You'll learn how each of these spiritual giants uniquely connected to God through prayer. Each chapter provides an opportunity to practice a different method for prayer, including the divine office, the Lord's Prayer, the Jesus Prayer, healing prayer and meditation on the Psalms. In the process your own prayer practice will be refreshed and renewed. Journey into church history and enliven each day of your prayer life. A complimentary companion volume is included in the e-book edition of Kneeling with Giants. The Reader has a full chapter of primary source material corresponding to each of the ten chapters of Kneeling with Giants, with selections chosen to clearly introduce each approach to prayer in its original context. It includes the best modern translations of non-English works, hard to find works, including three Puritan texts and four complete "hours" of the pre-Vatican II Benedictine daily office so that readers can experience the cycle of Benedictine prayer with ease.

This complementary volume to A Rainbow-coloured Cross presents a daily pattern of prayer, providing simple but profound material for anyone who wants to revitalise their prayer life. With general prayers and for morning and evening, there are additional prayers for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany at the end of Safer than a Known Way.

Songs of Praise was first published in 1925, and is still an immensely popular hymnbook, particularly in schools. The compilation falls into two parts: Book 1 contains hymns grouped by subject and theme, together with a selection of verses, canticles and doxologies; Book 2 contains general hymns listed alphabetically by first line.

"Blumhardt's conviction that God is present and powerful and able to still work his will in the world today breathes through every prayer. These are as striking, moving, and provocative now as they surely were when Blumhardt prayed them." John E. Phelan, Jr., The Covenant Companion End each day of the year peacefully by turning to God with a prayer and a Bible passage. We want to turn to God at the end of each day, but often don't find the words to express our deepest feelings and longing. This collection of prayers is one of the few daily devotionals especially intended for use in the evening. Blumhardt's words bespeak a certainty in God's nearness. The peace that flows from them comes from an unshakeable conviction that God's kingdom is indeed on the way. In stormy and challenging times like our own, most of us need this reassurance frequently, if not daily.

N T Wright offers reflections on the Sunday readings in the Revised Common Lectionary for Year B. This book brings together his widely read columns in the Church Times, and also contains new pieces, to cover all the Sundays and major festivals. Scholarship, history and insights into the world and language of the Bible are woven together to give a deeper understanding of the Word of the Lord. This book will be invaluable to anyone who wants to gather their thoughts in preparation for Sunday worship, or for regular Bible study throughout the year.

In this book, Peaston challenges the common assumption that the Prayer Book is the exclusive possession of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, and researches its adoption in the Free Churches of England. Peaston acknowledges the Catholic revisions of the Prayer Book since its establishment during the reign of Elizabeth I, but concentrates predominantly on the Protestant revisions which ultimately heralded the way for much liturgical revision in the Free Churches. He also focuses upon the development of liturgical worship in those communions which were generally regarded as belonging to the strict Protestant tradition. Peaston explores how the Prayer Book found a new home amongst Methodists, Moravians, Congregationalists, and Swedenborgians, as well as several others. He explores its traditional importance to them, and its modern relevance. Free Churchmen may have left the Establishment with or without regret, but the cadences of Cranmer and ancient Anglican piety have lingered in unforgotten memory amongst Nonconformists. In his Foreword the late Professor E.C. Ratcliff comments that: "It is no exaggeration to say that Peaston has completed the extra-Anglican history of the Prayer Book. In so doing, he has made a notable contribution to the history of English religion."

The authorized hymnal for the Episcopal Church with durable, beautiful, covered spiral binding especially created for music stands, organ, and piano music racks. This edition provides accompaniment for all hymns and service music and contains an appendix of additional service music. It comes in two volumes -- one of hymns and one of service music.

The liturgical chant sung in the churches of Southern Italy between the ninth and thirteenth centuries reflects the multiculturalism of a territory in which Romans, Franks, Lombards, Byzantines, Normans, Jews, and Muslims were all present with various titles and political roles. Chants, Hypertext, and Prosulas examines a specific genre, the prosulas that were composed to embellish and expand pre-existing liturgical chants. Widespread in medieval Europe, prosulas were highly cultivated in southern Italy, especially by the nuns, monks, and clerics of the city of Benevento. These texts shed light on the creativity of local cantors to provide new meanings to the liturgy in accordance with contemporary waves of religious spirituality, and to experiment with a novel musical style in which a syllabic setting is paired with the free-flowing melody of the parent chant. In their representing an epistemological 'beyond', and in their interconnectedness with the parent chant, these prosulas can be likened to modern hypertexts. In this book, author Luisa Nardini presents the first comprehensive study to integrate textual and musical analyses of liturgical prosulas as they were recorded in Beneventan manuscripts. Discussing general features of prosulas in southern Italy and their relation to contemporary liturgical genres (e.g., tropes, sequences, hymns), Nardini firmly situates Beneventan prosulas within the broader context of European musical history. An invaluable reference for the field, Chants, Hypertext, and Prosulas provides a new understanding of the phonetic and morphological transformations of the Latin language in medieval Italy, and clarifies the use of perennially puzzling features of Beneventan notation.

Some friends are closer than family. They weave their way into our lives, there to celebrate the highs and comfort us through the lows. And for those special friends, Max Lucado offers forty scriptures and guided prayers that bring joy and serenity in Pocket Prayers for Friends.

Awry and thought-provoking jaunt through the spiritual terrain of our everyday language -- a lexion of uncommon insight to jar the mind and nourish the soul. "I think of faith as a kind of whistling in the dark, because in much the same way," writes Buechner, "it helps to give us courage and to hold the shadows at bay."

Common Prayer Pocket Edition helps individuals and today s diverse church pray together across traditions and denominations. With an ear to the particulars of various liturgical prayer traditions, and using an advisory team of liturgy experts, the authors have created a tapestry of prayer that celebrates the best of each tradition. This convenient and portable book also includes tools for prayer scattered throughout to aid those unfamiliar with liturgy and deepen the prayer life of those already familiar with liturgical prayer. Common Prayer Pocket Edition adds new prayers for compline (late evening) and for individual use, such as prayers for travel, protection, and various blessings. It includes a table of days and readings for the morning prayers as well as an annotated list of saints and days to remember. Churches and individuals who desire a deeper prayer life and those familiar with Shane Claiborne and New Monasticism will enjoy the tools offered in this book as a fresh take on liturgy."

Also available as an eBook

In today's world, promises are everywhere: promises to make us richer, thinner, or happier. But deep down, we know that these promises ring hollow, and that there is an awesome difference between God giving his word and the TV offering empty come-ons. Ever present, ever caring, and ever forgiving, God wants his promises-of healing, help, leadership, guidance, and comfort-to come true sooner rather than later. The challenge for us is to hear them clearly-and know what God wants from our lives.

101 MOST POWERFUL PROMISES IN THE BIBLE

From the promise Joseph remembered as he stood betrayed and alone in the Valley of Shechem to God's most famous, extraordinary promise of all in John 3:16, the Word of God is an ironclad force for distinguishing between good and evil, for finding comfort in a storm, for resisting temptation and seeking fulfillment.

This collection of 101 of the most powerful promises in the Bible comes to us through Isaiah, Paul, Joshua, and Mark, as these men-and many others-proclaimed the promises of God. In each chapter, we too learn how to interpret these words and what they mean for the choices we make at home, at work, in our families, and in our darkest times of need.

Pairing each scriptural passage with an original, contemporary prayer, Marcia Ford has written a moving, everyday guide to applying the will of God and his love to our lives. A work of devotion and insight, 101 MOST POWERFUL PROMISES IN THE BIBLE helps us keep our end of God's promises-and find the courage to live according to his word.

Contemplative Prayer for Christians with Chronic Worry presents an eight-week approach for working with recurrent worry. Each chapter offers an introduction for the week, goals, techniques, and homework. Six free audio recordings are also available to download for use when practicing the guided meditations. Clinicians and their clients will find that the workbook helps them explore ways to lessen daily worries through contemplative prayer. Relying on scriptural support, the contemplative Christian tradition, and psychological science, clients will learn how to sit in silence with God, trusting in him during moments of uncertainty, worry, and anxiety.

An Akathist (Greek for "Standing Up") is a type of extended devotional hymn used both in church and at home. This first volume contains six Akathist hymns to the Lord Jesus Christ (to our Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, the Divine Passion of Christ, the Precious Cross, the Tomb and the Resurrection of the Lord, the Resurrection of Christ, and for Holy Communion; four Akathist hymns to the Mother of God (to the Most Holy Theotokos, the Dormition of the Theotokos, the Joy of All Who Sorrow, and the Kursk Root Ion of the Sign); and twelve to various saints (St. Alexis the Man of God; the Holy Great Martyr George, St. Herman of Alaska, St. John the Baptist, St. John of Kronstadt, St. John the Theologian, the Holy Archangel Michael, St. Nicholas, the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon, St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Simon the Zealot, and for the Repose of the Departed. Also contains music for typical akathist refrains.

The 'Exeter Ordinale' is a huge ordinal issued by John de Grandisson, bishop of Exeter 1327-69], in 1337; it is edited on the basis of manuscripts that belonged to, and were annotated by, the bishop himself. The compilation marked an important point in medieval study of the liturgy, and the 'Legenda' liturgical readings for saints' days] which it contains are regarded as one of the most important sources for the study of English medieval hagiography, particularly for saints of English origin.

This is probably the greatest little Catholic prayerbook you will ever encounter because it has over 100 Traditional Catholic prayers and is comprised of 4 Parts or sections: Part I contains the common prayers every Catholic should know by heart over 25 including the Acts of Faith, Hope, Love and Contrition, plus numerous short invocations. Part II contains over 25 especially powerful prayers: to Our lady, St. Joseph, St. Anne, St. Jude, St. Philomena, St. Anthony, etc. Part III contains miscellaneous favorite prayers: e.g., Morning Offering, Prayers to Our Lady, to St. Joseph for Purity, to overcome a bad habit, for grace, the Te Deum, Consecration to the Holy Ghost, etc. And Part IV contains various other \"favorite prayers, \" such as for a happy death, the choice of a state of life, for priests, Fatima Prayers, for safe delivery of a baby, for the dying, for the dead, for the Poor Souls, etc. For a small package, this little Prayerbook is dynamite, and should be carried by all Large Print.

This book provides an introduction to current work and new directions in the study of medieval liturgy. It focuses primarily on so-called occasional rituals such as burial, church consecration, exorcism and excommunication rather than on the Mass and Office. Recent research on such rites challenges many established ideas, especially about the extent to which they differed from place to place and over time, and how the surviving evidence should be interpreted. These essays are designed to offer guidance about current thinking, especially for those who are new to the subject, want to know more about it, or wish to conduct research on liturgical topics. Bringing together scholars working in different disciplines (history, literature, architectural history, musicology and theology), time periods (from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries) and intellectual traditions, this collection demonstrates the great potential that liturgical evidence offers for understanding many aspects of the Middle Ages. It includes essays that discuss the practicalities of researching liturgical rituals; show through case studies the problems caused by over-reliance on modern editions; explore the range of sources for particular ceremonies and the sort of questions which can be asked of them; and go beyond the rites themselves to investigate how liturgy was practised and understood in the medieval period.