2015 marks the 30th anniversary of Lee Mitchell's great standard work on the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. As his student, protegee, and colleague, Ruth Meyers takes this classic work and updates it for the Church in its current era and for the future.

A desire and demand to know more about the Jewish legacy of Christian identity is growing among laity. A similar desire to foster interfaith understanding and dialogue is growing among leaders of local churches. Why Is There a Menorah on the Altar? seeks to meet these demands by providing information and insight about Judaism s legacy as it is revealed in Christian rites, rituals, and traditions. Drawing upon scripture and historical sources, this book explains how Judaism has influenced the structure of liturgical worship; the design and decor of church sanctuaries; and how Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation find their roots in Judaism. This book invites readers to develop a deeper understanding of Judaism, one that will enrich their Christianity and appreciation for their enduring Jewish heritage. Includes: questions for reflection; activities for individuals or groups; and easy-to-follow timelines."

Lectionary texts for reading the daily office using the Revised Standard Version translation of the Bible.

The "difficult psalms" which amount to more than a third of the Psalter, shock us with their cries of pain, anger, and alienation. They call on God for revenge on their enemies and mercy for themselves. Lyn Fraser, following the lead of Old Testament theologian Walter Brueggemann, shows how to integrate these "psalms of disorientation" in Sunday morning worship, pastoral care, and any situation of extreme need.

Prepared by the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music and adopted by the 73rd General Convention, this new set of materials was adapted from sources in scripture; a variety of contemporary prayer books throughout the Anglican Communion; traditional materials from Orthodox and medieval western sources; and hymnody of various American cultures. Newly written texts and some texts from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer which have been revised are also included.

From birthday cakes and anniversary dinners to summer vacations at the beach, each family has its own ways of marking the days and seasons of its life. For the Christian family especially Episcopalians it s no different. With an array of colors and an assortment of rich traditions, Episcopalians move through the Church year, marking the days and seasons that tell the story of Christ in our lives in history and today.

This book written for newcomers to the Episcopal Church as well as lifelong members takes readers by the hand and leads them through the Church year, from the first Sunday of Advent through the last Sunday of Pentecost, answering questions like Why do we use purple in Lent? and What does Maundy Thursday mean? In an easy-to-read conversational style, Welcome to the Church Year introduces readers to the traditions of the Church seasons and explains why we do what we do. But it does more than offer interesting trivia about church vestments and pageantry. Its insights can help readers participate in the liturgies of the Church year in a deeper, more meaningful way."

What does it mean to be human in this season of waiting? And what does it mean to believe that God became human? In language drenched in poetry, this collection of meditations for Advent and Christmas explores what it means to gaze into the mystery that is Incarnation.

This book is practical guide for Christians seeking to learn balanced principles of healing prayer. Avery Brooke presents a wealth of material in a down-to-earth manner filed with rich faith and wisdom.

The third edition is updated to the Revised Common Lectionary

Many of us have difficulty hearing the Bible as it is read to us in church Sunday after Sunday through the year. Even with the best intentions we come to the Word of God cold because we have not been given the skills and the preparation to hear and understand the content of Scripture.

These brief and insightful introductions to all the readings of the church s three-year lectionary cycle are designed to sharpen our listening and increase comprehension of Scripture by summarizing each passage, setting it in a liturgical and historical context, connecting it to the season, and drawing out its relevance to our lives and faith, week by week.

This is an ideal tool for Christian formation as well as homiletical preparation. The style is clear, straightforward, well grounded in biblical scholarship, and Anglican in its theological approach. Extra features include an essay on the Bible and Christian formation, five brief use guides, an index to the biblical readings, and a summary of the seven most common Bible translations used in church services. "

A concise book to help those who are licensed to be responsible for worship in a congregation that does not have the services of ordained clergy on a regular basis, as well as for all laity--licensed or otherwise--who have responsibility for some aspect of worship. Examines lay participation in the Ministry of the Word, in the Eucharist, and in the Daily Offices.

When C. W. McPherson asked the members of his congregation to practice just ten minutes of silence each day during Advent, it seemed like a simple task. "It sounded easy, " said one of his parishioners, "but then I actually tried to do it."

This concise, conversational, and engaging book is for those who find it difficult or even impossible to slow down and be quiet. But if we can't learn how to be still in the midst of a noisy world, we will have a hard time listening for God's voice and guidance in our lives.

McPherson explores the positive effects that practicing silence has on body, soul, and mind. He provides historical background and easy-to-follow instructions for a variety of Christian practices. Among the practices included are Benedictine rumination, psalm repetition, the Jesus Prayer, Ignatian meditation, meditation on icons or candles, walking the labyrinth or the Stations of the Cross, and more. This valuable book is written to be used by individuals or groups.

Lectionary texts for reading the daily office using the Revised Standard Version translation of the Bible.

Through hymns, poems, and the lens of personal experience, a leading spiritual director and author takes a thoughtful, in-depth look at the Cross as a focal point for theology, spirituality, Christian symbolism, and discipleship, providing a probing and disturbing resource for group study during Lent.

Lectionary texts for reading the daily office using the Revised Standard Version translation of the Bible.

This is the indispensable companion for worship planning for the Episcopal Church. Following the three-year Revised Common Lectionary cycle and the church calendar year, this is the all-in-one liturgical season planner for worship. Included are suggestions for each season: rites, blessings, prayers, litanies, pageants. Readings, psalms, worship, and formation, and hymn suggestions are compiled for each Sunday and holy day. Presiders and preachers, worship team leaders, musicians, Christian educators, sacristans, and altar guilds will find this to be the perfect resource, putting all the elements for planning worship and seasonal observances in one handy volume.

This useful book falls in the category of resources for structuring liturgies to fit local occasions. In addition to seven complete vigil services inspired by the ancient monastic discipline of nighttime prayer and meditation, there are new models such as "A Vigil in the Presence of God" or "A Vigil for Peace and Justice." Ample notes throughout explain the history of vigils and offer advice for planning small private and large public vigils.

Easy-to-make recipes are ideal for families with younger children, church school classes, and pot lucks. Connecting of baking, food, and social justice makesgood Lenten reading for middle and high school youth groups. Substantial reflections for prayer groups and Lenten study groups. Ecumenical in focus

Ideal for altar guilds and women who bake communion bread who want to make prayer and reflection part of their ministry. Bread speaks to us of our daily reliance upon a Maker, writes Christopher Levan. Perhaps more than any other food it brings us close to our roots as fellow creatures of God's creation. Bread is an apt metaphor for the spiritual journey.

Give Us This Day offers meditations for every day in Lent, inviting us to connect faith, "our daily bread," and the world in which we live, along with recipes that range from Shrove Tuesday "No-Fret Pancakes" to Easter Challah bread. Each of the 40 meditations begins with a scripture verse and a prayer."

Celebrating Series Celebrating the Rites of Initiation continues the standard of scholarship set by Patrick Malloy s Celebrating the Eucharist, and offers similar aids around issues of baptism and confirmation. It is an ideal book for students and practicing clergy who seek to strengthen their knowledge and parochial practice of baptismal theology."

This guide for clergy, parish musicians, lay readers, and congregational representatives covers all the stages of organizing worship services for the entire year. Using The Book of Common Prayer and Hymnal 1982 as primary resources, it explores the rich variety of options both time-honored traditions and accepted innovations.

Times and seasons covered in depth include Advent, the Twelve Days of Christmas, Lent and Holy Week, Easter and the Great Fifty Days, and the Sundays after Epiphany and Pentecost. Planning the Church Year explains the preparations that make for meaningful holy days and special occasions, such as Lesser Feasts, Thanksgiving Day, Vigils, Michaelmas, All Saints Day, the bishop s visitation, the Patronal and Dedication Festivals. "

This course offers the best education available to altar guild members and is also extremely informative for all laity. This comprehensive training course presents "modules" of easy-to-digest information, which include everything any member would need to know about what are humorously termed the "props", the "stage", the "holy hardware", the "costumes", and other aspects of the Passion Play we all attend on Sunday.

With the sensitivity born of time and experience, Charles Hoffacker presents an unusually warm and caring approach to preaching at a pivotal transition in human life, one which goes to the very heart of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Hoffacker teaches the reader, whether a seasoned preacher or a novice homilist, to find the key to unlocking the mystery of Jesus promise of eternal life in a mortal life now ended.

Some early Christians used water, not wine, in the cup of their Eucharist, and avoided eating meat. This kind of avoidance, more common than previously imagined, reflected a more radical stance towards the wider society than that taken by the Christian mainstream. The discussion here throws new light on early Christianity and the ways eating and drinking have often reflected deeply-held beliefs and values.

When the story of modernity is told from a theological perspective, music is routinely ignored - despite its pervasiveness in modern culture and the manifold ways it has been intertwined with modernity's ambivalent relation to the Christian God. In conversation with musicologists and music theorists, in this collection of essays Jeremy Begbie aims to show that the practices of music and the discourses it has generated bear their own kind of witness to some of the pivotal theological currents and counter-currents shaping modernity. Music has been deeply affected by these currents and in some cases may have played a part in generating them. In addition, Begbie argues that music is capable of yielding highly effective ways of addressing and moving beyond some of the more intractable theological problems and dilemmas which modernity has bequeathed to us. Music, Modernity, and God includes studies of Calvin, Luther and Bach, an exposition of the intriguing tussle between Rousseau and the composer Rameau, and an account of the heady exaltation of music to be found in the early German Romantics. Particular attention is paid to the complex relations between music and language, and the ways in which theology, a discipline involving language at its heart, can come to terms with practices like music, practices which are coherent and meaningful but which in many respects do not operate in language-like ways.

Our culture has undergone a major shift: younger generations have less and less interest in the printed word as they become predominantly image oriented. In response, as congregations increasingly learn to be more sophisticated in using newer electronic technologies, they are finding themselves at different places in the quest to understand, acquire, manage, and benefit from the technology boom. Worship leaders in congregations already using some electronic media are realizing that they could be doing more with it, and are seeking new ideas. Congregational leaders scrambling to catch up with a worship committee that has decided it's time for a change aren't sure of the next steps. Or maybe there's been a gift to the congregation to be spent on electronics, and no one is quite sure how best to use the money. Michael Bausch's book grows out of several years' of conversation, personal experimentation, and experience with multimedia worship in one modest-sized, small-town church, while also drawing on the experiences and work of other churches learning to use electronic media in worship. Bausch balances concern for practical issues, such as finances and architecture, with attention to theological integrity and the challenges of sustaining media-enhanced worship. He skillfully shows how the artistic resources of the world around us can enhance our awareness of God's presence in worship.

Exploring how the Bible may be appropriately used in practical and public theology, this book looks at types of modern practical theology with specific emphasis on the use of the Bible. Bennett juxtaposes the diversity of modern practical theology with the work of leading nineteenth-century public 'theologian', John Ruskin, and then assesses the contribution of this analysis to some modern issues of public importance in which the Bible is used. The final chapter offers a framework for a biblically informed critical practical theology which draws on the writer's experience and invites the readers to engage their own.