Advent

And His Name Shall Be Called

Fri, 02 May 2025 16:26:30 GMT

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

Whether we hear it read aloud or sung by a massed choir, Isaiah 9:6 resonates with lifelong churchgoers, spiritual seekers, and even those dipping a toe into the things of God for the first time.

This Advent, step into the wonder of the season through the ancient words of the prophet Isaiah and the stirring music of Handel's Messiah. In And His Name Shall Be Called, beloved pastor and scholar James Howell invites you to reflect deeply on the four names that reveal the promise of God's presence in Isaiah 9:6: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

Each week of this devotional centers on one of these titles, with daily reflections that draw from scripture, theology, and music to explore the many ways God is with us — in the past, today, and in the future. Through Howell's thoughtful insights and pastoral wisdom, you'll discover how these names are not just ancient poetry but promises still unfolding in our world today.

With special ties to Handel's Messiah, this devotional includes curated playlists to enrich your experience — helping you connect your spiritual reflections with the power of music in worship and contemplation.

Written by Rev. Dr. James Howell — senior pastor of one of the largest United Methodist congregations in the U.S. and author of the bestselling Unrevealed Until Its Season — this new Advent devotional will touch your heart and lead you to Christmas with joy and hope.

Whether you're reading alone, with family, or as part of a small group, And His Name Shall Be Called will be a meaningful Advent companion, revealing surprises and great treasures to help you make sense of who God really is and what life with God is, and could be, like.

And His Name Shall Be Called

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 13:33:25 GMT

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

Whether we hear it read aloud or sung by a massed choir, Isaiah 9:6 resonates with lifelong churchgoers, spiritual seekers, and even those dipping a toe into the things of God for the first time.

Season's Greetings

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 19:38:23 GMT

“Be prepared in this book to meet the people of the biblical Christmas story in ways you have never encountered them before.”—Thomas G. Long, Candler School of Theology

Imagine opening your mailbox to find a bundle of Christmas letters addressed to you from long-ago Bible characters who were there for the birth of Jesus. Mary. Joseph. The innkeeper. A shepherd. The midwife. King Herod. The Magi. How do each of these writers remember the unfolding story? What did they know? When did they know it? How did it change them?

In Season's Greetings, twelve vividly imagined letters from "those who were there" speak to the many meanings of Christmas. Awe. Wonder. Disruption. Scandal. Hope. Collected together, the letters invite you—the reader—to add your voice to the conversation, to put Christmas into your own words.

Scripture texts, companion prayers, reflection questions and journaling prompts accompanying each letter lend themselves to individual or group study.

Whether you love Christmas or dread it, whether you are a believer or a skeptic, the letters in Season's Greetings will speak to you. This Advent devotional delivers straight talk with honesty, intellectual rigor and a touch of humor, allowing you to hear with new ears the old, old story that changed—and is changing—the world.

Season's Greetings also includes an Afterword for Clergy and Church Leaders offering creative ideas for using the book in various ministry contexts, as well as a Small Group Leader's Guide.

READ A SAMPLE.

Season's Greetings

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 13:10:06 GMT

“Be prepared in this book to meet the people of the biblical Christmas story in ways you have never encountered them before.”—Thomas G. Long, Candler School of Theology

Scripture texts, companion prayers, reflection questions and journaling prompts accompanying each letter lend themselves to individual or group study.

Season's Greetings also includes an Afterword for Clergy and Church Leaders offering creative ideas for using the book in various ministry contexts, as well as a Small Group Leader's Guide.

READ A SAMPLE.

Fully Human, Fully Divine

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 16:09:37 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.

Light From Afar

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 14:18:27 GMT

Advent is celebrated differently throughout the world. Some cultures barely observe the waiting and focus on the Christmas celebration. Others feel deeply the contrast between present circumstances and God’s promise of a better future, making for a season of fasting and prayer. All of them focus on Christ as the Light of the world.

Light from Afar is a daily Advent devotional that illuminates the season through the unforgettable stories and reflections of four writers from around the world. Authors Nadiyka Gerbish (Ukraine), Joel Bengbeng (Philippines), Cláudio Carvalhaes (Brazil), and Sidwell Mokgothu (South Africa) share cultural and religious traditions of the Advent season in their daily reflections. Each day's meditation includes a scripture reading, a prayer, an opportunity for reflection, and a link to a song from the author’s home country.

The light of the star of Bethlehem has spread around the world. The people who have heard the good news have stories to tell and traditions to share. By joining with Christians from different cultures and countries in prayer, we can experience the hope, love, joy, and peace of Advent, leading ultimately to Immanuel—God with us—on Christmas day.

Light from Afar

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:55:27 GMT

Fully Human, Fully Divine

Wed, 18 May 2022 20:38:41 GMT

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

Let Us Go Now to Bethlehem

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:36:54 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

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:19:27 GMT

Let Us Go Now to Bethlehem

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:13:11 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

Sat, 14 May 2022 03:44:08 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 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.

The Wondrous Mystery

Fri, 13 May 2022 23:28:00 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

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:07:00 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 01:38:24 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.