Celebrate His arrival and worship the Holy Child with this exciting musical for choir, soloist(s), and two narrators. A collaborative work by Mary McDonald and Rose Aspinall, "Jesus!" glorifies the Son of the Most High with both familiar melodies and new songs of praise. And whether sung with Ed Hogan's moving orchestration or with piano alone, it will take your Christmas experience beyond the manger as congregations and performers will learn anew the story of the birth of our Savior, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus.

"Daily reflections for Advent and Christmas based on the bestselling Dawn of the Messiah by Edward Sri, with new questions for reflection, Scripture, and prayers"--

Advent, says Fleming Rutledge, is not for the faint of heart. As the midnight of the Christian year, the season of Advent is rife with dark, gritty realities. In this book, with her trademark wit and wisdom, Rutledge explores Advent as a time of rich paradoxes, a season celebrating at once Christ’s incarnation and his second coming, and she masterfully unfolds the ethical and future-oriented significance of Advent for the church.

A revelatory exploration of the Jewish roots of the Last Supper that seeks to understand exactly what happened at Jesus’ final Passover. “Clear, profound and practical—you do not want to miss this book.”—Dr. Scott Hahn, author of The Lamb’s Supper and The Fourth Cup Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist shines fresh light on the Last Supper by looking at it through Jewish eyes. Using his in-depth knowledge of the Bible and ancient Judaism, Dr. Brant Pitre answers questions such as: What was the Passover like at the time of Jesus? What were the Jewish hopes for the Messiah? What was Jesus’ purpose in instituting the Eucharist during the feast of Passover? And, most important of all, what did Jesus mean when he said, “This is my body… This is my blood”? To answer these questions, Pitre explores ancient Jewish beliefs about the Passover of the Messiah, the miraculous Manna from heaven, and the mysterious Bread of the Presence. As he shows, these three keys—the Passover, the Manna, and the Bread of the Presence—have the power to unlock the original meaning of the Eucharistic words of Jesus. Along the way, Pitre also explains how Jesus united the Last Supper to his death on Good Friday and his Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Inspiring and informative, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist is a groundbreaking work that is sure to illuminate one of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith: the mystery of Jesus’ presence in “the breaking of the bread.”

In Isaiah 9:6, a divine utterance is given to us using four royal titles--Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Names for the Messiah ponders each title and how the people understood it then, how Jesus did or did not fulfill the title, and how Christians interpret Jesus as representative of that title. Christians have claimed from the beginning that Jesus was the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. In this study, best-selling author Walter Brueggemann tackles the questions: "What were these expectations?" and "Did Jesus fulfill them?"

For families who yearn for Christmas to be a true celebration of Christ's birth on earth, the Handel's Messiah Family Advent Reader provides daily readings that are biblically-based and culturally rich. With intriguing stories explaining well-known Christmas customs, each reading features a different portion of the libretto from Handel's Messiah and offers a spiritual insight that links the story to an important principle. The book also includes a CD with portions of Handel's Messiah to enhance the experience.

Meeting the Messiah gives you a chance to journey through the four weeks of Advent with purpose, whether by yourself or with a small group. Each day's devotion guides you in reading a short scripture passage and a reflection that turn your heart and mind toward God's gift of the Christ child looking at Jesus' birth from the perspective of the Holy Spirit, John the Baptist, Mary, the shepherds, Jesus himself, or the Magi considering how the Christ child enters your life today. Creating a unique record of your journey to meet the Messiah as you respond to scripture in the journaling space. This book includes bonus readings for the two weeks following Christmas (leading to Epiphany) and a leader's guide for six small-group sessions. Book jacket.