Pastors and other preachers have long turned to The Abingdon Preaching Annual for help with one of the central tasks of their ministry: sermon preparation. The 2013 edition of the Annual continues and, in response to our faithful readers, improves this fine tradition. Sermon helps include: lectionary-based sermons for each Sunday and special liturgical event of the year; lectionary commentary; and 15 topical sermon series on diverse themes like missions, modern families, life in the Holy Spirit, stewardship, and more. Worship planning aids include a four-year liturgical event calendar Guide to liturgical colors; 2013 lectionary readings in one, easy-to-read table; and related worship aids following each lectionary sermon, and each sermon series. The Abingdon Preaching Annual, always a trusted resource, is the most comprehensive and useful aid for sermon preparation you will find.

The Abingdon Worship Annual 2013 offers fresh worship planning resources for all who plan and implement weekly worship. Worship leaders "share a common challenge: to provide quality, integrated, creative worship week after week for congregations hungry for meaningful and fulfilling connections with God. We are honored to offer this resource as part of your journey to help your congregations grow in faith. Many of our readers also find it helpful as a weekly devotional guide or a prayer resource as they gather for lectionary study groups." (From the Introduction) Using a Theme Idea based on the lectionary readings, each week's offering of prayers and litanies follows a basic pattern of Christian worship: Invitation and Gathering Proclamation and Response Thanksgiving and Communion Sending Forth Alternative ideas for Praise Sentences and Contemporary Gathering Words are offered for those who work in contemporary worship settings. Searchable Online Extras! Available exclusively to Abingdon Worship Annual users and accessible purchase of this print version. Along with the entire print text in PDF format for ease of navigation and use, the AWA 2013 offers these great extras: Song suggestions for each week, hyperlinked to the text Annotated Resource List with links to helpful worship planning Web sites (NEW!) Prayers and Liturgies for Baptisms Now more than ever, The Abingdon Worship Annual is a must-have sourcebook offering countless opportunities for planning meaningful and insightful worship.

The Abingdon Preaching Annual 2017 includes: The Primary Theme Fleshed out with brief, pithy nuggets of thought, idea jump-starters, or questions designed to spur the preacher’s imagination. Secondary or Parallel Themes Two or three themes or streams of thought that are related to but separate from the primary theme offered. Worship Helps Including Gathering Prayer, Collect, Pastoral Prayer, Congregational Prayer, Responsive Reading, and a Closing Prayer or Benediction. Topical Essays These 700 word essays cover a variety of current and critical topics for the preacher—contributed by leading homileticians. Full Sermons The full text from six to twelve sermons will be included. These sermons will highlight best practices, unique approaches, and fresh voices. Sermon Series Ideas This section will briefly outline and describe ideas for unique sermon series based on lectionary readings. "As a weekly preacher, I often find that preparing for preaching and crafting sermons are spiritual disciplines for me. It is a time in which I try to quiet all of the other 'to do' lists that occupy much of my ministry. This resource from Abingdon Press will now be a partner in those conversations, almost like a new personal devotional guide. I am grateful for additional voices who can help me make space for God’s Living Word." - Shannon J Kershner, Pastor, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, IL "The Abingdon Preaching Annual is a valuable resource for today’s preacher seeking to offer sermons with theological depth and thematic clarity. It seeks to activate the preacher’s own reflection and imagination in the challenging task of weekly preaching." - Alyce M. McKenzie, Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship Director, The Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence

Both experienced and novice preachers need a new approach for sermon development skill-building. A Sermon Workbook offers a unique and flexible resource that is instantly accessible and useful for anyone tasked with the proclamation of the Word. The workbook format can be used in a linear fashion, beginning to end. Or readers can pick and choose the chapters to tailor-fit their own needs. In either case, readers build skill upon skill, working through inventive and engaging exercises first developed and taught at Yale Divinity School. The book addresses the skills and arts that are essential for effective preaching in our multi-tasking, multi-ethnic, sound-bite society. It offers theological clarity about why we preach, and what matters most. The creative, collaborative, and charming authors present the principles as they do in their classroom: in two voices—one male and one female--with the two complementing and supporting one another.

As individuals, we often find peace, comfort, and a close connection to God in a garden. Gardens often provide a space for worship in a neutral setting outside the church for people to gather and share a faith experience. From Easter sunrise services to church retreats, the special worship experiences described in Worship in the Garden can enhance one's experience of God as a congregation worships together outdoors. The beauty of creation enhances these sensitive, meaningful liturgies for Communion, Blessing of the Animals, Healing, Renewal of Wedding Vows, Resurrection/Memorial Services, Graveside, Baptism, Baptismal Reaffirmation, along with other services. Inside you will learn about liturgical gardens and biblical precedents for outdoor worship.

Do you long for something more in your relationship with God? Are you struggling to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit? Are you ready to embark on a Spirit-propelled adventure of restoration, renewal and transformation? When we do not experience God’s life within us, our Christianity can deteriorate into a lifeless system of rules and empty rituals. If this describes you at the moment, know that you are not alone. Many spiritual seekers are tired of a superficial faith and yearn to know the fi re of God’s presence burning in their hearts. In Holy Spirit Here and Now Trevor Hudson shares his personal journey and offers practical guidance to help you experience the Holy Spirit moving in your ordinary life. Some of the common hurdles he addresses are: Feeling that the Holy Spirit is only available to religious professionals, but not to you Being put off by negative past experiences with people attempting to push you into an experience of the Holy Spirit Having a sense that something is lacking in your relationship with God Feeling that experiences of God’s Spirit are far removed from our everyday lives Believing that experiencing the Holy Spirit is a once-off event rather than a lifetime journey. Trevor Hudson encourages you to allow every part of your life – your emotions, body, soul, relationships, career – to become an arena where the Holy Spirit can work. This is what it means to be truly fi lled with God’s Spirit.

Congregations are made up of people with all sorts of theologies. Pastor Mike Slaughter even says that these can stand in the way of the church’s mission of social and personal holiness. But most people do not adopt a theology on purpose, mostly they merely breathe in the prevailing cultural air. The theology "de jour" seems to be Calvinist, with its emphasis on “the elect” and “other worldly salvation.” In fact, there is so much Calvinism saturating the culture, that some do not even know there is an alternative way of thinking about their faith. They don’t know where to go to find a viable option; they don’t even know the key words to search Google. So people are left thinking like Calvinists but living with a desire to change the world, offering grace and hope to hurting people in mission and ministry—loving the least, the last, and the lost. In other words, they are living like Wesleyans. This book shows what Calvinist and Wesleyans actually believe about human responsibility, salvation, the universality of God’s grace, holy living through service, and the benefits of small group accountability--and how that connects to how people can live. Calvinists and Wesleyans are different, and by knowing the difference, people will not only see the other benefits of Wesleyan theology but will be inspired to learn more. By knowing who they are as faithful people of God, they will be motivated to reach out in mission with renewed vigor. And they won’t be obstacles to grace and holiness, but they can be better disciples and advocates for Christ through service in this world.