This book provides patterns, instructions and background information for twenty different Chrismons, or "monograms of Christ." It also includes a church program for presenting and explaining the meanings of these Christian symbols. The program includes children and adults and incorporates the singing of the Christmas hymns. ... a worship service ... a learning experience ... a dramatic presentation Diane L. Gibson is a graduate of Concordia Teachers' College, River Forest, Illinois, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education. In addition to teaching in Lutheran schools, she has directed adult and youth choirs and special children's programs in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Chrismons contains condensed interpretations of all the ornaments on the tree at the Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville, Virginia. Drawings and photographs illustrate the explanations for the theological symbols that inspired the first Chrismons made by Mrs. Francis Kipps Spencer in 1957. A uniquely beautiful explanation of the life and ministry of Christ using images and scripture to remind the reader of ancient symbols, flowers and abbreviations Christians have used to tell Christ's story for centuries.

* Winsome, compelling artwork gives us an image to ponder while the text gently leads us to embrace the spiritual discipline of celebration* A melding of the biblical story of Jesus' birth with cultural components of Christmas roots our celebrations both in Christ and in our ordinary experiences* A thoughtful gift for family (parents, grandparents, grown children), friends and godchildren

Thirteen papers on different subjects, focussing on writings and inscriptions in medieval art, explore the faculty of writing to create and determine spaces and to generate the sacred by the display of holy scripture. The subjects range from book illumination over wall painting, mosaics, sculpture, and church interiors to inscriptions on portals and façades.

Many people end their celebration of Christmas on December 25, but George Donigian reminds us that the celebration is only beginning. Donigian offers meditations that begin with Advent and continue through Epiphany (January 6), also known as the 12th night of Christmas. Like the surprises of an Advent calendar, the meditations touch on many subjects. Some topics include "An Editor," "A Counting Song," "Prudence," and "Chrismons." Instead of putting away your nativity scenes and other Christmas decorations on December 25, celebrate all the days to come. In Days to Come offers devotional meditations based on a merger of several Christmas traditions: Advent calendars, ancient Advent prayers known as the "O Antiphons," the traditional celebration of Christmas on December 25, and the Armenian Orthodox celebration of Christmas on January 6. The meditations—4 per week—count down from the first week of Advent to Epiphany. While each reading stands alone, the meditations are rooted in a weekly theme. Donigian's writing style is conversational, and given his diverse interests, the conversation ranges widely. In Days to Come encourages us to move with the Incarnation of Jesus Christ into the new year and into mission and ministry.

The song “The 12 Days of Christmas” is a mainstay of the holiday season, but the practice of celebrating Christmas as a twelve-day festival fell out of fashion long ago in most cultures. In Celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas, author Chris Marchand explores the history behind the season and individual feast days from December 25 to January 6, and then offers suggestions for how you can celebrate it with your family, church, or community. Along with this, he provides answers to many of the nagging questions surrounding the holiday, such as the history behind the twelve-days song, why December 25 was chosen as the date, and what to do about its supposedly pagan origins. The challenge before us is to first help people see Christmas as a holiday that begins, rather than ends, on December 25, and then to together figure out how to reinvent Christmas in the present by learning how it was celebrated in the past.

This anthology provides a wide range of dramatic and worship material for seasonal celebrations. There are numerous Thanksgiving resources, including a children's Sunday school learning event, a children's message, a brief responsive reading, a one-act drama, and a sermon. For Christmas there are six plays of various lengths for a variety of ages and cast sizes, as well as a "hanging of the greens" worship program and an engaging story that can either be read to young children or performed as a play.

Worship in today's mainline churches is changing faster than many ministry leaders would like, yet not fast enough to satisfy many laypeople who want to experience something fresh when they attend worship. While older members may resist losing valued traditions, younger people often want things done in new ways. Worship Innovations: Hanging The Greens For Christmas finds a middle ground with new approaches to valued traditions of holiday worship. Beginning with a step-by-step guide for initiating a "Hanging the Greens" celebration, Janet Burton offers nine creative, easy-to-produce programs in which all ages of the church family can participate in the process of decorating worship areas for the Advent and Christmas seasons. She also includes five plans for breathing new life into using the Advent wreath. Best of all, these practical ideas are very flexible and easily adapted to fit the worship style of almost any congregation. It's a perfect way to usher in the holiday season and prepare for the birth of the Savior! In this sage book, Janet Burton gives an exhaustive study and ideas for any church to make Hanging of the Greens a worshipful, meaningful experience. It is chock-full of biblical insights. Dr. W.E. (Bill) Thorn Nationally known pastor, evangelist, speaker, and humorist The reader will be immediately caught up in Janet Burton's enthusiasm for her subject. You'll find yourself -- as I did -- caught up in Hanging The Greens For Christmas as an excellent option for innovative worship. I am impressed with the variety of approaches... each program is fresh and innovative. And in this day when our families need much nurturing, it's good to see that Janet Burton has used the opportunity to make a strong family emphasis in her presentations. Rev. J. Kenneth Robinson Writer and minister of music and education Janet Burton has been a pastor's wife and Christian educator for 45 years. For 20 of those years she served as Minister of Education at Woodlawn Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, where her husband was pastor. She has been a regular faculty leader in the area of adult ministries at Glorieta Baptist Conference Center, and in churches throughout Texas, New Mexico, and other midwest and southern states. Author of three books and a contributor to five others, Mrs. Burton's specialty is Sunday School Bible study curriculum. She has 17 quarters of lessons and many articles to her credit. In addition, she has contributed weekly or monthly columns to three Christian newspapers. Burton studied Christian education at Wheaton College in Illinois, and at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Thousands of visitors go to the Italian Chapel in Orkney every year, witnesses to a series of remarkable acts of transformation. Among these are the Churchill Barriers nearby, straddling the ocean to link a number of Orkney's southernmost islands to its mainland. Constructed to protect Britain's naval fleet in Scapa Flow during World War Two, its builders included a group of Italian soldiers imprisoned in this bleak and windswept part of Scotland. In the course of this, they not only played a part in changing Orkney's way-of-life forever but also transformed a simple Nissen Hut, constructing through their labours a place-of-worship that still stands till this day a remarkable symbol of their identity and faith. The Italian Chapel: Orkney tells the story of the strength and tenacity, laughter and tears of the men who built the Italian Chapel, showing how spirits defeated and despondent during years of exile were lifted by its creation. It does this with its own artistry and grace, using folk-tale and myth to provide a fitting counterpart to the wonder and beauty of the building that inspired it.