‘Almost before I had begun this wonderful book, I was hooked’ STEPHEN COTTRELL ‘Robyn Wrigley-Carr has produced a masterpiece of insight and wisdom’ CLARION JOURNAL ‘Nourishment for the soul on every page’ AYLA LEPINE, CHURCH TIMES ‘Wrigley-Carr illustrates how Underhill wonderfully unites reflection and prayer’ DANA GREENE Beloved spiritual writer Evelyn Underhill believed that God does not just come to us at special times, but is always coming to us. But how do we recognise his coming and make ourselves open to it? In Music of Eternity, the Archbishop of York’s Advent Book 2021, Robyn Wrigley-Carr shares a series of meditations exploring the nature God’s comings. Skilfully weaving together Underhill’s writings with the psalms and short prayers, she shows how, as Christians, we can embrace God’s coming and be transformed by them in order to better love others. Full of rich warmth and encouragement, these Christian meditations will help you make the most of the Advent season and more able to connect with God at all times. Set out in four parts to take you through Advent and with questions for reflection, the Archbishop of York’s Advent book can be used as a study for individuals or small groups to prepare for Christmas. Music of Eternity will help you find space to deepen your relationship with God, and to understand what Evelyn Underhill called the ‘many-sided truth of God’s perpetual coming to His creatures’.

The renowned spiritual writer Evelyn Underhill believed that God not only comes to us at special times: He is always coming to us! But how do we recognise and make ourselves open to His loving Presence? In The Archbishop of York's Advent Book, Robyn Wrigley-Carr offers a series of meditations, one for every day of the season, that skilfully weave together Evelyn's wonderfully fresh writings with Bible passages, questions for discussion and short prayers. Through these, she reveals how we can embrace God's comings and be transformed by them as we see to be like Christ, loving others in our broken world. Book jacket.

'Carefully edited, this beautiful little volume is a rare gem . . . highly recommended for anyone seeking new inspiration in prayer.' - The Reader Between 1924 and 1938, Evelyn Underhill compiled two personal prayer books for use when conducting spiritual retreats at Pleshey (the retreat house for the diocese of Chelmsford). The prayers were carefully selected and include quotes from a variety of theologians and writers in Christian spirituality, as well as her own very rich, metaphorical and theologically deep prayers. These collections are now available for the first time.

An Advent Book of Days tells the stories of all the characters and creatures that make up the Christmas story, with daily prayers and reflections based on their experiences. Fully illustrated in colour, this rich seasonal companion combines the bible, history, art and legend to explore the story of the incarnation. For each day of Advent, we meet a character caught up in the drama of the nativity, from the archangel Gabriel to the ox and ass in the stable. We discover what their portrayal in scripture reveals about them, how they have been understood in history, what folk legends have accrued around them, and what their stories offer for faith and devotion today. This is a book to engage all the senses and the imagination, to be enjoyed slowly and to shed new light on the most famous and familiar story of all.

Jane Williams' meditations on the birth of Jesus take you deep into the story of the original Christmas, as depicted in some of the world's greatest paintings on the nativity. These reflections will deepen and refresh your appreciation of the real meaning of Christmas, and the message of love, joy, and peace that it speaks to all the world.

New York Times bestselling author John Eldredge offers readers a breathtaking look into God’s promise for a new heaven and a new earth. This revolutionary book about our future is based on the simple idea that, according to the Bible, heaven is not our eternal home--the New Earth is. As Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew, the next chapter of our story begins with "the renewal of all things," by which he means the earth we love in all its beauty, our own selves, and the things that make for a rich life: music, art, food, laughter and all that we hold dear. Everything shall be renewed "when the world is made new." More than anything else, how you envision your future shapes your current experience. If you knew that God was going to restore your life and everything you love any day; if you believed a great and glorious goodness was coming to you--not in a vague heaven but right here on this earth--you would have a hope to see you through anything, an anchor for your soul, "an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God" (Hebrews 6:19). Most Christians (most people for that matter) fail to look forward to their future because their view of heaven is vague, religious, and frankly boring. Hope begins when we understand that for the believer nothing is lost. Heaven is not a life in the clouds; it is not endless harp-strumming or worship-singing. Rather, the life we long for, the paradise Adam and Eve knew, is precisely the life that is coming to us. And that life is coming soon.

In these meditations on the lesser feasts and fasts of the church calendar Sam Portaro asks the question, “What do these saints and commemorations have to say to Christians today?” His answers are often surprising and always thought-provoking, with fresh insights into the lives and teachings of those who have gone before us in the Christian faith. The cycle of the year begins in Advent with St. Andrew and ends in late November with Kamehaneha and Emma of Hawaii. Each reflection looks at the scripture readings for the day and focuses on a distinctive attribute of the saint or feast in the light of contemporary questions of faith, mission, and community. Saints of the distant past such as Columba and Agnes, Cyprian and Augustine, Thomas Becket and Catherine of Siena are included, as well as those closer to our own day—Charles Wesley and Julia Emery, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Evelyn Underhill and Jonathan Daniels. Following the calendar provided in Lesser Feasts and Fasts, meditations on the holy days of the church seasons are also included, such as All Saints and the Epiphany.” Brightest and Best is designed for a variety of Christian education purposes, including adult forums, confirmation classes, seasonal presentations, clergy groups, and groups of students and young adults. It is equally useful for individuals seeking varied and interesting devotional reading. Although based on the church year, each chapter is discrete and readers can focus on any event or person and begin at any season. Since these pieces began as homilies in a college setting, they are useful as a preaching aid and could be the basis of a homily at a midweek service.

This book is a study of how Christian worship, viewed in its deepest sense, is a response of the human to the Eternal. There is first an examination of the basic characteristics, in ritual, symbol, sacrifice, and sacrament. The nature and significance of the Eucharist are thoroughly treated. In the second part of the book there is a detailed discussion of selected traditions of worship, including Reformed, Anglican, Catholic, Eastern, and Western churches. Recognized as both a historical study and a spiritual classic of our time, Worship has had a long series of editions since it was first published in 1936.

‘In a world where justice is too often about power, Isabelle Hamley shows that God’s justice brings transformation, healing and hope for all.’ JUSTIN WELBY What is justice? It’s a question we encounter everywhere in life and that over the last years has increasingly demanded an answer. In Embracing Justice, Isabelle Hamley invites us on an exhilarating journey through Scripture to discover how we, as churches, communities and individual Christians, can seek and practice justice even when enmeshed in such a fractured world. Full of practical encouragement, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book for 2022 brilliantly weaves together biblical texts, diverse voices, contemporary stories, and personal and group meditations to reveal liberating and imaginative ways in which me may grow in discipleship – and more fully reflect the justice, mercy and compassion of Christ in our lives. With six chapters to take you from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, this Lent devotional for 2022 is essential reading for anyone interested in the issues of justice – from climate and economic justice to gender and racial equality – that are increasingly at the forefront of global consciousness, and the role that Christians and the Church must play in them. Suitable for use both as a single study for individuals and for small groups to prepare for Easter, Embracing Justice will encourage, inform and motivate anyone looking for Christian books about justice. It will help you understand justice from a biblical perspective, and inspire you to seek it in every aspect of your life. Although the world is broken, unequal and violent, the call to reflect God’s own justice and mercy continues to sound like a steady drumbeat, impossible to ignore. Company with Isabelle Hamley this Lent, and discover that we can all join God’s mission of transformation and embrace his justice.

Given the renewed interest in Evelyn Underhill with the publication of Evelyn Underhill’s Prayer Book (SPCK, January 2018), the time seems right to offer a fresh perspective on the writer’s spiritual formation. Having undertaken original research, Robyn Wrigley-Carr first explores the spiritual nurture that Evelyn Underhill received from Baron Friedrich von Hügel (‘to whom I owe my spiritual life’). Second she reveals the spiritual nurture that Underhill gave to people herself, utilizing both published and unpublished materials. At the heart of the book is the idea of a ‘long obedience in the same direction’: Underhill’s life had purpose and meaning as a result of the Baron’s spiritual direction and the soul care she tirelessly bestowed on others.