The Great “O” Antiphons of Advent are favorites of mine because they give shape and words to our deepest longings. To the voices of so many generations before us, we add our own:

O Lord of Light, come, light the hearts of all in dark and shadow;
Spring of Joy, rain down upon our spirits, come, make us whole;
Root of Life, draw us to you, our hope reborn in dying and in rising;
Key of Knowledge, open to us the pathway of peace;
Wisdom, come and teach us the way of prudence.
(Paraphrases of the “O” Antiphons are listed in ELW #257)

In this season of waiting, may the yearnings expressed in the “O” Antiphons echo our own longing for the Christ we celebrate this season: the Promised One who is Lord of Light, Spring of Joy, Root of Life, Key of Knowledge, Wisdom.

As you wait and prepare during Advent, you may enjoy reading Come, Lord Jesus: Devotions for the Home by Susan Briehl (AFP). Briehl’s blessings, prayers, poetry, and songs are combined with scripture and meditations. You also might like Advent Reflections: While We Wait; I wonder as I wander; and Making All Things New (AFP).

These resources are gifts to the church. Several years ago, Briehl wrote a beautiful Advent reflection on the first of the “O” Antiphons about our desire for wisdom. I’ve saved it to reread each Advent season. She closes with this prayer:

“O Wisdom, come and teach us for we are a people highly skilled, but unable to connect with one another. Come and teach us, Sweet Wisdom, for we are a people burdened to breaking with information, but void of compassion, empty of justice, aching for a vision of hope. Come and teach us that we might be wisely rooted, not merely entrenched. O Wisdom, O God’s Wise Heart, O Christ Jesus, come. Amen.”

This is my prayer for each of us this Advent, 2011. Warmest wishes to you all!

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: The “O” Antiphons

Advent Reflections: I Wonder as I Wander invites readers, congregational groups, and families to observe the four weeks of Advent reflecting on texts and themes of hope, love, joy and peace. It includes ritual, prayer, activities, questions. Very fine and ideal for entire congregational use as part of the Book of Faith family of resources (external link). (AFP)

Christmas, Festival of Incarnation by Donald Heinz is a beautiful overview of the cultural history of Christmas, a call to “authentic celebration.” Additional study resources available online at Fortress Press (external link). (AFP)

Sundays and Seasons, Year A, 2011 This is a must-have for every congregation! As we begin a new church year, the very best resources for worship planning are found here. It includes preparation for each season, weekly texts, seasonal rites, music and so much more. Take a look at our preview copy or subscribe online at www.sundaysandseasons.com (external link). (AFP)

For individuals, groups, families, confirmation students: don’t forget Bread for the Day 2011. This beautiful collection of readings, prayers, table graces, hymns and rituals is a rich companion for the new church year! (AFP)

For midweek worship in Advent, the Resource Center has a variety of services available for loan. They include Flames for the Faithful, The Word Fulfilled, A Place Prepare, A Child is Born in Bethlehem, More Services for the Advent Wreath, and more.

An especially beautiful book for celebrating Advent and Christmas, Winter: Celebrating the Season in a Christian Home by Peter Mazar combines readings, images, and reflections. (Liturgy Training Publications)

Christmas programs are available for many kinds of settings. Call the resource center for help!

For adult study, Sing the Faith: Carols of Christmas is a pleasing way to reflect on five well-known Christmas carols including Once in David’s Royal City, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Joy to the World and more. Five sessions. (AFP)

Paula Gooder’s The Spirit of Advent: the Meaning is in the Waiting is a lovely book of meditations focusing on the spiritual practice of waiting. Provocative and insightful!    (Paraclete Press)

For daily reflection, I’m eager to read The Christmas Mystery. This “perfect Christmas tale” by Norwegian novelist Jostein Gaarder comes highly recommended!

DVDs for group use include “Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World?”; five compelling 2-3 minute video illustrations about Jesus’ birth in “Advent”; “Advent Calendar on DVD”; “The Christmas Story”; and “Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

Life is for Living: Advent Reflections based on the O Antiphons is a beautiful set of reflections by Joan Chittister. (Benetvision)

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Open for Exploration: Advent …the coming of God!

Creation Waits with Eager Longing (external link) is a set of resources from Living Earth: A Lenten Journey. It includes a worship series and weekly themes of reflection, remembrance, rediscovery, repentance, reconciliation, and recommitment about becoming more faithful stewards of God’s creation.

For helpful information about the season of Lent, Palm/Passion Sunday, the Three Days and services of daily prayer, take a look at the third volume in the Using Evangelical Lutheran Worship series, Keeping Time: The Church’s Years.

A Lenten devotional series called Holy Lent Holy Land Holy People: A Journey Through the Sermon on the Mount includes true stories from the Holy Land, journeys through the Sermon on the Mount with copy-ready biblical commentary and preaching reflections, and original art from Bethlehem. The adaptable Word document (download .doc file) also contains music, prayers, litanies, questions for reflection and discussion, and can be used for Lenten mid-week worship or Bible study. It was developed in 2008 by the Peace Not Walls task force of the Southwestern Texas Synod (external link) and is offered as a free resource to the church at-large. Visit the ELCA Peace Not Walls (external link) for more information and resources.

For a Lenten DVD series on grace, check out Down and Out: Where Grace Takes You. This six part series reintroduces viewers to the life-changing reality of God’s promises and points the way to a completely different view of life in light of grace. Sessions are 19-25 minutes each. Available for loan.

In the six part series, What’s God Up To? Bible Stories Through New Eyes, provocative and thoughtful biblical teacher, Amy-Jill Levine asks edgy questions about familiar bible stories. Sessions are 25 minutes each. DVD available for loan.

Many additional series are available for small groups, individual study, and reflection. See the online catalog and the e-resource for December 2009, Open for Exploration for additional recommendations.

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Open for Exploration: More Resources for Lent 2010

» Download: A Time to Mourn, A Time to Dance (download pdf file)

None of us is exempt from difficult times. Experiences of loss and grief, deep disappointments, fear and worry are the stuff of life. The death of someone whose life was once full of promise, the loss of one’s job, an unwelcome or unexpected transition, dreaded health diagnoses, broken relationships, and unfulfilled promises are the great common denominators. Very often, we don’t see another’s suffering, we don’t know another’s disappointment or the circumstances that bring sorrow and grief. Knowing that the incarnate God who came to us in a suffering Christ walks with us in our suffering is our anchor and our hope. The following resources are representative of what the Resource Center provides in our collection on loss and grief.

Julie K. Aageson,
Director of the Resource Center
Coordinator, ELCA Resource Centers

Both The Lutheran Magazine (external link) and The Little Lutheran (external link) include ongoing stories and resources for dealing with difficult economic times. The March, 2009 issue includes a cover story about how ELCA congregations and members are coping with stress and loss. Helpful tips are included. A free January, 2009 e-newsletter from The Little Lutheran “Faith and the Economy: Managing stress around young children” (external link) offers ways families’ faith can help them.

Lent provides an important time this year for congregations to enjoy a meal together, worship, and reflect about some of the challenges many people are facing. As individuals and families worry about the possibility of job losses and other economic uncertainties, Lenten suppers and other occasions for gathering together can be a time and a “safe place” for connecting with one another.

Some congregations are inviting opportunities for their members and others in the community to hear from social workers, business leaders, and other community people to talk about career connections, social services, business opportunities, and any other topics that address current concerns. These can be simple adult education forums on a Sunday morning, a weekend retreat, or a workshop where information and connections are shared. A workshop at the synod assembly also will focus on stress and dealing with difficult times.

To Comfort and To Honor is a comprehensive guide for helping families deal with the death and suffering. It provides a framework for preparing for a loved one’s death, expectations and decision making at the time of a death, and rituals and detailed information for planning a funeral. (B1907)

Language of the Heart shares rituals, stories, and information about death. (B2185)

Joyce Rupp’s many books on loss and suffering are written with poetic grace and theological integrity. Among the best are Praying Our Goodbyes, about the end of a friendship, a financial struggle, illness, a job change-losses that have given life meaning and value; May I Have This Dance, focusing on relationships that help guide us through joy and sorrow; Little Pieces of Light-Darkness and Personal Growth encourages readers to approach painful, inner darkness as a help rather than a hindrance to growth; and The Cup of Our Life uses a cup as a metaphor for difficult times. (B2115) (B1183) (B1568) (B1804)

Herb Brokering’s I’m Thinking of You-Spiritual Letters of Hope and Healing looks at ways to offer hope to those recovering from illness. (B1653)

Printed Resources

Written by area authors Jan Nelson and Pastor David Aaker, The Bereavement Ministry Program- A Comprehensive Guide for Churches offers a wealth of resources for responding to the needs of people in grief. It provides ideas for adults, children, and teenagers and addresses topics like the death of a spouse, a parent, young child, adult child, long-term illness, suicide, murder, infertility, AIDS, and other traumatic losses. It includes resources for insomnia, worry reduction, relaxation, managing stress, meditation, and a ritual for saying goodbye. An update of this resource will be available soon. (PR515)

Wheat Ridge Ministries publishes a number of helpful booklets including Odyssey of a Pain-Filled Life by Carol Ebeling and An Odyssey Through Cancer by W. J. Fields. (PR713) (PR711)

Children Are Not Paper Dolls is written from the perspective of children and illustrates how children deal with loss and grief. (PR379)

“Mother Teresa and Father Damien refused to look the other way… they chose to walk head-on into the most extreme situations of suffering and death that continue to be part of life.” A resource for a seven-day retreat, Retreat with Mother Teresa and Damien of Molokai-Caring for Those Who Suffer shows participants how to find God “in [God's] most distressing disguise.” (PR624)

To help children cope with loss, Guiding Children Through Life’s Losses offers sixteen prayers and lessons for assisting and acknowledging loss, for expressing feelings and attempting to recognize the experience as an opportunity for healing and growth. (PR603)

Books

Marty Haugen and Susan Briehl’s Turn My Heart gathers together prayers and psalms, songs and scripture, poems and pictures, all truly remarkable vehicles of comfort and grace. It includes prayer services that can be used for small groups or congregational use and community prayer. It’s the first resource I go to when there is a tragedy, illness, loss of hope, and so many other reasons for grief and loss. Music CD and book. (B2850) (CD6)

Augsburg Fortress publishes a series called Difficult Times (external link) dealing with depression, chronic illness, divorce, mental issues, the loss of a job and more. (B2759=)

Stilling the Storm: Worship and Congregational Leadership in Difficult Times (The Alban Institute) by Kathleen S. Smith combines liturgical and theological insight for pastors and congregations as they walk through difficulty and hard times. (B3310)

Gerhard Frost’s The Color of the Night takes the experience of Job to write about the “dark night of the soul” and the soul-searching that comes from thinking God has abandoned us. (B189)

Author Marva Dawn writes about the message of hope, grace and comfort to early Christians as they faced suffering in her book, Joy in Our Weakness. (B1750)

Can You Drink The Cup? is Henri Nouwen’s beautiful little essay on the spiritual life, living the life given to us even in its brokenness and disappointments. (B1791)

Daniel Simundson’s Where is God in My Suffering is a classic on God’s presence in the midst of loss and grief. (B797)

Grace All Around Us: Embracing God’s Promise in Tragedy and Loss by Stephen Paul Bouman was written in the aftermath of 9/11. (B3347)

From AFP’s Lutheran Voices, Will I Sing Again? Listening for the Melody of Grace in the Silence of Illness and Loss by John McCullough Bade deals with chronic and debilitating illness. (B2832)

For daily prayer, Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief by Martha Whitmore Hickman is for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. (B3538)

Douglas John Hall has written a major work on the reality of suffering in God and Human Suffering. This classic goes beyond simply addressing the topic of suffering to the affirmation that God creates, sustains, and redeems and that suffering—loneliness, experience of limits, temptation, anxiety—are necessary parts of God’s good creation. (B832)

Life is Goodbye, Life is Hello addresses the importance of grieving through all kinds of loss. (B1178)

Avoiding the cliches of grief is the theme in I Know Just How You Feel. (B1034)

Video / DVD

Walter Wangerin draws from his own experience of cancer in Confronting Death: A Christian Approach to the End of Life (Paraclete Press). This five-part conversation goes way beyond acknowledging the difficulties of illness and eventual death and explores stages of grief and loss, caring for those who are ill, handling pain, and much more. (DVD250)

The short film, Nooma: Matthew speaks to the suffering that comes with the loss of someone we love. (DVD163)

Joyce Rupp explores transitions in life like the ending of a relationship, a death, a career change, a move, or a change in one’s life in Spiritual Growth in Tough Times: Find a Reason to Hope. She compares the great cycles of life and nature to our own inner cycles. (VT1942)

Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss provides authentic experiences of loss and grief that don’t assume “right” or prescribed ways of dealing with difficult times. (DVD234) (B2320) (VT2453)

Joan Chittister addresses themes of suffering and loss in two video resources, Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope and Transfiguration Ministry to a Wounded World. Both deal with times of pain and sorrow, depression and stress. (VT2276, VT2277, VT2429)

Walter Brueggemann asks questions like “have you ever wondered if God cares about our suffering” and “does my suffering matter at all to God?” in Is It Alright with God If We Suffer? from the series, Faith and Reason II. This discussion addresses classical notions about God’s ability to deal with evil. (VT1878)

In the series, Great Figures of the Bible, Elie Wiesel tells the Story of Job weaving together images of suffering and sacrifice that characterize that classic Old Testament story. (VT1251)

Spiritual Homepage’s “Suffering” invites viewers to consider our common experience of suffering. The topic is introduced by a well-known thinker, a profile of someone whose life experience reflects a deep encounter with suffering is shared, a film or event from history illustrates the same theme helping viewers better understand their own experience of suffering. (VT1747)

Lessons on Living with Morrie Schwartz, an ABC Special featuring Ted Koppel’s interview with a sociology professor from Brandeis University whose experience of death and dying is recorded in the book, Tuesdays with Morrie, is a helpful resource about “things seen and unseen,” the joys and sorrows of life that all of us experience. (VT2111)

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: A Time to Mourn, A Time to Dance – 2009

The following resources may be helpful for your Lenten planning. They are available from the EaND Synod Resource Center.

40 Day Journeys

This series from Augsburg Fortress invites meditation, individual study, and group discussion. Journeys are with Joan Chittister, Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Kathleen Norris, Madeleine L’Engle, Parker Palmer, and Julian of Norwich. In addition, the Book of Faith 40-Day Lenten Journey includes forty personal daily readings and weekly worship with the study of scripture. Preview copies available. (AFP)

Signs of Lent

This adult study is a spiritual encounter with texts from Matthew and John.

• Lent 1 addresses Jesus’ encounter with solitude and self-denial in the wilderness.
• Lent 2 tells the story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus to reflect on his own spiritual journey. Lent 3 is the story of the Samaritan Woman.
• Lent 4 tells of the blind man seeking healing and its effect on the community.
• Lent 5 is about the death of a friend challenging Jesus to put his own life in jeopardy.
• Lent 6 describes Judas becoming the instrument of Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion.
• The Easter segment shows the risen Christ meeting Mary Magdalene and commissioning her as the first evangelist.

Themes in order: Sand, Wind, Water, Earth, Rock, Tree, Light. PDF leader guide files included. (DVD185) (Logos)

Unfailing Light

This Lenten liturgy of evening prayer and communion includes the beautiful music of Marty Haugen and texts and images by Susan Briehl. (AFP) (GIA)

Journey Through the Psalms

Bring the Psalms to life for prayer and worship and learn to approach God with the emotional intensity of the ancient psalmists. Based on the book of the same name, this eight-session study is led by the book’s author. It includes a DVD, leader’s guide, participant book, a copy of the book, Journey Through the Psalms, and a set of promotional materials. It is a general bible study that immerses participants in the rich texts of the Psalms. Each DVD segment is 6-15 minutes. (K159) (Wesley Ministry Network)

God is Here!

This Lenten video series invites participants to reflect more deeply on worship life. Five sessions focus on liturgical objects and include video clips of congregational stories. (VT2114) (ELCA)

Bible People Monologues for Lent

This downloadable resource can be found online at Augsburg Fortress (external link) (AFP)

Were You There? Six Plays for the Lenten Season

These six biblical dramas reenact the sacred events of the passion. (AFP)

Journey Through Lent with Mark

This guide to the Gospel of Mark is for daily reflection and/or group study. (AFP)

The Death of Jesus in the Gospel of John

John’s account of Jesus’ arrest and trial unfolds in several stages which are carefully explored. His account of the crucifixion recognizes that Jesus suffered a brutal form of execution thus raising the question of what Jesus’ death means for us. Finally, John’s gospel also includes at least four different perspectives on the meaning of the crucifixion which are discussed extensively. This resource includes three lectures and a comprehensive study guide that poses provocative questions. It’s an excellent program for congregational study, especially during Lent and/or Holy Week. (DVD229) (Select Multimedia)

Lent: A Time of Renewal

A seven part program for reflecting on the gospels and our baptismal covenant, this series uses true stories, drama, music, and visual meditations with Lenten themes including temptation, Jesus as “living water”, “light of the world”, and “resurrection and life.” (DVD210) (St. Anthony Messenger Press)

Creative Communication Kits

The Resource Center has a wide selection of Lenten worship services available for preview.

Stations of the Cross

Magnificent visual images and a beautiful music score combine with thought provoking meditations for each of the 14 Stations of the Cross. Will help listeners relate events in Christ’s life to our own. (VT2286) We also have a set of sixteen Stations of the Cross posters. (K26) (Franciscan Communications)

Character Portrayals for Lent

This set of dramatic character portrayals for Lent includes scripts for many biblical characters as well as two video programs from Calvary Lutheran Church, Golden Valley, MN (external link), where these dramas have taken place. Author Rev. Steve Dornbusch wrote these in conjunction with Mark Holmen’s Lenten Faith Mentoring Program. (K145) (Youth and Family Institute)

Forty Days and Forty Nights: A Lenten Ark

Count down the days of Lent aboard an ark with Noah’s family and all the animals. The colorful ark has windows and doors to open for each day of Lent and the Easter Triduum. Open one window each day to discover who is on board. The accompanying booklet by Peter Mazar connects the animals on the ark to Lenten values and provides guidance for daily prayer. (K149) (Liturgy Training Publications)

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Lent 2009

The following Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany resources are intended for reflection. They may be used individually, as families, or as a congregation. While the Resource Center has dozens of programs, ideas and activities for these seasons of the church year, this collection is meant for quiet contemplation.

Featured Resources:

• Incarnation edited by Alfred Corn (B1495)
• A Metaphorical God by Gail Ramshaw (B1695)
• The Irrational Season by Madeleine LiEngle (B738)
• To Dance With God by Gertrud Mueller Nelson (B537)
• A Cup of Christmas Tea by Tom Hegg (B413)
• The 24 Days Before Christmas by Madeleine LiEngle (B476)
• The Comings of God by Richard Simon Hanson (B835)
• Awaiting the Child: An Advent Journal by Isabel Anders (B1225)
• The Manger is Empty by Walter Wangerin (B783)
• Celebrate While We Wait by the Schroeder Family (PR316)
• An Advent Sourcebook (PR136)
• An Advent Hymn Study (PR295)
• A Family Journey (PR332)
• In Straw and Story (PR111)
• Psalms of Advent (PR113)
• A Christmas Sourcebook (PR135)
• Celebration Services for Christmas (PR329)
• Creative Ideas for Epiphany (PR236)
• Preparing for Christmas I and II (VT205 and VT464)
• Martin Luther’s Christmas Sermon (VT1242)
• The End of Time, the Start of Time (C614)
• The People of Advent C623)
• Behold This Child (VT465)
• Preparing for Christmas with Richard Rohr (C573)
• What Are We Waiting For? and How Do We Wait?
• Advent: A Time to Hope (VT1099)
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (VT1183)
• Birth of Jesus (VT348)
• The Gospel of Luke (VT21 and VT22)
• Songs of Christmas (VT466)

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Quiet Waiting – The Advent of Our God

The following resources represent a small sample of the wealth of material related to prayer and spirituality. They are described here because they represent some of the most helpful resources we know. In reading, in listening, in prayer, may there be something among them that nourishes you with the promise of the Psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Featured Resources:

• Grounded in Prayer by Brent Dahlseng (B2816)
• The Prayer Path (K111)
• Labyrinths from the Outside In: Walking to Spiritual Insight by Donna Schaper and
• Carole Ann Camp (B2724)
• Psalm Journal II by Joan Chittister (B1528)
• Wisdom Distilled by the Daily by Joan Chittister (B1093)
• The Monastic Way by Joan Chittister
• Turn My Heart: A Sacred Journey from Brokeness to Healing by Marty Haugen and Susan Briehl (B2850, CD6)
• Prayer, from The Living Pulpit (PR files)
• Praying in the Midst of Life (VT1193=)
• When You Pray.. The Lord’s Prayer by James Nestingen (VT2235)
• A Place to Pray: Conversations on the Lord’s Prayer (VT1963=)
• Face to Face with God: A Guide for Prayer Ministry (K43)
• Speaking and Listening to God from Walt Wangerin’s Lutheran Vesper’s (C276)
• The Spirit of Prayer – Edward Hays (C175)
• Prayer: the Way to a Transparent Life – Henri Nouwen (C210)
• A New Set of Eyes: Encountering the Hidden God by Paula D’Arcy (B2855)
• Finding God: Praying the Psalms in Times of Depression (B2884) by Thomas Lewis
• The Way Back Home: An Introduction to Centering Prayer by Basil Pennington (B1584)
• Meditations with Meister Eckhart collected by Matthew Fox (B2484)
• Working the Angles by Eugene Peterson (B1575)
• Primary Speech: A Psychology of Prayer by Ann and Barry Ulanov (B1560)
• The Breath of Life: A Simple Way to Pray by Ron Del Bene (B1558)
• Who We Are Is How We Pray: Matching Personality and Spirituality by Charles Keating (B1559)
• What Can We Really Expect from Prayer? – Joan Chittister (VT1879)
• Prayer-the Ultimate Conversation – Joseph Sittler (VT73)
• What Good is Prayer? from Questions of Faith (VT430)
• Living the Praying Life-the Practice and Meaning of Prayer (VT606)
• Praying the Psalms – Joan Chittister (VT1262)
• Miracles-Jesus Teaching the Lord’s Prayer (VT21)
• Psalms as Models of Prayer (VT93)
• Prayer in Your Home (VT672)
• Praying in the Midst of Life (VT1193-1198)
• Questions of Faith for Youth-Why Pray? (VT1201)
• Seven Circles of Prayer (VT412)
• Reflections on the Lord’s Prayer (VT899)
• Seedlings: For Meditation, Retreat, Inspiration (VT493)
• Spirituality Explored-Joseph Sittler (VT140)
• Struggling with Paul at Prayer (VT92)
• Wellspring of Prayer-Ruth Youngdahl Nelson (VT171)
• Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuas and Groups (B1567)
• All Through the Day, All Through the Year (PR640)
• Learning Centers on Prayer (PR300)
• A Quest for Silence: How to Enter God’s Presence in Silence (PR370)
• Wrestling with Angels (VT1151)
• Discovering Everyday Spirituality (VT1358-1360)

Featured Links:

• Presentation Prayer Center – Fargo, ND (external link)

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Prayer

As we celebrate the Christmas Season-Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany-let the rituals and customs of our celebrating be rooted in the deeper meanings of “God with us” so that all our days will be hallowed and holy.

Advent: A Time of Hope

These resources can help us know Advent as a time to hope…

• Advent Blessings by Edward Hays
• Hasten the Kingdom, Praying the O Antiphons of Advent by Mary Winifred
• Preparing for Christmas with Richard Rohr
• Advent: A Time to Hope (video)

Christmas: Grace Upon Grace

The following resources can help reveal the extravagant love of God in Christ-grace upon grace:

• The Overwhelming Love of God a video by Brennan Manning
• John Shea’s Christmas tapes, Behold the Vulnerable God and the Spiritual Center of Christmas
• Gertrud Mueller Nelson’s To Dance with God

Epiphany: Transformation of the World

These resources can help us live the meaning of Epiphany:

• O Marvelous Exchange: Daily Reflections for Christmas and Epiphany by John McIlhon
• Christ is Coming: Celebrating Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany by Theresa Cotter
• Liturgy: Epiphany-Journal of the Liturgical Conference
• Winter: Celebrating the Season in a Christian Home by Peter Mazar

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: The Coming of Christ: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany