Christian sacraments Books

Book SynopsisCome Into the Light is an illustrated handbook for understanding the architecture of a church and the arrangement of its interior for the celebration of the liturgy. It offers great practical wisdom to all Christian communities as they reflect on their liturgy and on the buildings in which God is made present daily in ritual and symbol. This book aims to build an understanding of the constituent features of church buildings, the role they have in worship and the spirit with which they are imbued, so that all who enter today’s sacred spaces may find the authentic presence of the living God. Those who read, preach, preside or in any way take part in worship will find great practical inspiration here. This volume includes articles that have appeared over the last five years in the regular Parish Practice feature in 'The Tablet' magazine.

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Book SynopsisFor Sundays and Holy Days, here is a collection of patristic prayers to be used in preparation for Holy Communion. This collection is suitable for use in conjunction with "Common Worship", "The Sunday Missal" and other liturgies. A H Baverstock was one of the first Guardians of the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham. He died in 1950. Julian Litten is an historian and ecclesiologist. A member of General Synod, he also sits on the Court of Fellows of the Society of the Faith.

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Book SynopsisA classic book of ceremonies and services according to the Western Rite, for all services other than the Eucharist which a parish priest would normally carry out. It contains orders of service for baptism, marriage, funerals, sick visiting, home communion and penance, as well as numerous blessing ceremonies for buildings, objects and events. It may be used alongside Common Worship and The Book of Common Prayer, and includes an appendix of prayers for a wide range of needs and occasions. Material from the Western Rite and the Book of Common Prayer is printed side-by-side, making this a useful resource for priests and parishioners who prefer ancient rites which pre-date the splits and divisions brought about by the Reformation.

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Book SynopsisThis wide-ranging collection of prayers, readings and alternative service outlines provides a complete liturgical and pastoral resource for a time when intensive personal support is needed. Here are forms of words for every stage in the process that follows a death, from the immediate aftermath to conducting a memorial service. Simple prayers and a choice of readings from scripture, poetry, literature and popular culture provide words when our own vocabularies fail. Aimed at clergy of all denominations, readers and others who are authorised to conduct funerals, pastoral and care professionals and theological students, this is a resource for the funerals of children, parents, death after an accident or in hospital, the death of someone with Alzheimer's and many more. The prayers and blessings include those for when someone has just died, for before a funeral and returning home afterwards whilst the book also contains complete funeral and memorial service outlines.Trade Review'In Sure and Certain Hope shows Paul P.J.Sheppy as a minister with a real understanding of the needs of the vereaved. (...) His comment on the importance of preaching at funerals shows where his heart is: 'If we do not offer Christ's answer to the questioner, in what sense has the funeral been a Christian one?' -- Trevor Lloyd * Praxis News of Worship *

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Book SynopsisThis guide to the Christian faith is ideal for those preparing for confirmation. Arranged in three parts: "Becoming a Christian", "Belonging to God" and "Belonging to the Church", it is appropriate for personal reading and as a basis for a confirmation course. In uncomplicated language it takes the reader from the first step of making a choice for God and lays a solid foundation of teaching that will hold good for the whole of life.

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Book SynopsisThis practical volume explores every aspect of serving as a eucharistic minister in the Catholic church. It offers in-depth teaching on the meaning of the Eucharist; personal preparation for the rite of commissioning; an explanation of the practical skills required; pastoral advice on giving communion at home or in hospital as well as help for those unexpected moments when something may go wrong. A warm and encouraging companion for all who serve in this ministry.Trade Review"This very readable and userfriendly volume provides an essential resource for all lay eucharistic ministers (...) It is a welcome addition to the materials available to those responsible for the initial and ongoing formation of lay liturgical ministers at both parish and diocesan level." -- Liz Clarke * Schools of Prayer *"This book is surely a "must" for Eucharistic ministers, both in training, and for those already practising this ministry. It is informative, inspirational, and an unusually easy and interesting read for this type of book. More than that, a priest responsible for the selecting and training of lay people would gain understanding of the fears and worries that cause so much uncertainty and nervousness among people considering their suitability for serving in this way. (...) While recommending this book for those serving, and for those in training, I do feel that it would be a very useful exercise for all Catholics to read, with open hearts and minds, especially those who have reservations about lay people doing 'things' usually only performed by priest." -- Margaret Butler * Northern Cross *

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Book SynopsisThis sequel to the best-selling Leading Intercessions offers a completely new set of intercessory prayers for Sundays and special occasions, following the pattern of the Revised Common Lectionary. Rather than draw on all the Bible passages for the day, this second collection draws entirely on the Gospel readings for the day's Principle Service. Using images and phrases from the life of Jesus Christ, it connects the comfort and guidance of his life and teachings to our prayers for the church and the world today. Elegantly written, the prayers are complete in themselves yet also allow for local and topical concerns to be inserted.Trade Review"This second neat little book of intercessions from Raymond Chapman for each of the lectionary years A, B and C is a useful addition to the bookshelf of anyone who regularly leads the prayers in public worship and doesn't always have time to create beautifully crafted original prayers of their own. The style is elegant and concise, and each set of prayers draws on the gospel for the corresponding Sunday, Principal Feast or Holy Day. For such a slim little book, there is a tremendous amount inside." * Praxis News of Worship *

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Book SynopsisThis tried and test collection is a must for anyone leading intercessions in the Church of England. It provides prayers for every Sunday, Holy Day and Festival, Years A, B and C that can be easily adapted to local contexts. The prayers reflect the Bible readings of the day, creating a more integrated act of worship. This expanded edition also contains forms of intercession for numerous extra occasions: • Principal Feasts – e.g. The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, the Transfiguration • Other Holy Days – e.g. The Birth of John the Baptist, Holy Cross Day • Red Letter Saints’ Days • Pastoral occasions in the context of a Eucharist – baptism, confirmation, marriage, funeral, healing service, Remembrance • Installation of a new incumbent A trusted liturgical resource for many years, regularly used in hundreds of parishes, this continues to be the essential handbook for Lectionary-based intercessions.

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Book Synopsis'What Christ Jesus taught is not what is most important, but rather what he has given humanity. His resurrection is the birth of a new faculty within human nature.' -- Rudolf SteinerIn this book experienced Christian Community priest and teacher, Michael Debus, helps readers to understand the heart of religious consciousness and practical life -- the sacraments. He does so by exploring the following questions and more: -- Is baptism merely a symbolic act, or is it a reality that affects one's life? -- How should we understand the transformation of bread and wine? -- How can rituals express spiritual realities?Debus makes these complex concepts accessible to anyone who wants to understand the background and sacraments of The Christian Community. He also weaves together a discussion of historical theological developments with the evolution of consciousness. This is an insightful book for readers looking to understand the spiritual foundations of The Christian Community and its place in theological history, and its role in Christianity today.

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Book SynopsisThese important and incisive essays, spanning more than two decades of research and engagement, probe facets and episodes of infant baptisms fortunes over twenty centuries. The story of paedo baptism is traced from its shadowy beginnings as a variant of faithbaptism, through inflated Reformation defenses as it monopolized baptismal thought and practice, to biblical and ecumenical reevaluations and hopeful contemporary rapprochements across divisive waters.

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Book SynopsisWater and the Word focuses on a genre of literature written for the education of the Carolingian clergy: Carolingian baptismal instructions. This literature has never been brought together and studied collectively in the context of the books in which it circulated. As a corpus, read in comparison to one another, the baptismal tracts tell how baptism was celebrated and interpreted across Carolingian Europe. At the same time, in their manuscript context, they are an important new source of information regarding the nature and the success of the Carolingian Reform to educate the clergy.This comprehensive study has three major objectives. One is to describe the codices in which the baptismal instructions are found, in order to show what other kinds of material the baptismal tracts were associated with and to show where, how, and by whom these codices were intended to be used. Another is to bring together the baptismal texts and study them systematically. Finally, a thirdTrade Review"Most Carolingian texts, so we are taught, are in print, if sometimes in inadequate editions. The proper task of the Carolingian historian is the study of elites and cultural identity, as defined by written culture. Just as the columns of the Acta Sanctorum remind us of texts Carolingian historians take pride in ignoring, so Susan Keefe's two impressive volumes serve as a reminder that there are plenty of texts still to be edited and understood. By investigating Carolingian interpretations of how people were made Christians she may be contributing more to our understanding of their cultural identity than her contemporaries, but she is far too modest to say so. . . . Outstanding in this study is Susan Keefe's recognition that our best clues to the function of these texts in the Carolingian empire are found via an examination of the manuscript context in which her texts circulate. So there are detailed descriptions of all of fifty-nine Carolingian manuscripts . . . together with a full listing of all the later manuscript witnesses which she has found for these texts. They were texts that every priest was required to know, so that the manuscripts are essential guides to clerical culture and the range of instructional texts through which the Carolingian reforms were realised. . . . Water and the Word will still be an essential tool an hundred years hence." —Journal of Ecclesiastical History

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Book SynopsisThis study focuses on a genre of literature written for the education of the Carolingian clergy: Carolingian baptismal instructions. This volume contains the Latin text of 66 manuscipts, as well as descriptions, introductions and a topical survey of the contents of these manuscripts.Trade Review"By investigating Carolingian interpretations of how people were made Christians she may be contributing more to our understanding of their cultural identity than her contemporaries, but she is far too modest to say so." —Journal of Ecclesiastical History

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“The Eucharistic Form of God fills a large gap in Balthasar scholarship by attending so comprehensively to Balthasar’s eucharistic theology and showing how it has an integrative place within the whole of his theology. A masterful and valuable work!” —Matthew Levering, author of The Achievement of Hans Urs von Balthasar“The Eucharistic Form of God represents a major contribution to scholarship on Hans Urs von Balthasar and Catholic sacramental theology.” —Nicholas J. Healy, author of The Eschatology of Hans Urs von Balthasar"For Balthasar, the Eucharist is Christ's thanksgiving to the Father in heaven for having given Him the gift of giving Himself for all. Ciraulo shows in a convincing way that this eternal thanksgiving is given to us as God's most precious gift that moves us toward fulfillment in heaven." —Fr Jacques Servais, SJ, director of the Casa Balthasar"This profoundly penetrating study on a pivotal aspect of Balthasar’s theology has been extensively footnoted and seems intended for well-grounded theologians. It could be appropriately employed in a graduate seminar, or an advanced class at a seminary, on modern theology." —American Academy of Religion"This fine book, by a most promising young scholar, is not only intellectually rewarding, it is prayerfully pondered—from cover to cover." —AmericaTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations 1. Balthasar’s Eucharistic Theology: Sacramental Foreground and Trinitarian Background 2. Pneumatic Flesh: The Holy Spirit and the Church’s Eucharist 3. “Truly You are a Hidden God”: Liturgical Manifestation and its Limits 4. Sub Velamento: The Eucharist Between this World and the Next Conclusion: Balthasar’s Cosmic Liturgy Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisExplores the religious life and religious thought of early modern German Lutheran August Hermann Francke from his theology of the sacraments. Provides insights into his conversion theology and the structure of his Pietist thought. Trade Review“This study further illumines Francke’s distinctive role in shaping Pietist theology and practice.”—W. L. Pitts Jr. Choice“This is a most welcome addition to the study of the life and thought of one of the German architects of Pietism, August Hermann Francke (1663-1727).”—Andreas Loewe Journal of Ecclesiastical History“Protestantism in the eighteenth century was developing and changing, but was this because of Francke, or was his nuanced understanding of the church and sacraments ignored? This work finally does not fully answer this question, but wisely leaves it for others to explore. Whether in the end you come down for or against Francke (or somewhere in the middle), this volume makes important contributions to our understanding of him, of Lutheran pietism, and of the course of modern Protestantism.”—Mark Granquist Lutheran Quarterly“This book offers a window into the theological innovations of the early modern era while providing crucial insights into Francke’s thought and theology. Thanks to the depth of Yoder’s research and analysis, this study makes an important contribution to the field.”—Darin D. Lenz Religious Studies Review“Yoder sensitively weaves Francke’s sacramental theology into his larger doctrinal structure, set within the biographical contours that surrounded Francke’s application of his inheritance from Luther and others in the crucible of pastoral care. A stimulating and provocative advance in understanding Pietism.”—Robert Kolb,author of Martin Luther: Confessor of the Faith “In this imaginative exploration of the works of August Hermann Francke, Peter Yoder opens up significant new areas for discussion in the understanding of the relationship between God’s Word and personal conversion and faith in Pietist circles. This illuminating assessment is bound to provoke discussion and fresh research on Francke himself as well as on the impact of Pietist thinking on the rapidly changing eighteenth-century religious scene.”—Irene Dingel,author of Reformation: Zentren – Akteure – Ereignisse“Peter Yoder has provided an important analysis of two long-neglected dimensions of August Hermann Francke’s version of German Pietism. Francke’s affinity for a version of Reformed convictions about both sacraments and ‘church’ moved both the man and the varieties of Pietism associated with him into post-confessional Protestantism within and especially beyond Europe.”—A. G. Roeber,author of Hopes for Better Spouses: Protestant Marriage and Church Renewal in Early Modern Europe, India, and North America“This close study of August Hermann Francke's theology is the first anglophone book on Francke in generations, and it is sure to become the new standard text on Francke and Halle Pietism. Yoder’s book offers an accessible introduction to Francke and Pietism that will also be rewarding for subject matter experts.”—Benjamin Marschke,author of Absolutely Pietist: Patronage, Factionalism, and State-Building in the Early Eighteenth-Century Prussian Army Chaplaincy“Yoder has clearly laid out the key components of Francke's sacramental theology in a manner that will prove immensely helpful for students and researchers seeking a fuller picture of early Pietist thought and practice.”—Lane E. Davis Reading ReligionTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. The Rise of a Pietist Pastor Theologian2. Biblicism, Conversion, and Reform3. From Ignorance to Oath4. Baptism Grounded in Christ5. The Baptismal Covenant and Rebirth6. Confession7. The Eucharist Epilogue: The Church of the HeartNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA ‘one-stop shop’ for churches considering the admission of children to Holy Communion.

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