Christmas
Showing 201–250 of 283 results
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God Is In The Manger
$17.00Add to cart“There are only two places where the powerful and great in this world lose their courage, tremble in the depths of their souls, and become truly afraid. These are the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ.”
“No priest, no theologian stood at the cradle of Bethlehem. And yet, all Christian theology finds its beginnings in the miracle of miracles, that God became human.”
These stirring words are among forty devotions that guide and inspire readers as they move thematically through the weeks of Advent and Christmas, from waiting and mystery to redemption, incarnation, and joy. Supplemented by an informative introduction, short excerpts from Bonhoeffer’s letters, and passages from his Christmas sermons, these daily devotions are timeless and moving reminders of the true gift of Christmas.
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Esthers Miracle At The Manger
$20.49Add to cartBased on a true event which the author had reported on, this lighthearted story follows one reluctant nativity star, Esther the cow, on a special Christmas journey. Besides discovering her importance in the Christmas story, Esther teaches us how God has made us each special in His world.
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Legend Of The Christmas Kiss
$11.99Add to cartSwaddled in a sweet poem and wrapped in beautiful illustrations, “The Legend of the Christmas Kiss” delivers a surprisingly fun tale about how the angels sent a beautiful snowfall on the very first Christmas. It all begins with one little angel who wants to bless the newborn Jesus with a gift — her kiss. But something special happens to her kiss after passing through the clouds below — it becomes a glistening speck, drifting down and landing on the Christ child’s cheek. Then as multitudes of angels add their kisses to hers, the earth is covered in a winter wonderland. Barbie Jenkins’ kid-friendly story is joyously paired with illustrations by Joyce Revoir whose cheerful art is featured in numerous children’s books.
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Santa Tizing : Whats Wrong With Christmas And How To Clean It Up
$20.99Add to cartThrow away the template for Christmas books and come walk on the kingdom side in an examination of America’s most loved holiday. Critical thinking is a must while looking through this lens of history and Scripture. You will be intrigued and enlightened. What’s wrong with Christmas? Plenty. This book shines light on various troubling issues involved in celebrating a Christian Christmas. How to clean it up? This will be determined by you and your family. Since we have an abundance of traditions, memories, and reasons to stay just the way we are, Santa-tizing will primarily explore the opposite. Know that in God’s kingdom no person is forced to do anything against their will.
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Little Red Jacket
$10.99Add to cartThis book focuses on a great aunt’s efforts to replace a lost button and mend the buttonholes of a little red jacket she wants to send to her grandniece for Christmas – and the mysterious incidents which involve, the great aunt believes, the ghostly help of her deceased mother.
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Sheepdogs Christmas
$10.99Add to cartTwo thousand years ago the angels appeared to the shepherds announcing the birth of Christ. On that same night they also appeared to a very special sheepdog. Join Gur and his best friend, Elon and experience the wonderment of heaven from the eyes of a simple sheepdog. Take a journey along with Gur who like so many of us wait in anticipation for a glimpse of heaven’s glory. Enjoy the miracle of a heaven filled with a host of angels announcing God’s greatest gift to earth. Then follow them through the town of Bethlehem in their search to worship the Christ child. See in the manger a child who comes into this world in a humble stable far from the palatial surroundings of earthly kings. Then when all seems calm in the stable, Gur will face his greatest battle in protecting his family and the Christ child.
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O Little Town
$16.99Add to cartChristmas 1958: Elvis is on the radio, Ike is in the White House, the Lord is in His holy temple . . . but there is no peace in Mt. Jefferson.
In a small town where everybody seems to know everybody, there are still a few secrets. Three families find they are connected in ways they never suspected: an angry teen, a dying man, a lonely wife, a daughter in trouble . . . just ordinary people, muddling their way through ordinary challenges. Marriage. Illness. Bad decisions. Friendship. Faith.Forgiveness.
Spanning three generations, O Little Town is a reminder that people still make mistakes, forgiveness can still be granted, and people still rise to the occasion and do the right thing. This tender tale of love and redemption will touch readers’ hearts. -
Tidings Of Comfort And Joy
$17.99Add to cartAs the questions begin, an extraordinary story unfolds. A story of love and loss and caring, of separation and reunion. Of small acts of heroism in a distant and war-weary English village, now half a century ago. As her grandmother shares this story with Marissa, the two discover that the most precious gift of Christmas is that of the present. And the season of giving is not limited to once a year.
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When Christmas Came
$19.99Add to cartIf you’ve ever wanted to hold on to Christmas — the warmth, the generosity, the sacred amazement — you will cherish this stirring exploration of its deepest and most lasting meanings. The substance of Christmas is revealed with life in poignant prose and vivid watercolors. Nestle deep into this simple meditation on the season and its Giver, and recapture the wonder of the moment.
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Let Them Eat Fruitcake
$16.00Add to cartIt’s the holiday season, and each of the roommates at 86 Bloomberg Place is a little blue . Megan’s got the boss from hell, and now her mom is going on a cruise, leaving Megan alone for Christmas for the first time ever. Lelani can’t afford to fly home to Hawaii and isn’t sure she’d be welcomed anyway, not that she can admit that to anyone. Anna’s old boyfriend–the one who cheated on her–has sailed back into her life, just when she’s met a for-real “nice guy” she’s been keeping secret from her large, crazy Latino family. And Kendall’s met a famous actor, who might be the answer to her money woes–if she could only convince him she’s the love of his life. His wife might have something to say about that, though. Thank goodness God’s around to listen when the girls need help!
Let’s face it, relationships are hard work–whether they’re with family and friends, coworkers and customers, or boyfriends and girlfriends. And when you’ve got your first apartment, a real job, and grown-up responsibilities, too, relationships are loaded with confusion, emotion, and secrets you can’t tell to anyone but God. Best-selling author Melody Carlson has captured all the uncertainty and joy of being twenty-something in pitch-perfect detail–and their stories just might sound like someone you know.
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In The Bleak Midwinter
$11.99Add to cartOnce again, well-known and beloved author Herbert Brokering offers spiritual nourishment, this time based on Christina Georgina Rossetti’s Christmas carol, “In the Bleak Midwinter.” This set of forty meditations and prayers can be opened at leisure or followed as a guide to daily devotions. Either way, it is a rich and imaginative reflection on the incarnation as God’s continual gift to us. The overall tone of the book shows the depth and beauty, paradoxes and perplexities of the nativity.
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Loves Pure Light
$8.95Add to cartLight is an integral symbol in the Christian faith, especially during Christmas. The light of a single candle can disperse the deepest darkness, bringing warmth, comfort, and illumination. The soft, warm candlelight at a Christmas Eve service creates an atmosphere of worship and reverence as congregations celebrate the arrival of the Light of the world.
Love’s Pure Light is a collection of insightful Christmas sermons delivered at Susquehanna University between 1997 and 2006. This book offers pastors a valuable source of inspiration for Christmas sermon preparation. Love’s Pure Light also includes an order of service, providing congregations with a complete Christmas candlelight worship experience.
Love’s Pure Light will be a welcome addition to congregations of any size, aiding them in perceiving the power of the Light of Christmas in a deeper and more dynamic way. -
Let The Bells Ring Out On Christmas Morning
$13.49Add to cartSelected from among approximately 1,700 poems that Ralph Vile, a Christian layman and former schoolteacher of Luray, Virginia, wrote over a period of more than fifty years, this book focuses on the holiday during which Christians throughout the world observe the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Drawing from the Biblical accounts, Ralph reflects on what it means that Jesus came to earth and on what it would mean if He had chosen not to do so. The volume includes, “The Christmas Tree,” “Let the Bells Ring Out,” “The Christmas Gospel Story,” and many others that have touched those who have read them. Written for individuals who want to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, this volume reflects the love, the joy, and the hope of God’s greatest gift to mankind and points to the redemption that the crucified and risen Savior provides to all who believe in Him.
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Christmas To Remember
$14.00Add to cartAs Cape Light dwellers get ready to deck the halls for a Christmas to remember, curmudgeonly Lillian Warwick is confined to bed, injured after a nasty fall. Cared for by her daughters, Emily and Jessica, she lets her thoughts drift back to the holiday season of 1955, when she first met Oliver Warwick, the dashing man who would become her husband. Recounting those romantic early days, she is reminded of a time when she had much to be grateful for-and recognizes the mistakes she’s made since. And to cap off this life-altering season, there just might be a winter wedding on the horizon.
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Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
$17.95Add to cartAdvent and Christmas meditations based on the seasonal hymns of Charles Wesley. Each daily meditation, keyed to the scripture reading for the day and portions of Wesley’s texts, concludes with a brief prayer based on the day’s theme. Reflective material place Wesley within his rich Anglican heritage. Daily readings are between 500-600 words in length.
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Legend Of The North Star
$7.95Add to cart“The Legend of the North Star (Little Dot Makes a Wish)” is an imaginative children’s story about a little dot left behind after God created the stars. The dot wants to be like other stars, so Luminaria, the wisest of all stars, grants the dot its wish and helps it discover its real purpose as the Star of Bethlehem. The story is formatted both as a narrative that can be read by a storyteller and as a play that can be performed by a narrator and numerous children.
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12 Days Of Christmas
$13.95Add to cartThe twelve days of Christmas run from December 26 to January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, the date on which we traditionally recall the Magin’s arrival to present gifts to the infant Jesus. For many, the sacred meaning of these days is lost. By Christmas night we are saturated with the holiday hype, overfed with music and food, and maybe quite disappointed that the presents we received have not fulfilled us. Almquist invites readers to go deeper than the tinsel and wrappings to the source of all the good gifts in life: love, forgiveness, joy, hope, and so on. These are gifts that, once unwrapped, will last and satisfy our spiritual cravings.
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Quarantined For Christ
$12.49Add to cartAre you tired of Christmas becoming too commercialized? Are you tired of the hustle and bustle of the season crowding out the true meaning of the celebration? Do you find it harder and harder each year to keep Christ the focus? Walk step by step with a family that learned how to give up everything in their celebration that was keeping their focus off of Jesus. Learn about the exciting adventure they replaced it with and hear about the joy they found-joy that you too can find. See how you can celebrate the birth of Christ in a way that will never leave you wondering where your priorities stand.
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Man Who Saved Christmas
$13.49Add to cartChristmas-only days away; plastic snowmen and glowing reindeer adorn the lawns of neighborhoods all across America. All is calm, all is bright, and yet there is something tragically wrong about this Christmas night. With swift passage through Congress, the Anti-Intolerance legislation was signed into law prohibiting the public display of religious symbols. The traditional centerpiece enjoyed by millions every Christmas, the Nativity Scene, is now gone. This is one of those perennial issues that often stir emotions to the brink. But taking a lighter approach to the argument, wouldn’t it be fun if, somehow, through some bizarre chain of events, the person who most fervently opposes open displays of religion, became the mouthpiece from which a fictitious law like the Anti-Intolerance bill, was overturned? This story brings to life a witty rendition of the political struggles fought every December over something as humble and yet powerful as the display of the Nativity Scene.
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No Stable Too Small
$15.95Add to cartHere’s a collection of humorous, down-to-earth plays that bring a fresh perspective to the Christmas story through such creative devices as imagining the thoughts and feelings of fringe characters (like an innkeeper or a servant to one of the magi) or by updating the story with contemporary settings and characters. No Stable Too Small offers a variety of practical material for any situation, ranging from shorter plays with small casts and lines that can be easily mastered by younger children to more elaborate pieces with sophisticated themes for older children and adults. And they’re ideal for use with today’s young people — the dialogue reflects the way they really talk, yet never detracts from the biblical message.
These flexible scenes offer a mix of speaking parts for all age groups, from preschool through adult, and are especially valuable for small congregations that lack the resources to mount large-scale productions. No sets are required, and only simple costumes and minimal props are needed. The plays can be performed by smaller churches with as few as 8-10 cast members, or parts can be easily divided to accommodate groups as large as 25-30. And with a running time of approximately 20-25 minutes each, it’s easy to fit them within a Christmas Eve or Advent Sunday worship service.
Some of the charming presentations include:
* Love Finds a Way
* It Wasn’t the Hilton, You Know
* Christmas Eve at Angel School
* Because God Said So, That’s Why
* No Small Parts
* “Unto Us a Child Is Born”… Next on Omar
* Miracles? No Problem!
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Sampsons First Christmas
$7.95Add to cartSampson’s First Christmas is a charming play that’s perfect for a holiday children’s program in small congregations. The story details the attempts of Sampson Squirrel to discover Christmas. After overhearing a conversation between the rustic characters of Ma and Pa, Sampson asks his forest friends where to find this wonderful place. When they are unable to help, Ma and Pa show Sampson the true meaning of Christmas.
This adaptable piece can accommodate any number of actors, and can be presented as a play, a puppet show, or a readers’ theater. The characters, plot, and message appeal to all ages, with dialogue that’s easy for youngsters to learn and memorize. Costumes are affordable and easy to assemble — and clear and concise directions with reproducible patterns are provided to help you make distinctive animal hats that children will love. Instructions are also included for creating simple Christmas tree decorations that accentuate the animal theme. With all these craft ideas plus production suggestions, Sampson’s First Christmas is bound to be a hit with your church!
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Christmas Journey : Advent Christmas Resources
$14.95Add to cartThis complete set of seasonal material offers everything you need for an exciting Advent and Christmas program. With dramatic monologues, sermons, children’s messages and worship liturgies, a Sunday school program, and a pair of Christmas Eve candlelight services, there’s something for everyone, whatever your congregation’s size or worship style.
An Unlikely Cast (Alan E. Siewert) is a set of dramatic monologues that reveal the inner thoughts and feelings of five characters who were deeply involved in the unfolding divine drama of the nativity: Joseph, Mary, John the Baptist, the innkeeper, and a shepherd. The monologues can be used in midweek Advent services, special programs, or Sunday morning worship. Staging and costuming suggestions are included, to help you bring these exciting accounts to life.
The Colors Of Christmas (H. Michael Nehls) is a creative series of six sermons and children’s messages in which each week features a different color. The sermons use the color idea to stress such Christian themes as royalty, sacrifice, and holiness, while the children’s messages utilize the inventive device of passing out ribbon swatches of the color of the day; as the youngsters receive the various ribbons, they can collect a “ribbon rainbow.”
Is This The Road To Bethlehem? (Judy Gattis Smith) is an Advent worship liturgy in which children are the main participants. The centerpiece is an “action/sermon” featuring six brief readings using illustrative wooden figures. All the elements of a typical worship service are present — but in a manner that focuses on the interests and expressions of children, allowing them to experience worship rather than just listen and watch.
Producing Christmas (Jennifer Hockenberry Dragseth) is a humorous children’s play which casts the Christmas story as the ultimate Hollywood blockbuster. Everyone wants to be a part of the big movie — and they all have ideas about how to make it a hit, only to finally learn why the coming of the Christ child is truly the “greatest story ever told.” With participants ranging in age from junior high to preschoolers, this flexible piece is perfect for a brief Sunday school program.
A Christmas Journey and Christmas Letters (Rod Tkach) are imaginative Christmas Eve services weaving together carols, prayers, scripture readings, and several brief meditations. In A Christmas Journey, the reflections guide worshipers on a journey from being home alone to the ultimate destination of the
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Advent Storybook : 24 Stories To Share Before Christmas
$17.95Add to cartBenjamin Bear is so impatient for Christmas to come. To help the time pass more quickly, his mother tells him that every day when he opens a door on his Advent calendar she’ll tell him a story-twenty-four stories all about another little bear and his long, arduous journey to Bethlehem. The little bear, led by a glittering star, meets many others on his travels across hot deserts, snowy mountains, and through dark, lonely nights. His adventures, filled with acts of heroism and kindness and many small miracles, show him the path to the Christ Child. And by journey’s end Benjamin Bear-and all youngsters who share the stories and their simple morals along with him-will understand and celebrate the true spirit of Christmas.
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Run Shepherds Run
$16.95Add to cartThe Advent season is filled with rich themes that have fascinated poets. In Run, Shepherds, Run, Bill Countryman presents a poem a day for devotional reading during Advent and theTwelve Days of Christmas. Readers will find classic poets they know and love, including George Herbert, John Donne, Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson, as well as contemporary poets, known and unknown.
Run, Shepherds, Run includes helpful hints for reading poetry, for those who have less experience reading it than others, as well as useful annotations to help readers with older language that may not have easily apparent meanings for today’s readers.
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Christmas Stories From Gainesberry Farm
$12.49Add to cartChristmas Stories from Gainesberry Farm is a collection of short Christmas stories that leads the reader into challenges of the human spirit and the mystery of God’s touch. Author W. Scott Lineberry developed these stories with family Christmas reading in mind as they are entertaining for both adults and children! Set on a central North Carolina farm and rooted in true events, each adventure resonates with the tension between human hardship, humorous relief, mystery, and encouragement. Christmas Stories from Gainesberry Farm is an extraordinary blend of reality, humanity, Divinity, and imagination that readers can identify with and cherish. Imagine being a camper and wandering into a spot in a seventy-acre forest and experiencing a Christmas Eve full of extraordinary surprises. . .
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Beastly Christmas : A Comedy For All Ages
$10.95Add to cartCentering around the theme of the familiar song “The Friendly Beasts,” this intriguing program depicts what the animals who witnessed Jesus’ birth might really have been thinking — if they had human minds. There’s humorous interplay among camels, sheep, cows, and the donkey that carried the pregnant Mary as they share their unique perspective on the nativity. This complete presentation allows many different parts of the congregation to participate; speaking roles can be performed in a readers’ theater format by adults or youth, young children can portray the humans at the manger in a silent tableau, and musical selections allow the choir to be involved as well. A special feature is more than 70 reproducible drawings that can be projected for audience viewing. (Purchase of this book includes access to a downloadable PowerPoint file for use in performances.) This adaptable drama is ideal for use not only in church settings, but also in schools or for children’s programs.
A five-copy package of supplementary coloring books for young children based on the imagery in the PowerPoint file is also available.
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Night Before : Two Christmas Eve Services With Childrens Sermons
$13.95Add to cartComprised of two compelling services plus a pair of delightful children’s messages, this complete set of Christmas Eve resources provides everything you need to create a special worship experience that your congregation will remember long after the holiday decorations have been stored away.
A Christmas Gift contemplates Christmas Eve’s mixture of madness and magic through a creative weaving together of carols, prayers, scripture readings, and several brief meditations. By highlighting some of the diverse moments, memories, and traditions that contribute to the gift of Christmas, this worship service evokes the powerful mystery and miracle of the nativity.
O Come, Emmanuel is a moving candlelight service which utilizes the ancient antiphons of Advent to explore the longing behind our search for the Messiah. As the service unfolds, the singing and reading of each antiphon leads worshipers to reflect on the hopes and desires that bring us to Bethlehem, culminating in the joyful announcement that God has come among us. The service employs two readers and a solo quartet, along with congregational singing of several traditional hymns. An original choral arrangement of the Christmas antiphon is included.
Two inspiring messages for the “children’s moment” are also included. Featuring an interactive, conversational style that involves young people, these lessons can be used with either service or separately. One message helps children think about where Jesus might be in their town or neighborhood if he were born today, while the other celebrates how Christ’s birth draws us all together.
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Christmas Treasures : A Collection Of Congregational Resources For Advent C
$25.95Add to cartThis anthology provides an ample selection of seasonal worship, drama, and children’s resources by popular authors from a variety of denominations. Whatever your congregation’s size or worship style, you’re sure to find something in Christmas Treasures to help you create memorable Advent and Christmas services. Copying privileges are included for all segments.
Litany For Advent And Christmas Candle Lighting provides brief responsive prayers and creative congregational activities for the four Sundays of Advent, Christmas Eve, and Epiphany. It’s excellent for worship services or as a Sunday school opener.
Christmas Treasures offers three sets of short readings and prayers for the candle lighting portion of Advent and Christmas Eve services. Each 2-3 minute narrative links aspects of the nativity with events in our modern lives, both global and personal, and challenges worshipers to reflect on current issues and respond in ways that glorify the Lord.
Six Christmas Testimonies depicts the Christmas events and their meaning from the viewpoint of John the Baptist, a magus, the innkeeper, Joseph, a shepherd, and Mary. Especially powerful when read in sequence, these concise dramatic readings are an excellent way to have members participate in Advent or Christmas Eve worship services.
The Christmas Gift utilizes a creative approach to the seasonal children’s program — a “talent show” is cleverly included as part of a simple yet powerful play based on Luke’s Christmas scripture. It’s a practical presentation for any size congregation — many of the speaking roles have only a few lines, and some parts can be combined. A prop list, set diagram, and sample rehearsal schedule are included to aid novice directors. Performance time is approximately 15 minutes (plus talent show time).
Who Are You In Bethlehem? and The Promise are two dramatic presentations for the entire congregation with roles that can be performed by any age. Each combines the reading of scripture and singing of familiar hymns with brief narrations to telling the Bethlehem story, focusing on how we respond to the Savior — asking us if we have truly welcomed the babe into our hearts. These inspirational services are flexible enough to be performed by as many participants as are available without requiring extensive memorization.
Revelations Of Jesus, Given From Heaven/Received On Earth, Nativity, and If It Happened Today are four flexible, Bible-based plays with parts for young peopl
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Songs For A Savior
$12.95Add to cartThis comprehensive resource of five sermons with complete worship services provides a solid, thematically integrated worship and preaching program for Advent and Christmas Eve. It celebrates the deep songs of faith which result from personal encounters with Jesus Christ. The four Advent messages examine biblical personalities, revealing in their experiences real struggles as well as profound joy. You’ll explore how Zechariah wrestled to believe what the angel told him concerning the birth of his son; how the prophets searched for God’s Word of hope in times of personal and social ferment; how Mary was willing to sacrifice her life for God’s purpose; and how the birth of Jesus, heralded by the angels and confirmed by the shepherds, combined fear and joy with divine music.
In the final sermon (for Christmas Eve), Oliver links those accounts with our contemporary lives by asking what our personal response will be to the birth of the Savior. Will we allow a song of faith to arise in our lives, in our families, churches, and community?
Illustrated with poignant stories and anecdotes, the sermons in Songs For A Savior invite us to hear again the truly Good News — that our song of faith is not so much what we create for God, as how we respond to meeting the Savior and receiving God’s gift of salvation through Jesus.
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Christmas On Stage
$28.95Add to cart1. Elementary Grades
2. Middle Grades
3. Programs For Teens And Adults
4. Readers Theatre For Christmas
5. Adaptions From Classics And Legends
6. Christmas LegendsAdditional Info
A collection of twenty-seven Christmas plays for all ages and all types of worship services compiled and edited by Theodore O. Zapel.The one-act plays included contain both traditional and contemporary settings, drama and humor, and new offerings and old favorites.The plays are easily staged with a minimum of costumes and props, and many of the scripts require no memorization.Christmas music interspersed with the drama adds a special touch to worship services. Since no royalty payments are required for performances, this low-cost anthology is a money-saving program resource for any drama group. -
Living With Hope
$23.00Add to cartAdvent is a time for deepening encounter with reality, including the ultimate reality made manifest in human form at Christmas and Epiphany. This thought-provoking book illuminates biblical thinking with striking new insights from the author’s twin disciplines of theology and science at the cutting edge of physics.
Though daily readings for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany Polkinghorne explores such themes as the end of the world, individual destiny, unseen realities, heaven, hell, and suffering; this is not a book that hides behind platitudes or easy solutions, yet the author offers profound insight into his deep reflections on the nature, meaning, and purpose of creation.
Suitable for individual study, as a guide to prayer during Advent and beyond, or as the basis of small group discussion, Living With Hope offers a unique and inspiring pathway into the coming of Christ in history, in our lives, and in what we shall be.
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There Really Is A Santa Claus
$20.00Add to cartSaint Nicholas-Sinter Klaas-Santa Claus-The story of Nicholas, 3rd Century Bishop of Myra, Asia Minor (present day Turkey) and how stories of his generous life were embellished into legend. Discover additions of writer Washington Irving, Clement Moore, Civil War illustrator Thomas Nast, Coca-Cola artist Haddom Sundblom. Learn origins of the 12 Days of Christmas, Christmas tree, Carols, Kris Kringle, Creche’ scene, Poinsettia, Hanukkah…Relive events on Christmas through history, from Columbus to Valley Forge, the Great Depression to Korean War. Read Christmas Messages of U.S. Presidents, like Harry S. Truman lighting of the National Christmas Tree 1946: “If we as a nation, and the other nations of the world, will accept it, the star of faith will guide us into the place of peace as it did the shepherds on that day of Christ’s birth long ago.”
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Gideons Gift : A Novel
$30.00Add to cartOne long-ago Christmas, Earl Gibson lost the two things most precious to him: his wife and daughter. Angry and heartbroken, he ended up living on the streets and abandoned any belief he’d once had in God.
Ten years later Big Earl meets Gideon, a seven-year-old leukemia patient who believes with all her heart that “Christmas means never having to ask God how much he loves us.” Gideon is determined to reach this lonely and hurting man who hates Christmas–and he is just as determined to rebuff her. It will take a miracle for Earl to come to understand the true meaning of Christmas. But if he can accept what Gideon wants to give him, he might find that he can return the favor with a precious gift of his own.
In GIDEON’S GIFT, Karen Kingsbury reminds us that Christmas is still a time of miraculous possibilities if only we reach out to those around us.
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Love Worth Giving To You At Christmas
$2.99Add to cartSpread the spirit of Christmas by giving the true love worth giving–God’s love–with this special holiday keepsake booklet. Based on the best-selling book A Love Worth Giving, Max boldly says that before we can pass love on, we must receive it ourselves — from God. Reminding us all about the most priceless gift, A Love Worth Giving to You includes “The Christmas Cookie Story”, the message of salvation and Max’s insight into drinking fully of the love of God. What better time than the holidays to give a special message to loved ones in a specially sized booklet perfect for impulse gift-buying that says so much more than a greeting card, for the same price. Includes a special dedication page for a holiday message to a loved one. Booklets available in multiples of 50 — order in “eaches”.
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While We Wait
$12.99Add to cartThis book offers new ways of connection study participants with their own faith questions. Group members have the chance to look at some biblical figures on whom we don’t always focus during Advent. Somewhat surprisingly, Tamar, Ruth, Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and the Magi ask questions that resonate with contemporary Christians during this season. Designed as a complete Advent study, this book offers readers unique perspectives on the events of Christmas, a fifth session for the week of Epiphany, an introduction to the spiritual discipline of breath prayer, and much more.
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In Search Of Christmas
$23.95Add to cartThis anthology of holiday material provides you with a complete collection of resources for drama, worship, and young people. It includes a wide range of resources from across the denominational spectrum. Copying privileges are included for all six segments.
Come! See What God Has Done is a Thanksgiving children’s event designed to heighten awareness of God’s many blessings. Six learning centers — each including posters, projects, a guided experience, follow-up activities, and a closing prayer — focus on such topics as families, nature, our religious heritage, and our bodies. Intended for kindergarten through sixth grade, this is an ideal activity for your church school and can be held during a single session.
A Chrismon Service portrays the drama of redemption through symbols of Jesus in the form of Christmas ornaments. (The word “Chrismon” is a combination of the words “Christ” and “monogram.”) As appropriate scripture passages are read, each symbol is presented and explained; worshipers participate in the service by hanging them on the Chrismon tree. Eighteen designs are included so that you can make your own Chrismons based on such symbols as the Epiphany star, the Christmas rose, and the angel.
The ABC’s Of Christmas offers four easy programs for Christmas worship, celebrating angels, bells, colors, and gifts. Each incorporates scripture, carols, and simple props together with dramatic readings to create a meaningful worship experience that will linger in the memory long after Christmastime passes.
The Angels’ Point Of View is a play in two acts that looks at Jesus’ conception, birth, and flight into Egypt from their perspective. Originally developed for a junior high Sunday school class, this piece is excellent for older youth and can be performed in a variety of settings. There are thirteen speaking roles, and complete directions for assembling props, costume, and scenery are included.
In Search Of Christmas is a light, contemporary drama that intersperses a series of brief dialogues between a husband and wife, two teenagers, and others illustrating how we can lose the real meaning of Christmas with faith-affirming conversations among individuals who have kept the season’s true spirit of joy and giving. Roles can be doubled up for the small congregation, and only a few basic props are needed.
Last Year In Bethlehem: The Story Of Eli The Shepherd reminds us that the story of Christ’s birth is more than a holiday tradition. It com
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Road Signs Airlines And Stars
$12.95Add to cartThese all-new inspirational programs are sure to bring wonder and joy to your congregation’s seasonal celebration. In this book you travel with youth as they pick up friends and road signs on their way to a church Christmas party. It’s an exciting resource with a salvation message that’s perfect for a Sunday school program or worship service. Then join Mary and Joseph as they make their way to Bethlehem on Salvation Airlines in The Christmas Travelers. A Sunday school pageant with a unique twist, this program declares the message of Christ’s birth through narration, readings, and song. Star Of Wonder gives you an opportunity to involve older youth or college students in a complete Christmas Eve worship service for families.
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Bethlehems Closet A Reunion Of Grace
$12.95Add to cartIf you want to try something different for Advent this year, Bethlehem’s Closet — A Reunion Of Grace is a great resource that provides congregations with an intriguing learning experience. It’s a unique series of five monologues telling the fascinating stories, warts and all, of the women mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus. Donald Neidigk believes that the embarrassing events in some of these women’s lives are important for us to know, since they demonstrate that Jesus was born into an imperfect family, with secrets in the closet, just like you and me. And that makes him a sympathetic Savior — exactly what we need. So even though the shepherds and wise men may be more typical of the season’s characters, Bethlehem’s Closet — A Reunion Of Grace offers a refreshing way to celebrate Christ’s birth. Each monologue comes with a children’s message (using easily obtained objects to reinforce the lesson) and a convenient order of worship.
The monologues examine these women:
* Tamar — A Wronged Widow
* Rahab — A Former Prostitute
* Ruth — A Moabite Convert
* Bathsheba — A Violated Wife
* Mary — A Young Mother -
Christmas Star : Readings And Pageants For Christmas
$9.95Add to cartThe Christmas Star is a potpourri of holiday gifts for those planning worship-the charming collection includes three plays and five brief meditations suitable for reading during services or for use in bulletins and newsletters. Each presentation is simple for small churches to produce, with minimal costumes and props required. Insightful and scripturally sound, The Christmas Star is a wonderful package that you won’t be able to resist!
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Chrismons They Point To Jesus
$8.95Add to cartThis 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 incoorporates the singing of the Christmas hymns.
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Lite Worship Services For Advent And Christmas
$8.95Add to cartPopular CSS author Cynthia Cowen returns with three more imaginative programs that will spice up the Advent/Christmas season for any size congregation. Prepare Your Heart For Christmas is a service of carols and reflections that’s perfect for a midweek Advent program. Designed as a youth program, Advent Bells includes a brief skit with bell ringers and unique chorus songs. We Welcome The Light Of Christmas is a memorable family service for Christmas Eve with a humorous sketch about the Good News and a lost Frisbee which has turned into the Christmas star.
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Creating Gods Family In Christmas
$7.95Add to cartThe traditional children’s pageant comes together with Christmas scripture lessons, hymns, and other elements of a worship service. The program culminates with the completion of a “living” creche, gradually built throughout the ceremony. Among the very practical features this resource offers are “Leader’s Helps” and a sample bulletin format. No memorization of lines is required. The only setting required is a simple backdrop and manger.
Here is a family Christmas worship resource that provides opportunities to involve children from pre-kindergarten on up.
Included are:
Call to Worship
Christmas hymns
The Christmas scripture lessons
Age group presentations from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade
A suggested bulletin layout
Leader’s helps -
Curious Commercials
$14.95Add to cartCurious Commercials approaches the Christmas event from a different perspective. Daniel Weitner doesn’t treat the nativity as a kind of warm and fuzzy feeling of longing for universal peace that envelops the earth around the end of the year or as a sign pointing to something greater in our lives. In trenchant messages that are liberally sprinkled with contemporary illustrations, he reminds us that to know what Christmas is all about, we don’t have to look outside Bethlehem…beyond the manger…or past the baby Jesus. Instead we should focus on the birth of Jesus the Redeemer – it is the wonderful event!
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On The Way To Bethlehem
$7.95Add to cartRichard Goodlin writes: “Having been born in Bethlehem (Pennsylvania), I wondered what it would be like to get a letter from the IRS stating I had to go back to Bethlehem for the purpose of taxation. This gave rise to On The Way To Bethlehem.”
The assigned scripture lessons for Advent in the lectionary present themes and concepts, but there is little in the way of a story that flows from one week to the next. In these dialogues Goodlin engages people in the unfolding drama of events that lead up to the birth of Jesus, as well as the story of the life of Jesus.
These dialogues may be performed as a readers’ theater and few props are needed. Costuming is optional.
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Carpenters Child
$7.95Add to cartThis Christmas Eve service centers on the story of Leah, a young girl from Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth. It is a story of seeming tragedy, despair and restored hope — of a loving daughter, her carpenter father, and the trials they face when he is branded a leper. It could be argued that the title should be The Carpenter’s Children because it refers not only to Leah, but also to the infant Messiah and all people of Christ.
The entire service is about 45-60 minutes in length depending on optional inclusions (such as solos or choir anthems) and can be done very effectively by one liturgist. It can also be split into two or three parts and performed as a readers’ theater, or with characters silently acting out the story as it is being narrated.
A full order of worship, staging instructions, a “children’s moment,” and production and lighting suggestions accompany the story of The Carpenter’s Child.
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Worship Innovations 1
$22.95Add to cartBeginning 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.
