Open Hearts In Bethlehem Book in PDF, ePub and Kindle version is available to download in english. Read online anytime anywhere directly from your device. Click on the download button below to get a free pdf file of Open Hearts In Bethlehem book. This book definitely worth reading, it is an incredibly well-written.
Here is an exciting Christmas drama informed by Kenneth Bailey's career as a renowned biblical scholar and by his years of living in the Middle East. The drama (featuring 30 minutes without music or 50 minutes with music) is biblically accurate, heartwarming and perfectly suited for church performance.
Kenneth E. Bailey was both a missionary and a New Testament scholar. As a missionary, first in Egypt and later in Lebanon, Israel-Palestine, and Cyprus, he experienced firsthand the life of traditional Middle Eastern villagers, which led him to the conclusion that the village culture he witnessed in the twentieth century had hardly changed since the first century. Consequently, he was able to reinterpret Jesus's parables and life experiences through this traditional culture. In a remarkable series of acclaimed books, which include The Cross and the Prodigal, Jacob and the Prodigal, and Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes, Bailey showed that Jesus was the first mind of the New Testament who used story and metaphor to challenge the leaders of his day in ways often unappreciated by contemporary readers. This biography explains the origins of Bailey's key ideas and recounts his often fraught missionary career--one that included the austere and the sometimes harsh life in the simple villages of Upper Egypt, the perils of life in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), and being evacuated four times during the military conflicts in the region--that made possible his groundbreaking insights into the New Testament.
Hospitality is not about fancy dinners and great impressions . . . it's about humbling your heart and being open to meeting people where they are. It's exactly what Christ did for us, and we have the privilege of following His example. Yes, it might be uncomfortable at first; but when you open the door to your home and heart to others, you open the door to unexpected blessings. Hang the "welcome sign" of Christian hospitality on the door of your life and see what God can do through you.
Christmas can be complicated. Parties, gifts, and family tensions dominate the season. So maybe it's time we explore what Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany are really about. The Messy Church series provides resources to help your church bring together people of all ages and stages of faith, allowing them to experience a creative and fun-filled Christian community. Messy Christmas offers your church a tool to create a unique, come-as-you-are experience built on creativity—allowing space for all to play and create celebration—worshiping God and his redeeming work in Jesus hospitality—sharing a meal where all are welcome These three once-a-month sessions include Christmas prayers, global action suggestions, games and competitions, Christmas food crafts, and many other ideas to experience joy during this time of the year. This season, give your community the gift of a messy church!
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey Pdf
Beginning with Jesus' birth, Ken Bailey leads you on a kaleidoscopic study of Jesus throughout the four Gospels. Bailey examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationships with women, and especially Jesus' parables. Through it all, Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead you into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context. With a sure but gentle hand, Bailey lifts away the obscuring layers of modern Western interpretation to reveal Jesus in the light of his actual historical and cultural setting. This entirely new material from the pen of Ken Bailey is a must-have for any student of the New Testament. If you have benefited from Bailey's work over the years, this book will be a welcome and indispensable addition to your library. If you are unfamiliar with Bailey's work, this book will introduce you to a very old yet entirely new way of understanding Jesus.
Israel, the community to which Jesus belonged, took its name from their patriarch Jacob. His story of exile and return was their story as well. In the well-known tale of the prodigal son, Jesus reshaped the story in his own way and for his own purposes. In this work, Kenneth E. Bailey compares the Old Testament saga and the New Testament parable. He unpacks similarities freighted with theological significance and differences that often reveal Jesus' particular purposes. Drawing on a lifetime of study in both Middle Eastern culture and the Gospels, Bailey offers here a fresh view of how Jesus interpreted Israel's past, his present and their future.
Preaching Magazine Year's Best Book for Preachers Where is the cross in the parable of the prodigal son? For centuries, Muslims have called attention to the father's forgiveness in this parable in order to question the need for a Mediator between humanity and God. In The Cross and the Prodigal, Kenneth E. Bailey--New Testament scholar and long-time missionary to the Middle East--undertakes to answer this question. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of both the New Testament and Middle Eastern culture, Bailey presents an interpretation of this parable from a Middle Eastern perspective and, in doing so, powerfully demonstrates its essentially Christian message. Here Bailey highlights the underlying tensions between law and love, servanthood and sonship, honor and forgiveness that grant this story such timeless spiritual and theological power.
Inspired by an Advent box and the desire for others to know the truth about Jesus, Carol B. Weaver wrote The Heart of Bethlehem: A Twenty-Five Day Journey of Faith for the Christmas Season. Each days devotional walks you through the story of Jesuss birth as told in the Bible. Whether you journey alone or with your family, the historical background, application, and prayers can add depth and understanding to your holiday season. Discover for yourself the transforming power of Gods love and its impact on the world today. Just add a Bible, a desire for more, and a little time.
The Light of Bethlehem Shines on by Thomas Pilgrim Pdf
The impact of the miraculous event of the incarnation continues -- and the light of hope that appeared in the darkness of that night in Bethlehem two thousand years ago still shines on us today, even in the midst of life's most difficult situations. Illustrated with poignant stories and anecdotes, these powerful messages celebrate the heartwarming joy of Christ's coming, and demonstrate how we can rely on the Lord to serve as our steady lighthouse while we navigate the shoals of life. This seven-part series for Advent, Christmas Eve, the Sunday after Christmas, and Epiphany Sunday provides a comprehensive seasonal resource for busy pastors and worship planners. Each chapter includes a sermon, a children's message, a candle lighting response with scripture reading, and a pastoral prayer. Chapter titles include: - In The Darkness Of Despair -- Isaiah 9:2-7 - In The Darkness Of Suffering -- John 1:1-13 - In The Darkness Of Oppression -- Luke 2:1-5 - In The Darkness Of Fear -- Luke 2:6-11 - In The Darkness Of Anxiety -- Luke 2:12-17 - In The Darkness Of Uncertainty -- Luke 2:17-20 - In The Darkness Of Suspicion -- Matthew 2:1-12 Thomas A. Pilgrim, the senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Georgia, has served several United Methodist congregations in the North Georgia Conference since 1966. He is the author of six other books, including They Came Together In Bethlehem and The Man From Galilee (CSS). Pilgrim has served on mission trips to Puerto Rico and Costa Rica, and his travels have included eight trips to the Holy Land as a tour host/leader. He is a graduate of LaGrange College and Candler School of Theology at Emory University.
These poems are the Christmas Greetings my husband and I shared with friends over the years. He died in 2001, but I have continued the tradition. These poems, in traditional metered and rhymed lines, usually end with a prayer for the New Year, similar to what might be included in a greeting card. Hence the title Greetings! Many friends have expressed appreciation for the poems and my colleagues in Ministry have found them usable and quotable in sermons. Many of the poems can be sung to familiar meters or hymn tunes.
Lite Worship Services for Advent and Christmas by Cynthia E. Cowen Pdf
Popular 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. A prolific and enthusiastic writer of worship resources, Cynthia E. Cowen has produced numerous pieces for CSS Publishing Company since 1991. She received a B.A. degree in education from Northern Michigan University and is a graduate of the Northern Great Lakes Synod Lay School for Mission. Cowen serves on synod leadership teams for youth, women, and clergy, was a licensed lay minister in a small congregation, and is currently a rostered Associate in Ministry in Youth And Family at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Iron Mountain, Michigan. She was elected to the Executive Board of the churchwide Women of the ELCA in 1996, and has served on its Printed Resources committee.
A Sweetheart Deal: God's incredible offer in his unspeakable gift by Dr. Ernan Norman Pdf
A Sweetheart Deal What a sweet deal! That is the theme and the emphasis of this Christmas book. In this book, you will encounter again and again, God’s incredible offer in the unspeakable gift of His only begotten Son. When Gabriel said to Mary, “You shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21), that was, and is, the sweetest deal that has been and will ever be given to sinful men and women. Luke records the esse