Books published by publisher Augsburg Fortress Pub

The Christmas celebration marks the beginning of what a Hollywood screenwriter once called “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” It would have to be a pretty great story to bear telling for some 2,000 years. There is indeed something about this timeless story that grabs the mind and heart and soul and fills us with the promise of wonder and the promise of love. And so, in one way or another, we return to the story year after year, filled with a strange longing to hear it again and, having heard it, to tell it to others. This little book is another telling of that amazing story, along with a few words about the story and about what happens when it is told. It is an invitation to hear the story again and to tell the story, perhaps in your own words, to someone you love. —From the Preface Thoughtfully told and charmingly illustrated, It Came upon the Midnight Clear is a beautiful retelling of the Christmas story. This little book describes God’s concern for the well-being of people on earth, the angel Gabriel’s discussion with Mary, and the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, where Jesus is born. Whether you read this book alone or aloud with loved ones around the Christmas tree, you’ll want to reach for it year after year.

A year’s worth of Lectionary-based sermons with “kid-appeal” The Gospel of Matthew really comes alive in these delightful sermons designed for kids 4 to 10 years old. The latest volume in the series of sermons for children is designed for non-Lectionary churches and churches using Year A (Matthew) of the Revised Common Lectionary. Each of the 59 sermons includes suggestions for simple props, effective settings, and lively delivery. A CD-ROM allows users to add personal touches to the sermons.

Ruth Gilmore has been giving children's sermons to an enthusiastic following since she was eight years old. After many requests from pastors and other fans, she began to collect her sermons organized according to the Revised Common Lectionary. This book (for year C) is the first in that collection—and the first in a series that will follow years A, B, and C in the RCL's cycle. Each book offers a full lectionary year's worth of sermons, 59 sermons in all. An inspiring foreword by the award-winning writer and storyteller Walter Wangerin Jr. poetically presents the book. The author’s introduction provides helpful suggestions for preparing and delivering sermons. A table of contents and index are included to help find the right sermon for a particular Sunday or theme, making this book useful for churches not following the RCL cycle of Bible readings. An accompanying CD-ROM lets readers personalize each sermon for the own usage, and contains the entire text of the book in web (HTML), word processor (RTF) and Adobe Acrobat PDF formats, allowing users to easily search the contents and copy and paste selections to create their own customized sermons.

On Christmas Eve at Granny Mae's house, Kevin's family finds itself enacting a unique Nativity pageant and, in the process, discovering wonderful things about Christmas and families. Includes ideas for families on how to adapt Granny Mae's Christmas play to their own holiday celebrations.On Christmas Eve at Granny Mae's house, Kevin's family enacts a Nativity pageant and discovers wonderful things about Christmas and families, in a story with ideas on how to adapt Granny Mae's Christmas play.