The rhythm of the liturgical year represents the great narrative of Christian faith, from the birth and ministry, to the death and resurrection of Christ. As the authors state in the introduction to this timely volume:

‘The liturgical year thus provides a structure for the Church’s collective memory, a way of consecrating our human experience of time in the celebration of God’s work – in Christ and in human beings made holy through Christ – a work which is both unrepeatably in time and incomprehensibly beyond time.’

The long anticipated Times and Seasons provides material for the seasons of the Church’s year, from Advent to Candlemas and from Lent to Easter, incorporating resources for the traditional festivals of the agricultural year and an exploration of themes such as creation and environment. Church House Publishing have also released two helpful companions to this volume (with a third focusing on Lent, Holy Week and Easter to follow): Using CW Times and Seasons and Together for a Season, providing all-age worship resources for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany.

As we approach Advent, CH Bookshop takes a look at some new liturgical resources for celebrating the season.

Incorporating material from Lent, Holy Week and Easter (1986), The Promise of His Glory (1991) and Enriching the Christian Year (1993) with new liturgical material, this greatly anticipated volume provides seasonal resources for celebrating the Church’s year.

Times and Seasons is an excellent resource, and is essential reading for all those wishing to enrich their seasonal worship.

This guide, written by a member of the liturgical committee responsible for Times and Seasons provides a helpful introduction to the theology and liturgy of Advent, and practical tips for creating worship from the Times and Seasons volume.

While Times and Seasons contains services of a more traditional, grown-up nature, this expands upon the material by providing creative suggestions for all-age worship, forming an excellent supplement to the main services. Particularly interesting are the symbols of the season: the Advent wreath, the crib and the Jesse tree, which are all used to enrich the worship suggestions

A follow-up to the popular Candles and Conifers (which covers the period of Advent), this wonderful volume brings the qualities of the worship of the Iona community to seasonal liturgy. From songs, to poems, plays and sketches, this material is bound to offer something different to the occasionally over-familiar Christmas liturgy.

Also from Wild Goose, this collection of Iona inspired resources is aimed at reinvigorating adult seasonal worship. This makes it rather unusual; most seasonal material of this kind is aimed at all-age worship, while this focuses on the experiences beyond the children’s nativity play.

As the liturgical year begins with Advent, how will you cope without your new Lectionary? Also available in large format.